ILOILO CITY — Iloilo City was conferred the special award as the most improved local government unit for the highly urbanized city (HUC) category in the Philippines during the 6th Regional Competitiveness Summit held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Manila on Thursday.
The city jumped 21 notches ranking 11th this year in the overall competitiveness among 33 highly urbanized cities (HUCs) in the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) after sliding down to the 32nd spot in 2017 from its 6th rank in 2016.
While it did not make it to the top three in the overall competitiveness for HUCs, Iloilo City was fourth in government efficiency, besting other cities outside Metro Manila; and 11th in economic dynamism and resiliency.
Last year, it ranked 32nd in government efficiency; 17th in economic dynamism; 31st in resiliency; and 27th in infrastructure.
Mayor Jose Espinosa said it is a “very significant award,” considering its previous rank.
In an interview, he said the ranking means a lot, especially in terms of enticing more investors and tourists to the city.
He cited in particular the ranking on government efficiency, which sends a signal that their local government unit is competent in delivering services to its constituents.
“This boosts the morale of our city employees, where because of their performance we were able to get this national recognition,” he said.
The awards were received by Espinosa together with selected members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (Provincial Board) and heads of various department and division offices at the city hall.
Aside from Iloilo City, the town of Lambunao bagged the third most competitive in resiliency for the first- and second-class municipalities category.
The CMCI is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees, with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development. (Perla Lena/PNA)
