KORONADAL CITY – The Department of Trade and industry, through its Competitiveness Bureau, recognized seven Local Government Units (LGUs) in Region 12 as among the best-performing LGUs in the Philippines in the 2023 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) during the Philippine Creative Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Congress earlier last week, September 27, in Manila.

The municipalities of Midsayap and Isulan were cited as the sixth and tenth Overall Most Competitive LGUs, respectively, under the First and Second Class Municipality Category, marking a significant improvement in their current standings compared to last year’s rankings of 15th and 32nd, respectively.

General Santos City received three citations, ranking 10th in Government Efficiency, seventh in Innovation, and seventh in Most Improved among the Highly Urbanized Cities in the country.

Among the component cities, the city of Koronadal was recognized as the eighth Most Resilient, while Kidapawan City was ranked as the ninth Most Improved Component City.

Additionally, four first and second-class municipalities in Region 12 were also recognized in three competitiveness pillars of the ranking. Midsayap ranked fourth in Government Efficiency and second in Innovation, Kabacan ranked eighth in Government Efficiency and seventh in Resilience, Isulan secured the 10th position in Government Efficiency, and Alabel outperformed other municipalities by achieving the number one spot in Government Efficiency.

It’s worth noting that among the provinces in the country, three out of the four provinces in Region 12 have shown improvements in their current rankings in the provincial category. Cotabato has jumped from 25th place last year to 14th place, Sarangani has moved up 12 spots to its current 17th place from its original 29th, and Sultan Kudarat has made the most significant leap among the region’s provinces, now ranking 24th, up from last year’s 52nd place.

Meanwhile, South Cotabato fell behind by four points, ending up in 13th place after being the 9th placer last year.

A total of 1,634 LGUs vied for these highly coveted awards in competitiveness among LGUs, with a total of 108 awards given to the LGUs based on their performance in the five pillars, namely: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, Resiliency, and Innovation.

Flora Politud-Gabunales, the Regional Director of DTI-12, in an interview, extended her congratulations to the winning LGUs and commended them for achieving 100 percent participation in the CMCI.

“We are pleased to announce that since its inception in 2013, Region 12 has consistently secured a place in the top 10 rankings across various competitiveness index pillars. This remarkable achievement is a testament to the ongoing efforts and active engagement of the LGUs, the business sectors and the government line agencies,” remarked Politud-Gabunales.

In her congratulatory message, Politud-Gabunales also urged the LGUs to persist in their endeavors to improve their rankings in the upcoming CMCI.

“We aspire for our LGUs to remain proactive and continue excelling as we work together towards fostering inclusive development in Region 12,” she added. The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities, which encourages LGUs to collect and submit data for assessing their performance across five key pillars: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, Resiliency, and Innovation. These pillars consist of various indicators that offer a comprehensive insight into the economic state of the locality. ♦

Date of release: 04 October 2023

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