BATANES — The six municipalities of the Province of Batanes – Basco, Mahatao, Ivana, Uyugan, Sabtang, and Itbayat – are ready to improve their competitiveness scores as they participate in the 2024 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) Survey.

The process started in January with the planning, registration and creation of their respective accounts in the CMCI portal. This was followed by the CMCI Roadshow Deep-Dive Sessions and Capacity Building of the CMCI focals of the Local Government Units and DTI Provincial Offices.

Each Local Government Unit (LGU) CMCI focal is currently being assisted by DTI R2 Batanes Business Counselors to ensure that their data entries are accurate and complete.

The CMCI is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development or USAID. The index provides a picture of how the LGUs are performing in terms of Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, Resiliency, and Innovation. It can also serve as a tool for local officials to evaluate the level of competitiveness of their localities. Through the lens of Porter’s definition of competitiveness, local competitiveness is translated as how a municipality knows its resources and how it uses these to improve the standard of living of its constituents.

Recognizing the importance and relevance of the CMCI survey, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has included the indicator “Top 20 Provinces and Top 20 Cities and Municipalities in the CMCI” as an indicator under the Business Friendliness and Competitiveness” in awarding the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG).

The DILG and DTI are partners in advocating for the participation of the LGUs in the survey and in capacitating them so that they level up every year in their ranking and/or in their total scores. Below are the 2023 scores and rankings of the six municipalities within the Province of Batanes, all under the 5th-6th class category. All six municipalities of the province have improved its scores across all five pillars, consequently raising the overall rank of the Provincial Government of Batanes from 80th place to 75th out of 81 provinces in the Philippines.

For more info visit: https://www.facebook.com/DTIR2.Batanes/posts/pfbid02NofPzFEN1ixpAqMZsWgD3fPr9WEraTDxkJPokS92FxKVFkQpsfxcwHJveZp3CQosl. ♦

Date of release: 05 April 2024