Amidst the woes and still feeling the devastation brought about by the onslaught of Tropical Storm Sendong, came good news for the people of the Province of Negros Oriental—in the form of another award for exemplary governance.

While personally attending to the needs of the victims of TS Sendong, Governor Roel Ragay Degamo received news that the Province of Negros Oriental has been selected by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as one of the provincial awardees for the Seal of Good House Keeping.

The Seal of Good House Keeping is one of the flagship programs of the DILG under the leadership of Secretary Jesse Robredo which is also in line with the P-NOY administration’s direction of transparency and accountability in all government transactions. This is part of P-NOY’s Matuwid na Daan or straight path.

Negros Oriental was cited as it satisfactorily complied with the “Full Disclosure Policy,” which is among the requirements set by the DILG for this award such as the publication in its website of the Provincial Government’s Annual Budget, Annual Investment Plan (AIP), and the province’s procurement procedures, among others.

The Seal of Good House Keeping is a tool used by the DILG to draw out from all local government units honesty, accountability and transparency in various government dealings and procedures.

While still reeling of the effects of the TS Sendong and sharing the misery of those who were affected by the typhoon, Governor Degamo said this award is something that all the Negrenses must be proud of.

He clarified that the award is neither for him nor for his administration alone but for all the people in the province, the different sectors and local government units, who rallied behind his administration after he assumed office early this year.

With the award comes a monetary consideration amounting to some seven million pesos or the so-called Performance Challenge Fund, which the provincial government can utilize, to further improve the delivery of basic services to the people.

Under the program, the recipient LGU has to identify projects within the Annual Investment Plan (AIP) for 2012 which needs additional fundings for immediate implementation. These projects include rural electrification, local roads connecting to national roads, farm to market roads and flood control and drainage, among others.

The Province of Negros Oriental will be awarded together with 16 other local government units. These are the cities of Dumaguete and Bais and the municipalities of Ayungon, Basay, Bindoy, Jimalalud, La Libertad, Mabinay, Manjuyod, Pamplona, Santa Catalina, Sibulan, Tayasan, Valencia, Vallehermoso and Zambonaguita.

Governor Degamo described this award as another feather to his cap and considers it as an added strength to his young administration.

“This is welcome development for all the people of Negros Oriental because this only goes to show that we are not only doing our job but doing it well. This is a fruit of our labor; that even without us thinking of the awards or other similar recognitions, there are agencies that monitor and acknowledge those who do their jobs well.” the governor said.

He added that despite of the devastation brought about by TS Sendong, the year 2011 is still a very good and fruitful year for the Province of Negros Oriental since the Seal of Good House Keeping is the second award accorded to the province.

Earlier, Negros Oriental was also cited by the DILG as number four among the top ten best performing provinces in the country.

Both awards were given during the first few months of Governor Degamo’s administration.

The Governor believes that awards such as this will help rebuild the confidence of our people who, until now, are still coping to reclaim their lost dignity after TS Sendong hit the province.