By Azer Parrocha/PNA
MANILA — Malacañang on Sunday took pride in the US News and World Report, which placed the Philippines as the 50th best country in the world.
This, after the American web-based media company recognized the country’s global performance, which is measured on adventure, citizenship, cultural influence, entrepreneurship, heritage, movers, open for business, power and quality of life.
“We welcome the latest US News and World Report 2019 Best Countries Ranking which puts the Philippines at Number 50, drawn from a survey of more than 21,000 global citizens,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
Citing the report, Panelo said the Philippines scored highly in adventure (ranked 22), open for business (ranked 26), and quality of life (ranked 37), underscoring that the Philippines is an emerging market for business, investments and tourism.
Panelo enumerated the ways the Duterte Administration has worked to nurture the country’s business climate and drive investor confidence to a higher level.
Among these efforts include cleansing the government of corrupt officials, streamlining the delivery of frontline services, among others.
Panelo said that tourism, which is one of the country’s major economic drivers, is a priority with focus now given on environmental sustainability.
Earlier, the Department of Tourism (DOT) bared that 7.1 million international tourist visited the country in 2018.
Data from the DOT showed that at least 7,127,168 foreign tourists visited the country, surpassing the 6,620,908 arrivals in 2017 by 7.68 percent.
Panelo, meanwhile, expressed confidence that the administration would continue to improve its ranking as it remains committed to institute reforms.
Last year, the Philippines was ranked 49th best country in the world.
Switzerland maintained its No. 1 ranking for the third year followed by Japan, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, respectively.
