The Subcommittee on the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) of the House Committee on Local Government met to discuss several legislative proposals seeking to strengthen meritocracy in government, particularly at the local level.
Measures taken up include House Bills (HBs) 1110, 6067, and 6127, which seek to consolidate all performance measurement tools and rewards systems for local government units (LGUs); HB 2373, which aims to institutionalize a performance-based special local government support fund; and HB 6145, which seeks to establish a performance measurement system aimed at promoting meritocracy in government.
Bataan Representative Albert Garcia, author of HB 6145, explained that his push for meritocracy in government is anchored on the need to link the compliance of local government units (LGUs) with SGLG standards to bottom-line results in the lives of citizens.
“Importante ‘yung Seal of Good Local Governance checklist.”
“Importante ‘yung (SGLG) checklist. Pero dapat ibangga iyon sa outcome para makita in a certain LGU na compliant sila sa checklist and that (compliance) contributes to the bottom line, to the quality of life ng tao dun sa lugar na iyon,” the veteran legislator said.
Garcia, under HB 6145, is proposing the use of the Human Development Index (HDI), which he described as people-centric and measurable, to assess SGLG compliance.
“The HDI is a globally recognized measure for quality of life,” the seasoned lawmaker said.
Institutionalized in 2019 with the enactment of Republic Act (RA) 11292, the SGLG is an award conferred on local government units (LGUs) based on their attainment of identified performance targets.
He described the use of HDI as an elegant solution that paves the way for government—from the national to the provincial, local, and barangay levels—to align their efforts toward improving the quality of life of all Filipinos. He emphasized the imperative for government to pursue continuous innovation in public service delivery.
“As government officials and public servants, kailangan pa-improve tayo ng pa-improve,” Garcia said.
“It’s about time to move it to the next step.”
“It’s about time to move it to the next step—na bukod sa compliance, ibangga natin sa outcomes para mas maramdaman ng mga tao yung epekto ng ginagawa natin,” he stressed.
Makati Representative Monique Yazmin Maria Lagdameo presided over the meeting.
