Gov’t eyes scorecard for LGUs

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima: Scorecard system. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—A scorecard system for local government units (LGUs) will be institutionalized this year as administration officials try to make the financial conditions of LGUs more transparent.

Under the “LGU Fiscal Sustainability Scorecard,” which will be facilitated by the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), municipal, city and provincial governments will be assessed based on their ability to generate revenue, control spending, and comply with financial reportorial requirements.

Financial information concerning LGUs will be accessible to the public through an online portal to be called “Iskor ng ‘yong Bayan.”

The scorecards will be made public so that people will see “how their LGUs are faring based on the reports the treasurers have submitted [to the BLGF],” Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said in a message to local treasurers during a recent gathering of the Philippine Association of Local Treasurers and Assessors. The message was conveyed by Finance Undersecretary Carlo Carag.

The scorecard system is meant to instill in LGUs the principles of good governance espoused by the Aquino administration, Purisima said.

BLGF had been conducting reviews of the financial performance of LGUs, but the new system involves a formal set of criteria for grading municipal, city and provincial governments.

It likewise involves the reporting of their scores to the public.

“By June, we will begin analyzing the 2013 performance of LGUs and we will look at the official reports submitted to the BLGF, as well as other third party reports,” Purisima said.