DILG Pick Olongapo City as Outstanding HUC Sanggunian in Central Luzon

The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Olongapo City has been adjudged by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as the winner of the Search for Outstanding Sanggunian for Highly Urbanized Cities of Region 3.

DILG OIC-Director Dennis Villasenor said Olongapo City, with an overall performance rating of 98.5 out-scored Angeles City to win the Regional Award and be among the finalists for the National Award.

The evaluation team focused on the effectiveness of the Legislative Agenda, the effectiveness of the Legislative Tracking System, the availability of Legislative Documents, the efficiency of the performance of the Sanggunian, and the quality of the office set-up and staff complement.

For the Legislative Agenda to be effective, it should complement the Executive Agenda; must have been developed in consultation with stakeholders; should provide legislative action on the Comprehensive Development Plan; and, promote and support regional and national priority development thrusts.

The Legislative Tracking System is effective if all ordinances and resolutions since the enactment of the Local Government Code of 1991 are on file; ordinances and resolutions are indexed by subject, by sponsor and by date of approval; hard copies of ordinances and resolutions can be retrieved on inquiry within a reasonable period of time; and, they can be searched and copied or printed by staff.

On the other hand, available Legislative Documents should consist of the Journal of Sanggunian Proceedings from June 30, 2005 to June 30, 2009, Minutes of sessions duly signed by all members, committee reports signed by majority of the members and notices of special sessions.

The Sanggunian performance will be based on the number or ordinances and resolutions enacted with impact on local communities; number of sessions conducted with complete attendance of members; and, Internal Rules and Procedure, including organization of the SB and election of its officers, creation of standing and special committees, order and calendar of business for each session, legislative process, parliamentary procedure, and discipline of members.

The quality of office set-up and staff complement is also looked into, especially the presence of appropriate fixtures and equipment in the session hall and legislative offices for individual members, staff complement of at least one staff per member, and office for the SP secretary.

Two members of Olongapo City Council are recipients of National Awards namely SK Federation President Cheenee Hoya who bagged the national Outstanding Sangguniang Kabataan Award and Councilor Edwin J. Piano who is a finalist in the on-going search for The Outstanding Councilor of the Philippines.

The national legislative award, which started in 2006, seeks to accord official recognition to the Sangguniang Panglunsod and to the Sangguniang Bayan that excel in legislating laws that ultimately contribute to the attainment of desirable socio-economic and environmental management outcomes, specifically highlighting innovations and excellence in the legislative process.

Outstanding Sanggunians will receive a trophy and cash award from the Philippine Councilors League while national finalists will get a plaque of commendation.

In photo above, Councilor Ed Piano and Acting Vice-Mayor Gina Perez leading the technical working group in preparation for submission of requirements and visit of Legislative Award's National Evaluating Team.