December 29, 2011 - The City Government of Butuan has been awarded the Seal of Good Housekeeping by the Department of Interior and Local Government, making it a qualified recipient of the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF). 

In a memorandum issued by DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo to Caraga Regional Director Atty. Rene Burdeos, the DILG chief directed Atty. Burdeos to inform the City Government of Butuan to submit a one-page project brief based on the corresponding amount of the LGSF share in the amount of Php60 Million that may be released to them.  

The memorandum further stated that the said fund shall be utilized as capital expenditures and used to augment their approved 2012 Annual Investment Plan for implementation of any or combination of the following projects, namely: 1) rural electrification; 2) local roads connecting national roads; 3) arterial farm-to-market roads and bridges; 4) local economic enterprises and; 5) flood control and drainage.   

Also, the DILG chief said the fund can also be used to support the priority projects of the national government such as the 1) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); 2) Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010; 3) Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.   

However, DILG emphasized that the release of the LGSF shall be subject to the evaluation or approval of the project by the concerned DILG Regional Office, based on the above-stated requirements. Once the concerned DILG Regional Office has determined the soundness of the project, it shall then be endorsed to its counterpart regional office of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for fund processing.   

This development shows that the internal reforms which were implemented in the city government here through the leadership of Mayor Ferdinand Amante, Jr. were recognized by the national government. 

The City Government of Butuan is among the local government units of Caraga Region that complied and adhered to the flagship program of President Benigno S. Aquino III on transparency and accountability as highlighted in the Philippine Development Plan for 2011-2016. – CMO-PIO/PIA-13