LEGAZPI CITY- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) once again recognized Legazpi on Tuesday, August 27, after placing third in the search for “competitive city in the (city component category) in the country” with an average rating of 50.46 percent.
Legazpi Mayor Geraldine Rosal expressed optimism to improve the investor’s confidence that would help boost the economic standing of the city. Meanwhile, Naga City was No. 1 with an average score of 58.21, followed by Digos City with 50.56 percent.
Rosal and Vice Mayor Oscar “Bobby” Cristobal received a plaque of recognition from DTI during the Creative Cities and Municipalities Congress and award ceremony held at the Manila Hotel on August 23.
“The search for competitive index was based on the criteria created by the Regional Competitiveness Committee (RCC) that included the pillars of economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure development, and resiliency to attract more investors in order to put up more business establishments that would bring more employment opportunities to our constituents,” Rosal said.
She said that her administration is expecting more grants and aid from the local and international financial institutions that would be used to fund some important programs and projects of the city that will benefit the people.
“Legazpi City was always a recipient of the competitive index for the past several years already. This was one of the reasons why some big business establishments were operating their businesses here in Legazpi that contributed so much to the economic expansion of the city,” she added.
The Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the National Competitive Council (NCC), including DTI, with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Rosal said Legazpi City has also passed in the regional evaluation by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
“On the first week of September, the national team of the DILG will evaluate Legazpi city for final evaluation,” she added. I Emmanuel Solis