Savoring the Aromatic Seal of Good Housekeeping Award



The evaluators had warned us: You're at the top 5 of those being considered for the Performance Challenge Fund Program of the DILG. But we were immune to such warning. The declaration was too good to be true--WAS too good to believe. Then came the news simultaneously as Typhoon Juan lashed down Northern Luzon. Balete won a seal--that seal of Good Housekeeping Award intended for the select 15 local government units throughout the country!

So what is this all about, this much coveted Seal of Good Housekeeping Award for Local Government Units? Technically, one would be an eligible nominee if it has complied with or met certain criteria, viz.: Exemplary Performance in Local Governance, specifically in areas of a)planning b) fiscal management c) transparency & accountability and d) valuing performance monitoring. An awardee of such seal becomes eligible to avail of the Performance Challenge Fund.

Since 2004, Balete pioneered the crafting of a Joint Executive-Legislative Agenda (ELA)which served as its roadmap for development for each term of both the executive and legislative officials, i.e. a three-year plan. It has been then a good hard habit to break every time a new set of officials assumed office. Just this August 2010, it has completed through a month-long workshop-writeshop activities with various stakeholders the only Comprehensive Development Plan in the entire Region. It is a 6-year plan of the local development thrust drawing much of its projects and programs out of the indicators shown in the LGPMS (the electric performance monitoring system devised by the DILG) and the observations made during the Exit and Utilization Conference of the previous administration of then Mayor Noemi C. Cordero.

Reforms in Balete started in 1998 when Mayor Teodoro V. Calizo, Jr. called on both the major and minor stakeholders in Balete to formulate the vision-mission statement of the municipality. A shared vision where everyone believes inspired all to contribute and share something of themselves to build up that better Balete than yesterdays. And so it came to pass that after 12 years, Balete got recognized for its effort.

And to think that it is observing its Town Fiesta.

So sweet. Rather, aromatic like a coffea arabica.

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