Bato LGU 9th most competitive among 5th to 6th class towns

For the second straight year, the municipality of Bato has placed in the top 10 among 5^th to 6^th class towns nationwide in the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) 2021 rankings released by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) last week.

Although its national ranking fell by three from the 6^th it earned in 2020, Bato maintained its lofty position among Bicol towns in the category, with the closest counterpart the town of Barcelona, Sorsogon at 104^th place.

With a total score of 40.0843 points, the only Bicol town in the top 100 was third nationwide in terms of infrastructure, 6^th in resiliency, 8^th in government efficiency and 144^th in economic dynamism, where it rated low in economic growth and employment increase.

In the same category, Baras LGU, with a score of 31.9370, moved up from 229^th in 2020 to its present ranking of 149^th while Panganiban LGU (29.2525) rose to 190^th, 16 places up from its previous ranking of 206^th.

Also improving its ranking was Bagamanoc LGU (28.2550), from 231^st in 2020 to 222^nd this year.

But the town of San Miguel (28.5984) fell from 186^th in 2020 to 218^th last year, or a drop of 32 places.

Also falling behind is Gigmoto LGU (26.4336), which was 250^th compared to its previous ranking of 215^th.

Among 3^rd to 4^th class municipalities, two of the four Catanduanes towns in the list went up in the competitiveness rankings where only two Bicol towns were in the top 150.

The island’s second biggest town, San Andres (30.2708) was ranked 415^th, down from its 2020 rank of 373^rd.

The assessment said it ranked low in economic size, cost of doing business, social protection, LGU investment and utilities.

Pandan (28.1311), which was 611^th in 2020, climbed up to 516^th while Caramoran (26.6253) slightly edged upwards from 567^th to 564^th.

The town of Viga (21.3269) also fell from 591^st in 2020 to its present position at 627^th, just seven spots above Bicol’s tailender, Juban in Sorsogon.

For the 1^st to 2^nd class municipalities, the highest placed Bicol town is Daet, Camarines Norte (34.4921) at 102^nd, followed by nine more from the region before Virac (30.9284) was mentioned at 329^th.

The capital town dropped down the rankings by more than 200 places from its 2020 ranking of 117^th.

From its 221^st place in 2016, it improved to 253^rd in 2017, 231^st in 2018, and 132^nd in 2019 before reaching its highest point two years ago.

Virac ranked 461^st in Economic Dynamism, pulled down by the high cost of doing business; 290^th in Government Efficiency, due to inefficient business registration and low capacity to generate local revenue sources; a relatively high 56^th in Infrastructure dragged down by inadequate road network and LGU investment; and 378^th in Resiliency, attributed to lack of utilities, emergency infrastructure, sanitary system and budget for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (DRRMP).

Among the nation’s component cities, Naga City (53.0220) placed 1^st and was joined in the top 10 by Legazpi City (46.9244) at 5^th place.

Here’s how the other Bicol cities fared: Iriga (38.3296), 30^th; Sorsogon (36.3572), 41^st; Ligao (35.2149), 53^rd; Masbate (33.7488), 61^st; and Tabaco (31.2196), 98^th.

With their scores based on those earned by their component towns, the Bicol provinces’ rankings in the 2021 CMCI index are as follows: Albay (34.4860), 22^nd; Camarines Sur (32.9747), 42^nd; Camarines Norte (30.8515), 65^th; Catanduanes (29.5446), 73^rd; Masbate (29.0747), 74^th; and Sorsogon (28.9758), 75^th.

The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index 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.

Cities and municipalities are ranked on their competitiveness based on an overall competitiveness score, which is the sum of scores on four main pillars of economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure and resiliency. The higher the score of a city or municipality, the more competitive it is.

The Index can be used as a diagnostic tool by local government officials to assess the competitiveness of their city or municipality and identify areas for improvement and collaboration. Data can provide insights for policymaking, development planning and investment promotion.

For the business community, the Index can serve as a guide in deciding where to locate. Aside from the overall score, data on the different indicators will prove valuable depending on the specific needs of their business.

The Index also paints a general picture of Philippine cities and municipalities which may be used by the academe, civil society and even tourists as a take-off point for further research.