KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato — The Province of South Cotabato has been recognized by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Achievement Champion under SDG Goal No. 3: Good Health and Well-Being, following the successful implementation of its Free Hospitalization Program.
As part of the recognition, the Provincial Government of South Cotabato received a ₱750,000 cash incentive, further strengthening its capacity to sustain health programs for its constituents. The awarding ceremony was attended by provincial officials, department heads, and hospital administrators, led by Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo Jr.
“This accomplishment reflects the province’s unwavering commitment to inclusive growth, responsive governance, and people-centered development,” the DILG noted, emphasizing that South Cotabato’s initiative upholds the core principle of leaving no one behind.
During the SDG Achievement Champions and Exemplars (SDG ACES) Online Awarding Ceremony, South Cotabato emerged as one of only three provinces nationwide recognized out of 82 provinces for demonstrating exemplary efforts in advancing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the country.
The recognition is anchored on the province’s Free Hospitalization Program, launched on July 1, 2019, which mandates all provincial government–managed hospitals to provide free inpatient and outpatient services, including other essential medical services. Over the years, the program has consistently delivered meaningful improvements in community welfare, access to health services, and overall quality of life.
According to the DILG, awardees under the SDG ACES initiative were assessed using five criteria: SDG attainment, sustainability, replicability, innovativeness, and inclusivity. The province’s Free Hospitalization Program met these benchmarks by demonstrating measurable impact, institutional continuity beyond political terms, and a framework that can be adopted by other local government units.
Jeremy Jaeger, DILG South Cotabato Outcome Manager, said the recognition aims to document best practices in SDG implementation and encourage scaling of effective local initiatives.
“The SDG ACES initiative is designed to recognize transformative local contributions to the global goals and to create a network of model LGUs for benchmarking and replication,” Jaeger said during the awarding ceremony.
The award reinforces South Cotabato’s standing as a province that leads by example in advancing health reforms and inclusive development through strong local governance.
In 2023-2024, PhilHealth chose South Cotabato as a sandbox site to test primary care reforms. Four years later, the Provincial Government is preparing to institutionalize the program as a legacy.
