Bohol is now ranked Central Visayas’ number one and the country’s 12th most competitive province in a leaping performance from just 54th spot nationwide four years ago.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) hailed as “worth-noting” how Bohol soared 42-notch higher compared with its ranking in 2015 in the competitiveness survey that uses global standard indicators.
Bohol is the only from Region 7 among the top 12 most competitive provinces in the Philippines today.
The local government units (LGUs) of Jagna, Antequera, Tagbilaran City, Sierra-Bullones and Corella also highly performed at the overall most competitive level in their respective categories.
The National Competitiveness Council (NTC) recognized the country’s most competitive LGUs during the 6th Regional Competitiveness Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center on August 16.
The summit highlighted the results of the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) Survey, which measures the competitiveness of a local government through four pillars.
These pillars include economic dynamism, or the activities that create stable expansion of business and industries and higher job creation; and government efficiency, or the quality and reliability of government services and support for effective and sustainable productive expansion.
The two other pillars are infrastructure, or the physical building blocks of a locality that enable the provision of goods and services; and resiliency, or the capacity of a locality to facilitate industries and raise productivity despite the shocks and stresses it encounters.
These pillars are aligned with the competitiveness indicators used by the IMD Competitive Survey, International Finance Corporation (IFC) Doing Business Survey, and World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index.
Led by the province, here are the top Bohol LGU performers in 2018 based on the four competitiveness pillars:
Most Competitive Province
- Bohol, number one in Central Visayas and 12th place overall/nationwide out of 75 qualified provinces in the Philippines)
- Most Improved LGUs
- Most Improved Component City – Tagbilaran City (17th place)
- Economic Dynamism
- Top Performing Component City – Tagbilaran City (9th place)
- Top Performing 1st and 2nd Class Municipalities – Talibon (7th place) and Loon (9th place)
- Top Performing 3rd to 6th Class Municipalities – Jagna (2nd place), Antequera (3rd place), Corella (7th place)
- Government Efficiency
- Top Performing Component City – Tagbilaran City, (6th place)
- Top Performing 3rd to 6th Class Municipalities – Valencia (11th place), Trinidad (18th place)
- Infrastructure
- Top Performing Component City – Tagbilaran City (9th place)
- Top Performing 3rd to 6th Municipalities – Albuquerque (13th place)
- Resilience
- Top Performing 3rd to 6th Class Municipalities – Sierra Bulones (2nd place), Batuan (8th place)
- Overall Competitive Cities and Municipalities
- Component City – Tagbilaran City (8th place)
- 3rd to 6th Class Municipalities – Jagna (4th place), Corella (11th place), Antequera (12th place), Sierra Bullones (16th place)
The summit named as overall number one most competitive the following according to their respective categories: Rizal, province; Quezon City, highly-urbanized city; Legazpi City in Albay, component city; and Cainta in Rizal, municipality.
“It is worth noting that Bohol managed to capture the 12th spot in survey list of top most competitive provinces in the country this year,” the DTI said on its website announcing the winners.
In 2015, Bohol ranked 54th and steadily, dramatically improved its performance by placing 36th in 2016, 23rd in 2017, and 12th in 2018.
The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index or CMCI is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the National Competitiveness Council.
The yearly competitiveness index survey is done by the DTI through its Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The province’s competitiveness level also summarizes the performances of its LGUs and, thus, Chatto thanked them for accomplishing.
The target now is for all LGUs to focus on improving their competitiveness, said the governor who was immediately congratulated by DTI Reg’l. Dir. Aster Caberte.
THE VALUE OF
COMPETITIVENESS
The high competitiveness level can entice more investors to the province, including those that can enhance the capacities of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go lauded the leading competitive LGUs in the country.
Speaking during the competitiveness summit, the most trusted aide of the president said there is a fund program for the MSMEs because they can make the economy more competitive.
Last year, Bohol was awarded most business-friendly province by Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, DTI Sec. Ramon Lopez and the top officials of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
On this latest competitiveness feat, Caberte congratulated the province and its components, saying in her text message to Chatto, “I’m thankful on how you give importance to competitiveness.”
Chatto thanked all the provincial, city and municipal officials, and the Boholano people in general, who work together for more development and growth of the province.
During the recent Bohol branch groundbreaking in Dauis, Central Bank Gov. Nestor Espenilla, Jr. cited Bohol’s 9.1% average economic growth in 2014-2017, higher than the 6.7% national rate early this year.
Those who are not pleased with the gains of the province are surely not genuine Boholanos, the governor said. (Ven rebo Arigo)