DAVAO CITY (PIA)–The Department of the Interior and Local Government plays a very important role in addressing corruption down to the local government units and the barangay governments.
Guesting at the recent Kapihan sa Bagong Piipinas in Davao City, Abdullah Matalam, regional director of the DILG XI said they employ different strategies in order to curb corruption, through strengthening transparency and accountability.
“It is called seal of local good governance (SGLG), an award that recognizes local government units that demonstrate transparency, accountability, and good performance in various areas including financial management and disaster preparedness,” he said.
Matalam said by setting high standards and rewarding those who met them, the SGLG encourages local government units to adopt the best practices and minimize opportunities that encourage corruption.
He said the DILG also has a public disclosure policy, where the DILG promotes the mandatory disclosure of local government budgets, the financial report in our procurement processes to the public.
“This transparency discourages corruption by allowing citizens to scrutinize and hold local government officials accountable. We have a basis for this, the Full Disclosure Policy Law,” Matalam said.
He said that the DILG conducts capacity enhancement and training for local government officials and staff on topics like ethical governance, financial management and anti-corruption practices.
Matalam said the DILG helps to capacitate the LGUs, to manage resources effectively and adhere to anti-corruption measures.
He said the DILG provides technical assistance and administrative services to the LGUs by improving their internal control system in implementing good practices in governance.
Matalam said that added to that, is the monitoring and evaluation, where the DILG uses different tools and indicators, in assessing compliance to transparency and accountability standards.
He said the DILG also makes use of the Citizens’ feedback mechanism like the local government councils, barangay assemblies and public consultation.
“By involving the citizenry in the decision-making processes, the DILG helps to create accountable and responsive local governments, “Matalam said.
He said that through these measures, the DILG aims to attain a culture of good governance and to reduce the culture of corruption across LGUs in Davao Region.
Matalam said the lack of financial resources and management for funding LGUs remains a challenge for local governments in Davao Region.
He said that the DILG encourages the local government units to find funds through public-private partnership which encourages private mindset for local projects.
Matalam said this means revising local revenue codes, updating our tax ordinances, and assessing the tax collection efficiency of the LGUs.
He said the training for LGU officials on revenue management and financial planning is also important.
“We ensure that local funds are used effectively where proper financial management meets the standard,” Matalam said. (JSGD-Davao del Sur)
