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Ipil wins governance excellence award For
its efforts in addressing the themes of poverty reduction,
gender, environment, and peace, the
 local government of Ipil
was awarded the “Kaagapay Seal of Excellence in Local
Governance” by the Philippines-Canada Local Government Support
Program (LGSP) in posh ceremonies at the Davao Convention
Center.
Municipal
administrator Eleanor Funda-Sardual, representing Mayor Rey
Andre Olegario, received the award from Department of Interior
and Local Government Secretary Angelo Reyes.
Ipil received
the seal of distinction for its holistic attainment of a local
government that exemplifies transparent, efficient,
responsive, and participatory governance.
The town
joins the select circle of 42 LGUs whose achievements were
showcased in the LGSP sponsored Governance Expo 2004 in Davao
City on November 9, 2004.
The
recognition is sweet reward for the LGUs efforts in “rising
from the ashes” of a terrorist attack that killed 55 people
and destroyed its commercial center in 1995.
It has taken
a long time to recover from the tragedy, but thanks to the
capability building programs provided by the LGSP to Ipil, the
town’s officials are rediscovering strength and finding new
ways of transforming limitations to new opportunities.
The struggle
to turn around the new public market from a heavy burden to an
economic enterprise is an example of this new-found vision.
Built from a loan after the 1995 tragedy, the town immediately
began paying its amortization even when it was not yet
operational, draining its coffers of resources that could have
been better placed elsewhere.
It took
about a year for the town officials to convince market vendors
and stall owners to move to the new location in Barangay Don
Andres. The resistance was great, but the town officials
dialogued their way to eventual cooperation. Finally, the
transfer was effected and now Ipil has two commercial centers
– the public market in its bigger and better planned location,
and the Pasalubong Center where the old market used to be.
And to serve
another chunk of small entrepreneurs, the town officials
created space near the
Pasalubong
Center
for a popular night spot – barbecue-and-hanging-rice stalls.
The stalls were constructed at no cost to the local
government. A softdrink company footed the bill.
LGSP
The LGSP has
been operating since 1991 in more than 200 LGUs around the
country, most of them in Mindanao and in Western Visayas.
It provides
capability building programs to LGUs, equipping local
officials with policies and strategies to create revenue
earning projects, preserve their environment, and govern with
efficiency and excellence.
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