LGU-Camalig moved closer to earning the long-coveted Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award, as officers from the Department of the Interior & Local Government (DILG) Region VIII, LGOO III Mr. Art Robin Nagpacan and LGOO II Mr. Nadem Ray Uy conducted the SGLG National Validation 2024 at the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) session hall, Camalig Municipal Hall, Brgy. 2, Poblacion, Camalig, Albay.

 

Camalig, the only municipality in Albay to be declared a “clean passer” in the initial stages of the SGLG assessment, has been working tirelessly for years to reach this national validation stage. The municipality’s performance during the validation will ultimately determine if they will finally receive the SGLG award.

 

The activity was attended by key officials including Camalig Mayor Hon. Carlos “Caloy” Irwin G. Baldo, Jr., Vice Mayor Hon. Maria Ahrdail “Ding” G. Baldo, SB members, DILG Provincial Director Ray B. Caceres, CESO V and his team, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Public Schools District Supervisors (PSDSs), and LGU-Camalig department heads and functionaries.

 

The validators conducted on-site inspections of various facilities in the town, including the sanitary landfill at Brgy. Caguiba, tourism facilities, the Camalig Bungkaras Evacuation Center (CBEC) at Brgy. Bongabong, the Municipal Health Office (MHO), and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Office’s (MDRRMO) Operations Center (OpCen).

 

The validators further made minor recommendations such as improvements for pavement and facilities at the landfill, the visitor’s logbook at the Quituinan Visitors Information Center (VIC), the wheelchair ramp and accessible restrooms for persons with disabilities (PWDs) at the CBEC, the PWD restroom at the MHO, and various other facilities. They also commended the municipality’s efforts in disaster preparedness, specifically highlighting the MDRRMO’s data-centric approach, the utilization of public address systems, disaster preparedness, response, and recovery protocols, and the activation of the Incident Command System (ICS) and Incident Management Team (IMT).

 

In the afternoon, the validators conducted in-depth interviews with LGU-Camalig department heads, functionaries, and barangay officials. The interviews covered various aspects of the municipality’s performance, including financial administration and sustainability, disaster preparedness, social protection and sensitivity, health compliance and responsiveness, sustainable education, business-friendliness and competitiveness, safety and peace and order, environmental services, tourism, heritage development, culture and arts, and youth development.

 

The national validation concluded with an exit conference where the validators relayed their positive findings after assessing the ten areas. They praised Camalig’s strong performance especially in financial administration, tourism, social welfare, disaster preparedness, healthcare, youth development, and business-friendliness. They also commended the municipality’s well-maintained facilities, the dedication of its officials and responders, and its commitment to participatory governance.

 

Nagpacan and Uy further expressed their strong recommendation for Camalig to receive the national SGLG award. The results of the validation process will be announced soon.