The best among the “cream of the crop” of 18 finalists will be known when the panel presentation and interview for the 2022 Galing Pook Awards kicks off on Monday, Nov 21 at the MAAX Auditorium of MAAX Building in Pasay City.

Chaired by Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos, the Board of Judges that will determine the winners is composed of leaders from the business, civil society, media, academe and public sector.

“We all consider the 18 finalists as winners, but the Board of Judges will take on the challenge of selecting the best among them,” said Galing Pook Chairperson Mel Sarmiento. SILG Abalos will be joined by Dr. Chito Salazar (PHINMA Education), VAdm. Alex Pama (ARISE Ph), Rico Hizon (CNN Philippines), Elisea Gozun (Galing Pook), Miguel Rene Dominguez (Galing Pook), Dr. Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza (Galing Pook), Tina Monzon-Palma (Galing Pook), Leonardo Montemayor (Galing Pook) in the Board of Judges.

Aside from determining the winners, Sarmiento said the panel presentation and interview will give the Board of Judges a chance to learn about the local government units (LGUs) that made it to the finals and their advocacies for their respective communities.

The awarding will be held on Tuesday (Nov. 22) in Malacanang, Sarmiento said.

The 18 finalists were:

1. Alcala, Cagayan: “Green Wall of Alcala”
2. Bacoor City Cavite: ‘Kabataang Bacooreño, At Home Ka Dito (Residential Child Care Services)”
3. Basilan Province: “Advancing and Sustaining Good Governance and Community Actions towards Resiliency and Empowerment”
4. Bataan Province: “1Bataan Seal of Healthy Barangay”
5. Bataan Province: “Bataan Public-Private Partnership Programs”
6. Biñan City, Laguna: “Balik-Biñan Project: Tourism Development through Heritage Conservation”
7. Cagayan de Oro City: “Making Dreams Come True: Providing Better Access to Quality Education in Cagayan de Oro City”
8. Barangay Cayabu, Tanay Rizal: “Building Community Resiliency, Sustainability, and Strengthening Local Government Ability to Prepare for Hazards through Agri-Fishery”
9. Davao City: “Mental Wellness Center for the Homeless (MCWH)”
10. Goa, Camarines Sur: “Trekking to Unlock Community Ailments and Difficulties (TUCAD)”  
11. Barangay Hayanggabon, Claver, Surigao del Norte: “Brgy. Hayanggabon Health Services”
12. Iloilo City: “I-BIKE: A Program Promoting the Development of the Iloilo City Bike Culture”
13. Itbayat, Batanes: “Yaru: a Whole-of-Community Approach Towards Disaster Management”
14. Libertad, Antique: “Libertad Fish Forever Savings Club”
15. Paglat, Maguindanao: “Creation of Community Leaders and Military Police Advisory Council (CLAMP-AC)”
16. Palayan, Nueva Ecija: “Palayan City People’s Cold Storage Program”
17. Piddig, Ilocos Norte: “Basta Piddigueño, AgriHenyo: Consolidated Farm Production System”
18. Pulilan, Bulacan: “Pulilan Community Connect”

Georgina Hernandez Yang, Executive Director of the Galing Pook Foundation, said they were surprised by the deluge of applications despite 2022 being an election year. 

“These finalists were selected from a record 196 applications from different LGUs in the country, which is a very good metric for us, showing that there really is continuity in our best practices at the local government level despite changes in leadership at the national and local levels,” said Georgina Hernandez Yang, Executive Director of the Galing Pook Foundation, the co-presentor together with the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Local Government Academy and SM Prime Holdings, Inc.

"We have a wide variety. Also, this is the first time that we don't have a finalist from the National Capital Region (NCR). Another aspect that we are looking into in terms of spreading the reach and equity also in terms of being able to call themselves a Galing Pook Awardee," she added.

According to Galing Pook Foundation, the criteria for judging are Positive Results and Impact (25 percent), Promotion of People’s Participation and Empowerment (25 percent), Innovation and Adaptation (20 percent), Resilience (10 percent), Sustainability (10 percent), and Efficiency of Program Service Delivery and Transferability (10 percent).

Since its launching on October 21, 1993, Galing Pook Awards has recognized 329 LGU programs from 200 LGUs in the country that have been promoted for replication to benefit more communities. The Seal of Good Local Governance or SGLG was modeled after the pioneering efforts of the Galing Pook Awards.