CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan — The National Competitiveness Council (NCC) chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recognized the most competitive local government units in the Philippines during the Philippine Creative Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Congress on Thursday (Sept. 28) which was streamed live in the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) Facebook Page.
The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development.
Cities and municipalities are ranked on their competitiveness based on an overall competitiveness score. The overall competitiveness score is the sum of scores on five of sustainable competitiveness: economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure, resiliency, and innovation. Scores are determined by the values of the actual data, as well as the completeness of the submitted data. The higher the score of a city or municipality, the more competitive it is.
The Province of Bulacan ranks 8th among the top 10 most competitive provinces in the Philippines, two notches higher than its previous ranking.
The following are the rankings and the categories won by Bulacan LGUs.
Overall Competitiveness 1st-2nd Class Municipality
The City of Baliwag, Bulacan ranks in the 3rd spot for the overall most competitive 1st-2nd class municipality.
Economic Dynamism Pillar
The Municipality of Santa Maria ranks 6th and Marilao ranks 9th in the Economic Dynamism pillar. This is the concrete representation of productivity as it matches the output of the local economy with local resources.
Infrastructure Pillar
The Municipality of Sta. Maria got the top 4 spots for the 1st-2nd class municipality under the infrastructure pillar. Also in the top 10 is the City of Baliwag which ranks 5th. This pillar involves basic inputs of production such as energy, and water; interconnection of production such as transportation, roads, and communications; sustenance of production such as waste, disaster preparedness, environmental sustainability, and human capital formation infrastructure. This represents the idea of making productivity sustainable over time.
Resiliency
The City of Baliwag secured the 8th position in the resiliency category. This pillar pertains to a locality’s ability to establish systems capable of absorbing change and disruption, as well as adapting to such changes. It encompasses the frameworks that unite local government units (LGUs) and their residents in preparing for potential shocks and stresses. This includes budget allocation for disaster risk reduction, mechanisms for identifying hazards and risks, infrastructure aimed at bolstering resilience, and mechanisms geared towards promoting resilience.
Innovation
The City of Baliwag got the 6th Place in the innovation pillar. This pillar highlights the creation, development, and implementation of a new product, process, or service with the aim of improving efficiency, effectiveness, or competitive advantage.
Most Improved LGUs
The event also acknowledged local government entities that made substantial enhancements in their performance on the CMCI. Impressive progress was made by the Municipality of Angat, which secured the 7th position for the most improved 1st to 2nd class municipalities. This marked an impressive leap of 249 places from its previous ranking.
Top IP Filer
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) also conferred special awards to cities and municipalities with the highest number of intellectual property (IP) applications and approved registrations in 2022. Among these recognitions, the City of Meycauyan stood out as the third-highest filer of intellectual property among Component Cities. (UnliNews Online)
