Cagayan de Oro City, capital of Misamis Oriental, topped the “Most Competitive Cities and Municipalities Index” for the year 2013, followed by Iloilo City, San Fernando (Pampanga), Butuan City (Agusan del Norte), and Bacolod City (Negros Occidental).
Named most competitive municipalities, on the other hand, were San Francisco (Agusan del Sur), Guagua (Pampanga), Carmona (Cavite), Daet (Camarines Norte), and General Trias (Cavite).
The index was presented by the National Competitive Council (NCC) in a regional summit held in Makati City on July 30.
The index rated 122 cities and 163 first class municipalities on the basis of 30 weighted indicators measuring economic dynamism, government efficiency, and infrastructure.
These indicators include, among others, rankings on governance, power and water rates and connections, number of hotel rooms, cell sites and hospital beds, length of travel from airports and seaports, and the ease of business permits and licensing systems.
Notably, cities in Metro Manila known to be progressive, like Makati, Pasig, Pasay and Mandaluyong, did not make it to the most competitive list. Nevertheless, Marikina was ranked 10th; Quezon City, 14th; Caloocan City (30th) and Quezon City (41st).
According to NCC Chair for the Private Sector Gullermo Luz, some LGUs did not submit data or submitted incomplete data for the index, since participation is purely voluntary.
It was noted that the top-ranked city and municipality are both in Mindanao, implying that the government initiatives in developing the island and harnessing its potentials are in the right track.