INNOVATIVENESS OF HEALTH PROGRAMS
According to the LGU, the Women-in-the-Sitios Program this is their most innovative program. As assessed, this program is a best practice of the LGU, however, not quite innovative because there are other constituents that weren’t knowledgeable about the program.Indeed, there are positive behavioral changes in the community. However, there are insufficient quantifiable data that can back up the innovativeness of the project such as distinctiveness and effectiveness to the general constituents.

For the LGU, the sustainability and availability of their blood supply is considered as one of their innovative projects because they were able to sustain blood supply for their constituents. Through massive information and education campaign they were able to encourage donors. In addition, by going in far-flung areas through mobile donation efforts, they were able to gather blood donations from people in barrios. Blood donation was made accessible to the people and blood acquisition also made easy through ITRMC. 
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The centralized health supply chain management cycle for health logistics is also considered to be one of their best practices. Truly, it can be seen that the actual organization and management of medicines and supplies are handled well and been truthfully and sufficiently given to the barangay health stations (BHS). Also, system of disbursement and replenishment are being established already which make requesting and provision of medicines and supplies easy. 

LOCAL LEADERSHIP
Mayor Herminigildo M. Velasco is the current Local Chief Executive of San Gabriel, La Union. He succeeded his wife, Hon. Divina Daligues-Velasco, who is now elected as Councilor and chairs Health, Women, Family and Social Services committees. Incumbent Mayor Velasco was the Municipal Health Officer (MHO) before he assumed office in 2016. Both the incumbent mayor and former mayor are doctors by profession. They both used their learning from public management and experience in health care provision to do programs for basic health services delivery that are sustainable, with the involvement of stakeholders and people by starting to identify and prioritize problems and issues as a basis for planning and implementation of solutions in the municipality. 

They both claimed that their leadership style is empowering constituents by encouraging active participation in the community. Moreover, in a more informal conversation with the constituents, there are also comments that the incumbent mayor is visiting and talking to the people in the community which is called “Panagrikna ti Umili” (PTU) or “Feeling the Pulse of the People.” In this way, the people were able to relay their concerns and suggestions to the mayor. It was observed that the policies and programs that are being crafted are based from the consultations from the members of the community through PTU which makes them included in government process.

Seeing health as a priority is the first step in committing to the advocacy of providing the necessary health services to the Filipino. With the Municipality of San Gabriel's continuous development and systematization of the local government's health services, indeed the hope for a future with well and healthy Filipinos is generously fuelled. 

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HEALTH RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Salcedo currently has 1 MHO, 8 rural midwives, 5 DOH midwives, 13 DOH nurses, 212 BHWs, and 103 other health staff. They are properly compensated as mandated by the national government. The health staff reported proper and adequate work scheduling every week and confirmed they have received trainings for Standard First Aid, Basic Life Support, Integrated Management Childhood Illnesses, and Integrated Management Adult/Adolescent Illnesses. 

Barangay Health Workers are given an honorarium amounting to P500 from the barangay, and an additional P1800 from the municipality. Besides these monetary incentives, these BHWs are given non-monetary incentives such as the scholarship program being offered to the BHW’s children, as sponsored by UP Palo. A BHW’s child is given the opportunity to enter UP Palo’s ladderized program (only available to the children of BHWs), wherein he/she can study midwifery, then nursing, and even medicine. Furthermore, BHWs are also given recommendation towards civil service eligibility. 

Mayor Melchor Mergal sees asking for help from these partners as a sign of being resourceful. Thus, Salcedo takes advantage of the resources being provided by both the local NGOs and international NGOs. Currently, the LGU has partnerships with OxFam, Zuellig Family Foundation, Unicef, and other international NGOs. These partnerships have enabled the LGU to improve 90% of its Barangay Health Stations, including the equipment being used in their health units. Some public health programs are also run through the resources provided by these partners. 

INNOVATIVENESS OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS
Because of Typhoon Yolanda, both Mayor Mergal and Dra. Campo realized that more than having the medicines and emergency vehicle, they have to fill in the gap for Salcedo to be truly prepared for future natural disasters. Through its partnership with Zuellig Foundation, DOH, Unicef, and other stakeholders, DRRM-Health Plan was crafted, containing strategies to better respond to any health emergencies and disasters. The LGU Health Emergency Cluster Responders have been organized and trained on the Basic Health Management in conjunction with training on Basic First Aid and Basic Life Support. Workshop and trainings were also done in order to ensure that these tools are disseminated to its citizens down to the barangay level.

Post Yolanda, Dra. Campo has anticipated worsening nutrition across children of all ages. Initial intervention involved the First 1000 Days program with supplementary feeding. However, based on prior experience, more than a lack of resources to buy nutritious food, ignorance was also a major factor. Thus, a Pabasa sa Nutrisyon program was initiated, wherein parents who attend the program will receive three kilos of rice, milk, and Ready-to-Utilize Therapeutic Food as incentives. The Pabasa is hoped to increase the knowledge of parents and encourage them to put into application what they learned. Long term, the LGU is striving to improve its status in terms of the children’s nutritional status.

Aside from the Pabasa sa Nutrisyon program, health staff are also active in its health information campaigns. These campaigns range from Buntis Congress, Tatays’ Congress, Health Summit, and community-based lectured on TB and Adolescent health. These campaigns improved the demand side, ensuring utilization of the available health services being provided by the RHU. ​

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN HEALTH
The citizens of Salcedo are empowered. Its local citizens are involved in program planning and providing proposals for its own local barangay. The Salcedo Local Health Board is active and inclusive of all sectors, both in the government and non-government sectors. Project proposals are incentivized, encouraging citizens to advocate what they truly believe will help their community. 
Health staff are well-trained across fields. Specifically, its BHWs received trainings for all IMCI and IMAI, enabling them to act accordingly even in the absence of the MHO. The service delivery network that the LGU has established worked accordingly mainly due to the empowerment of its health staff. From the patient to midwife, each staff knows their respective responsibilities. The health staff are empowered to work independently and with confidence. 
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The people in Salcedo are encouraged to participate in the Buntis Congress, Tatay Congress, and Family Development Session, wherein they are provided with the knowledge and tools ensuring the best health for the entire family. It is through the conduction of these congress that the RHU are able to disseminate information of the available health services and impart long term approach towards good health practices across their citizens. 

​Building on specific advocacies to reach targets and goals is admirable in any setting. With this practice of the Municipality of Salcedo applied towards various health advocacies, the Champions for Health Governance Awards continues to have hope and strive for good health governance. Through driven and targeted initiatives like those stated previously, accessible and effective health services is definitely not out of our reach. 

San Felipe, located at the center and along the coastal area of Zambales, is a 4th class municipality under the current leadership of their municipal mayor, Atty. Carolyn S. Fariñas. Within the municipality are eleven (11) barangays, wherein six (6) are located in the town, and five (5) are located at rural areas. Their municipality has one (1) rural health unit and eleven (11) barangay health stations which are overseen and managed by their rural health physician, Dr. Salome F. Arinduque.

San Felipe is described to primarily be an agricultural community that has rice, vegetables, fruits and corn as its major crops. Other distinct sources of living aside from farming include fishing and hatcheries. It is also recognized as one of the most business-friendly municipalities given its projects and initiatives. In terms of land use, more than a residential area (16.07%), it is mostly made up of forests (29.14%). It is found to be rich in both water and land forms such as mountains, rivers and waterfalls. It is widely acknowledged in the province and even in the country as the “Greenest and Cleanest” town.

Furthermore, it is known distinctly for its health practices such as its Municipal Ordinance No. 15 S.2013 which includes prohibition of smoking in all public areas and its solid waste management practices. Under their 2016 Summary of Expenditures on Health Programs/Activities, they spent a total of Php13,656,025.48. Their original allotted budget for health for 2017 was 20% of their 2016 Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) which is Php 13,599,695.60 of Php 67,998,478.00. Because of their noteworthy performance, they are widely approached for possible partnerships by organizations such as the Zuellig Family Foundation and even a Swiss company, KBA Notasys.

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
The factor of transparency is observable in the San Felipe municipality in terms of disclosure of the financial documents required in the Full Disclosure Policy. Aside from its availability in the bulletin board of the municipality, they place this in public places such as in the market and by the tricycle waiting shed. In addition, these are said to be published in their website and official municipality magazine.

The process of determining budget for a particular allocation, like health, is done through a budget hearing. Depending on the need, how big the event will be, and how much preparation is necessary, they then request for the necessary budget accordingly. 

While on the aspect of accountability, the municipality has displayed this in terms of using the acquired funds for the programs to create positive attitude change.They implement this by encouraging a proactive and information-driven approach to promote a healthy lifestyle. In the aspect of policy development, there was no distinct procedure or program on how the public is actively involved in the process aside from representation of the sectors during meetings.

​For programs like the Smoke-Free San Felipe, an official ordinance in the municipality, it was initially met with hesitation and criticism by some people of San Felipe. However, through its promotions and way of communication with the people, the municipality has found that a relevant percentage of smokers have decreased their smoking habits. Especially within their own municipal manpower, an approximate 80% of the staff has stopped smoking altogether.
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They have also acquired additional budget for their programs to their original allotment due to being awarded for their efficient performances in health. In turn, this displays a sense of accountability in terms of taking responsibility with the decisions and policies they implement, and even generating benefits out of it.​

HEALTH RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
​Despite San Felipe being a fourth class municipality, their efforts for their health initiatives have continued to expand. These initiatives are led by the Expanded Local Health Board Members composed of the Mayor and Municipal Health Officer as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively. The board is supported by its members and expanded members which is composed of 19 individuals from the government and NGOs, all rural health personnel, all barangay health workers, and all barangay nutrition scholars. Despite the limited budget that they may have, they assure that they make the necessary adjustments and steps towards staying true to their aims. For instance, the municipality has three (3) ambulances, with one driver that on a 24-hour shift, while the other two (2) are on-call. For farther areas, they asked for volunteers who own tricycles, private cars or other vehicles that may be contacted in case of emergencies. If the ambulance is not immediately available, they contact these alternative vehicle owners to request for their assistance to bring the patient closer to the RHU or the hospital.

The LGU follows the standardized salaries and benefits for their health workforce and government employees. This includes the first class salary schedule regardless of LGU income classification, the benefits based on the Magna Carta (including the hazard pay), and the honorarium given to the BHWs. The BHWs receive Php 350 to Php 500 per month based on the income of their barangays. They have at least 118 BHWs at present.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN HEALTH
For programs like the Smoke-Free San Felipe, an official ordinance in the municipality, it was initially met with hesitation and criticism by some people of San Felipe.But through its promotions and way of communication with the people, the municipality has found that a relevant percentage of smokers have decreased their smoking habits. Especially within their own municipal manpower, an approximate 80% of the staff has stopped smoking altogether.
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They have also acquired additional budget for their programs to their original allotment due to being awarded for their efficient performances in health. In turn, this displays a sense of accountability in terms of taking responsibility with the decisions and policies they implement, and even generating a benefit out of it.​

The Champions for Health Governance Awards admires the strong drive and passion for health governance  of local government units such as that of the municipality of San Felipe, Zambales. The program believes that if there are more people who believe in the value of health and are willing to work for it in ways like the different efforts of San Felipe, reaching the goal of quality and affordable health services for every Filipino is indeed not too far from our reach. 

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
​Transparency and accountability in Tacurong City is clearly seen and observed. Funds and resources are utilized properly in different projected allocations. Various organizations and civil society groups participate in formulating and planning the different programs and projects of the LGU. Revenues are collected effectively and efficiently.The city complies with the full disclosure policy in all their financial transactions, as can be seen in public places, social media accounts, local media, their publications, and their website.These different channels are also used by the LGU to disseminate important information to their citizens, to make sure that as many people as possible are well-informed about government’s services and efforts. 

The consistent good governance and best practices of the City of Tacurong, as well as those of many other local government units, help push forward the goal of bridging the gap between local stakeholders and the provision of health services. With such praise-worthy practices such as those of Tacurong, the Champions for Health Governance Awards continues to pursue the act of recognizing innovative and effective health governance practices while advocating for the continuous development of health care in the country. 

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​For more information about the CHG Awards. visit the ABOUT THE AWARDS page; for interested applicants of the 2019 awards, please visit the application page on this website. ​

Plaridel is a first class municipality in the province of Bulacan under the leadership of MayorJocelle Aimee R. Vistan- Casaje. As of 2015, it has a total population of 107, 805. It is politically subdivided to 19 barangays. Major industries in the municipality are: farming, poultry or livestock raising, garments and food processing.

Plaridel has been awarded and recognized several times for their exemplary performance and best practices in local governance. In 2012, the city was awarded with the DILG Seal of Good Housekeeping. It is also a regional winner of the Child-friendly Municipality and CROWN Award for Nutrition. The Municipality also bagged the National Literacy Awards in 2014 which was their third consecutive year thus they became qualified as Hall of Famer in the 2014 UNESCO Literacy Awards.

HEALTH AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Plaridel has 16 Barangay Health Stations and 3 Rural Health Units (RHU). They have a sufficient number of health personnel stationed in each facility (midwives, nurses and doctors) who are also all properly compensated. Barangay Health Workers and Barangay Nutrition Scholars are given a total of Php 2,000.00 per month. Aside from the monetary incentive, they are also given free PhilHealth.

Plaridel also provides trainings and seminars for the development and enhancement of their health personnel. Some are LGU sponsored while some are made possible through partnering with private NGOs or institutions such as the Rotary Kristal of Plaridel and Soroptimist International Plaridel.
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Considering the budget that they have for health, Plaridel acknowledges the fact that they cannot provide all the needs of their constituents and provide ideal quality health care without the help of the private sector. The Municipality manages its funds efficiently by allocating it to different projects and through HFEP and other partnerships.

In terms of medicine supply, aside from the ones provided by DOH, Plaridel also allocates funds to purchase additional needed medicine to ensure that there is sufficient supply not only in the RHUs , but in all health stations as well. According to an interview conducted by CHG representatives with an instructor from UST currently conducting immersion, he said that he is surprised and impressed by how Plaridel manages its resources that it was able to have enough supply of essential medicine given for free. Moreover, he is impressed by the comprehensiveness of the health programs and services of the Municipality. 
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It is with local health governance practices like that of the Municipality of Plaridel that the Champions for Health Governance Awards holds strong hopes for a future with a Philippines that has appropriate and necessary health services for every Filipino.