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SEVEN local government units (LGUs) in Davao Region are named among the country’s most competitive cities and municipalities for 2022, based on the annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities.
This was announced during the 10th Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Summit held on Thursday, October 20 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).
Davao City ranked fourth in the Overall Most Competitive Highly Urbanized City Category, retaining its spot for the second year in a row.
Meanwhile, the city also ranked eighth Most Competitive in Government Efficiency, sixth Most Competitive in Infrastructure, and seventh Most Competitive in Innovation (New Pillar).
Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur ranked third and sixth, respectively, in the Overall Most Competitive Provinces in the country. Del Norte dipped a notch from last year, while Del Sur joined this year’s ranking.
Sulop in Davao del Sur, meanwhile, ranked third in the overall ranking of the Most Competitive 3rd to 4th Class Municipalities in the country.
Topping the list
The Municipal Government of Hagonoy in Davao del Sur ranked second Most Competitive in Economic Dynamism for the 3rd to 4th Class Municipalities category.
Tagum City in Davao del Norte bagged second place for the Most Competitive in Government Efficiency, and third in the Infrastructure category for component cities.
Tagum also bagged 13th place for Economic Dynamism, second for Government Efficiency, third for Infrastructure, 10th for Resiliency, and fourth for Innovation.
Island Garden City of Samal, still in Davao del Norte, also bagged third place in the Most Improved Component Cities in the country.
Sulop in Davao del Sur, meanwhile topped the 3rd to 4th Class Municipalities for the Most Competitive in Infrastructure.
Rankings of Cities and Municipalities are based on the sum of their scores on 4 Pillars: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, and Resiliency. Provincial rankings are based on population and the income-weighted average of the Overall scores of cities and municipalities under a province.
LGUs urged to push digitalization
Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual emphasized during the awarding the critical role of LGUs in nation-building and the promotion of nationwide competitiveness.
“LGUs play a vital role as we strive for continuous development in our nation’s competitiveness. You are our partner in ease of doing business. As Chair of the Ease of Doing Business – Anti-Red Tape Advisory Council (EODB-ART),” Pascual said.
The official said the ease of doing business and anti-red tape initiatives are central to the Marcos Administration’s campaign for bureaucratic efficiency and creating a business environment that attracts and sustains foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the country. Promoting ease of doing business, especially at the LGU level, will help eliminate corruption, promote good governance, and improve competitiveness.
The Trade Chief also tackled the importance of the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) Program, which addresses the lack of a standardized system for compiling local indicators nationwide, while allowing LGUs to assess their relative level of competitiveness and derive insights for their local policymaking and planning.
Through the insights that can be derived from the CMCI Data Analytics Platform, the policymakers and local chief executives can formulate concrete plans and programs to strengthen their competitiveness and promote local communities as viable investment destinations of choice for new and existing investors.
“CMCI constantly evolves to be a timely and relevant indicator of local competitiveness as it added the Innovation Pillar from the list of its convergent pillars, namely, Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, and Resilience,” Pascual added. RGL
