When no less than the president of the World Bank says so, then there must be some truth to it.

The WB is a ruthless financial enforcer and stern sentinel of transparency in government.

Client states cannot avail themselves of development loans from the WB unless they undergo austerity and employ rigid accountability standards in exchange for loans to finance development projects.

And so if the big guy at the Washington-based bank says so, we can believe him.

But more than his good words, there is some grassroots validation at home that he is telling the truth. 

President Robert Zoellick on Wednesday praised President Aquino for taking on the challenge of creating more transparent and accountable government to benefit the poor.

“At the heart of President Aquino’s  policies is a belief in the power of citizens to hold their government accountable, and that this makes for better governance and a more just society,” Zoellick was quoted by a major broadsheet as saying.

Zoellick introduced Aquino to speak on reforms, good governance, and poverty reduction during the Annual Meetings of the World Bank/IMF.       

He noted that under the Aquino administration, the Philippines has seen extensive reforms in its budget management process, such as enhancing transparency and calling on more civil society participation.

“Under his leadership, the community-driven development program, which has provided poor Filipinos a voice in the development process, is set to become a national program,” the WB chief said.   

Other reforms include the governance of state enterprises and strengthening anti-corruption authorities of the Philippines: the Supreme Audit Institution and the Ombudsman.

In his speech, delivered to around 300 people, Aquino said that honest and transparent budgeting has reduced waste and discretionary spending and opportunities for corruption, so more money for higher social spending - including education, health, and social protection - is available for the poor.

“Governing with integrity, with transparency, and with accountability not only heals a national psyche that has long been characterized by cynicism and mistrust of government. It also provides the foundation for equitable progress. Good governance is good economics,” said Aquino.

Indeed, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said a total of 866 provinces, cities and municipalities made it to the list of local governments that passed the criteria of the Seal of Good Housekeeping.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said of the total local government units, 17 cities and 302 municipalities belong to the first round of SGH recipients (covering fourth to sixth class cities and municipalities); while 45 provinces, 46 cities and 456 municipalities belong to the second round (covering provinces and first to third class cities and municipalities).

“Before we only focused on fourth to sixth class LGUs, but this time, we assessed all provinces, cities and municipalities because they all deserve to be acknowledged for their good governance initiatives,” said Robredo.

“These LGUs have complied with the Department’s full disclosure policy and have no adverse or disclaimer opinion rendered by the Commission on Audit on their financial reports,” he said.

Out of the 866 LGUs, 487 are from Luzon, 125 are from Visayas and 254 are from Mindanao.

The SGH is a program that aims to recognize LGUs that accord primacy to the principles of accountability and transparency since such are essential in building the long term foundation of a responsible local government system in the country.