DAVAO CITY – Six Mindanao provinces made it to the top 10, four of which dominated the top five, of the 2015 Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index of the National Competitiveness Council (NCC).
The Index is the annual ranking of cities and municipalities which shows economic dynamism, government efficiency, and infrastructure growth of the island-region in the recent years.
According to its official website, the United States Agency for International Development assists the NCC on this program.
Davao del Sur was awarded as the most competitive province in the Philippines with an overall score of 46.11, followed by Misamis Oriental in second with an overall score of 38.93.
South Cotabato placed fourth with a score of 36.42, while Zamboanga del Sur ranked fifth with a score of 35.88. Agusan del Norte, on the other hand placed seventh with a score of 35.70, while Camiguin ranked tenth with 34.21.
Undersecretary Janet Lopoz, executive director of Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) in a statement said the high placement of Mindanao provinces and LGUs in the recent rankings also “firms up Mindanao’s position as a major business and investment destination in the Philippines.”
According to the NCC, the scoring of the qualified provinces are based on population and income weighted average of the overall scores of cities and municipalities under a province.
In the cities ranking, Davao City and Cagayan de Oro clinched positions in the top 10 most competitive cities ranking fifth and sixth respectively.
Three municipalities from SOCCSKSARGEN also made it to the top 10 in the “all municipalities category,” including, Kabacan, Midsayap, and Polomolok, placing fourth, eighth and tenth, respectively. The three municipalities also placed similar ranks in the first class and second class municipalities category, with Midsayap clinching the ninth place.
Under the third and sixth class municipalities category, Mambajao, Camiguin was awarded the most competitive municipality while Nasipit in Agusan del Norte placed fourth.(davaotoday.com)
