Central Luzon LGUs, Among the Most Competitive in the Philippines
On July 14, the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) officially announced the results of the 2016 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) during the Regional Competitiveness Summit held at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City.
The CMCI is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the NCC through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It follows a template of standard indicators in the pillars of Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, and Infrastructure, as a tool for the LGU to evaluate and enhance its competitiveness and improve its performance and attractiveness for investments.
On its 4th run, a total of 144 cities and 1,245 municipalities participated in the 2016 CMCI, out of which, 13 cities and 112 municipalities were from Central Luzon.
During the summit, NCC recognized cities and municipalities that placed in the top 3 - overall and under each of the three pillars, ranked by category: highly urbanized city, component city, 1st - 2nd class municipality, and 3rd - 6th class municipality. Consistent with the previous years, a number of Central Luzon LGUs placed in the top ranks and recognized during the ceremony for being among the most competitive.
Baler, Aurora
2nd Overall Most Competitive [3rd - 6th Class] Municipality
3rd Most Competitive [3rd - 6th Class] Municipality, Infrastructure
City of San Fernando, Pampanga
2nd Overall Most Competitive Component City
Sta. Maria, Bulacan
3rd Most Competitive [1st - 2nd Class] Municipality, Economic Dynamism
NCC also gave special awards to the most improved LGUs based on their rankings compared to the previous year. Rizal, Cavite, and South Cotabato were awarded as top 3 of the Most Competitive Provinces. In the region, Bataan’s ranking leaped further from 13th to 7th. A province qualifies in this category if the combined population of the participating LGUs in the province reaches at least 60% of the total provincial population and 90% of its LGUs was covered.
The NCC and Regional Competitiveness Committees continue to work together to build national competitiveness through the strategic promotion of regional competitiveness. For the complete list of the LGU rankings, visit http://www.competitive.org.ph/cmcindex/index.php.
