By I. Inojales | 02:53 PM January 27, 2026
TAGBILARAN CITY — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Bohol has clarified that it is not associated with several awards circulating on social media, stressing that only officially sanctioned assessments and recognitions fall under its mandate.
In a public advisory, DILG Bohol said it regularly conducts performance assessments on local governance and confers awards and incentives to Local Government Units (LGUs) that demonstrate exemplary performance based on established audits and evaluation systems.
Among the DILG-managed assessments, awards, and incentives are the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG), Seal of Good Financial Housekeeping, Anti-Drug Abuse Council Functionality, Peace and Order Council Functionality, Local Legislative Award (LLA), Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance, Local Council for the Protection of Children Functionality, Local Council on Anti-Trafficking and Violence Against Women and Children Functionality, Subaybayani Award, Seal of Good Local Governance for Barangays, and the Lupong Tagapamayapa Incentives Award.
The department emphasized that it “categorically denies” any involvement in award-giving activities proliferating online outside these official programs.
While acknowledging that other government agencies, private organizations, and institutions are not prohibited from recognizing LGUs and local officials, the DILG urged the public and elected officials to exercise prudence in giving credibility to award-giving bodies.
It advised stakeholders to consider the track record of these institutions, their evaluation criteria, methodologies, mandates, and organizational objectives before accepting or promoting recognitions.
The advisory also noted growing calls to regulate or “gatekeep” award-giving in local governance. In the absence of such a mechanism, the DILG encouraged due diligence and critical thinking in verifying the legitimacy of awards. The matter has been formally referred to higher levels of the department for policy consideration and guidance.
Transparency concerns
The clarification comes amid a recent controversy involving Alburquerque Mayor Don Ritchie Buates, who publicly declined an award naming him Top Mayor of Bohol’s 1st District.
In a Facebook post, Buates said he returned the award to its organizers, stressing that he would not accept recognitions lacking oversight from government agencies such as the DILG. He warned against misleading the public and raised transparency concerns, including the alleged unauthorized use of his image.
Buates said legitimate awards must be based on clear, government-coordinated evaluation criteria and recalled past instances where recognitions were allegedly tied to monetary transactions, which he publicly opposed during the 2022 campaign.
The Civic Accountability Council, which gave Buates a 9.8 out of 10 rating for his work in infrastructure and tourism, praised his leadership. However, the mayor maintained that genuine recognition should come from transparent, government-supervised evaluation systems rather than private award-giving bodies.
