BUTUAN CITY — Tubod, a municipality in Surigao del Norte, has been recognized as the most competitive among 315 5th–6th class municipalities during the Philippine Creative Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Congress held on September 28, underscoring its unwavering dedication to excellence and advancement across diverse sectors.
This distinction was awarded as part of the annual Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index, a program devised by the National Competitiveness Council in partnership with regional competitiveness committees. The ranking evaluates the competitiveness of cities and municipalities based on an overall competitiveness score, which is derived from combining scores across five crucial dimensions: economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure, resilience, and innovation.
Tubod Mayor Richelle B. Romarate emphasized the importance of this award for the local government, saying that “this award is of great significance to LGU-Tubod because it signifies what has been accomplished across the five pillars: economic dynamism, government efficiency, disaster resilience, infrastructure, and innovation.”
Romarate stressed the municipality’s commitment to maintaining its competitive position, adding that “in order to sustain our position, we will focus on surpassing our own records. Although this is a competitive index, we are not competing with other municipalities. Our main goal is to identify and address shortcomings for the coming year. Our actions are guided by the standards set by DTI for CMCI, and we strive to meet those standards in every way possible.”
Tubod’s outstanding performance also earned recognition in several other categories, including Top 1 in the government efficiency and innovation pillars, Top 3 in the resilience pillar, Top 4 in the infrastructure pillar, and Top 9 in the economic dynamism pillar among 5th–6th class municipalities.
Notably, Tubod was not the sole local government unit (LGU) from the Caraga region honored during the event. Other awardees from Caraga included General Luna, Surigao del Norte, which was ranked as the top 5 overall most competitive LGU for 5th–6th class municipalities, securing the top 1 spot in the infrastructure pillar and the top 7 spot in the economic dynamism pillar.
Butuan City was recognized as the Top 2 Most Improved Highly Urbanized City. Tagana-an, Surigao del Norte, secured a spot in the Top 10 of the economic dynamism pillar.
San Jose in the Province of Dinagat Islands achieved the Top 4 in the Government Efficiency Pillar among 3rd–4th class municipalities, while Burgos, Surigao del Norte, was acknowledged in the Top 8 of the Infrastructure Pillar among 5th–6th class municipalities.
“These awards not only highlight the LGUs’ excellence but also underscore the region’s dedication to progress and development in various key areas, positioning Caraga as a substantial contributor to the Philippines’ competitive landscape,” DTI Caraga Regional Director Gay Tidalgo said. ♦
Date of release: 09 October 2023