Three local legislative bodies in the Cordillera shared the limelight with their counterparts from other parts of the country during the 2023 Local Legislative Awards held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City last week.
Baguio City council headed by Vice mayor Faustino A. Olowan and the nearby La Trinidad, Benguet headed by Vice Mayor Roderick Awingan were among the finalists in the highly urbanized city and first to third class municipalities categories, respectively while Hungduan, Ifugao was adjudged first runner-up in the fourth to sixth class municipalities category.
The Local legislative Awards is one of the major highlights of the annual gathering of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) which is the umbrella organization of all members of local legislative bodies in the country.
The award aims to honor the exemplary performance of the Sangguniang Panlungsod and Bayan for legislating measures that help build impactful local government units’ (LGUs’) administration and development from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022.
Further, the award serves as inspiration to local legislators to keep making sound and effective polices that do not only address the needs of their respective localities but also contribute in realizing the country’s long term visions for inclusive growth for all.
The LLA is categorized into provincial, regional and national level. In the provincial evaluation, city and municipal sanggunians must satisfy the 80 percent or higher overall performance rating to compete at the regional level.
Meanwhile, at the regional level, sanggunians with a total score of 85 percent and above are qualified to compete at the national level.
The awards committee was chaired by DILG and vice-chaired by PCL and VMLP, with members from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. For his part, Vice mayor Awingan said that the recent recognition that was received by the La Trinidad municipal council to pursue legislations that will advance the interest of the greater majority of the populace.
He added that the recognition will also serve as an inspiration and motivation of the municipal legislators that the aforesaid local legislative bodies were finalists in their respective categories in the provincial and regional levels that paved the way for them to qualify in the national search for top Local Legislatures Bodies.
La Trinidad was able to codify most of the ordinances to allow the people to have easier access to the various codified legislations for whatever purpose they intend to use the same.
The said councils were finalists in their respective categories in the provincial and regional levels that paved them to qualify in the national search that was spearheaded by the Department of the Interior and Local government (DILG) in partnership with the different organizations of local legislators and vice mayors.
Awingan said that the achievements of the three Cordillera councils will definitely serve as a motivation for other municipal councils to elevate their respective legislations to a higher level to guarantee the enactment of quality legislations beneficial to the welfare of their constituents. By Dexter A. See