LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has again chosen Legazpi City as second “competitive” city under the component city category for 2021 out of over 1,000 cities in the country.
On behalf of Legazpi City mayor Geraldine Rosal, vice mayor Robert “Bobby” Cristobal, together with councilors Gleen Casulla and Luis Gutierrez, received the award from the DTI during the 10th Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City on Thursday.
“Legazpi landed second overall as a competitive city, with Naga City as no.1,” Cristobal said in a phone interview Friday.
Cristobal said this city also ranked first in infrastructure development, third in economic dynamism, and fifth in government efficiency.
In a separate interview, Rosal said the search for a competitive city is not new for Legazpi, adding that this city was always on top in the competition for the previous year from No. 3 in 2016, No. 5 in 2017, No. 1 in 2018, and No. 2 in 2019.
Rosal said this award is a “very good sign” for the city government of Legazpi and a “clear manifestation” that the people are always working for the progress and development of the city.
She added the recognitions given to the city not only in 2021 but also for the past years were the main factor for the continuous improvement of businesses that contributed significantly to its economic expansion.
The Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index (CMCI) is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The Regional Competitiveness Committee (RCC) is recognizing competitive local government units (LGUs) excelling in the four pillars of economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure development, and resiliency to inspire and encourage them to attract investors in their localities to boost the local economy. (PNA)
