Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental is the most competitive city in the country, according to the 2013 Cities

and Municipalities Competitiveness Index. Rounding up the top five most competitive cities in the country were Iloilo City; San Fernando, Pampanga; Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, and Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. The index, which was presented in a regional summit in Makati on Tuesday, also named San Francisco in Agusan del Sur as the most competitive municipality, followed by Guagua in Pampanga; Carmona in Cavite; Daet, Camarines Norte, and General Trias in Cavite. Guillermo Luz, National Competitiveness Council co-chair for the private sector, explained that the competitiveness of the cities and municipalities was determined based on 30 weighted indicators measuring economic dynamism, government efficiency and infrastructure. More specifically, these indicators included rankings on governance; power and water rates and connections; number of hotel rooms, cell sites, hospital beds, among others; length of travel to airports and seaports, and the ease of business permits and licensing systems in a particular area. There were 122 cities and 163 first class municipalities included in the report. While more than half of the top 50 cities and top 50 municipalities were in Luzon, it was noted that the highest-ranked city and municipality were both in Mindanao. Its surprising. Were always looking at the big places, the usual places for the top rank. Maybe theyre doing far better than we are aware. This means that Cagayan de Oro is good on several fronts. To improve your rank, you must be good across several fronts, Luz explained in a briefing yesterday. The results further indicated that government initiatives to harness the potential of Mindanao were on the right track. The countrys second-largest island is believed to have the capacity to spur higher growth for our country and contribute immensely in the attainment of the inclusive development agenda. It was noted, however, that some of the more progressive cities in Metro Manila like Makati, Taguig, Pasay, Pasig and Mandaluyong as well and Cebu and Davao were not on the list. Among the cities in Metro Manila that made it to the list were Manila (41st), Caloocan (30th), Quezon City (14th) and Marikina (10th). According to Luz, the local government units in some cities either submitted incomplete information or did not submit any data at all to the NCC. This, he noted, was a voluntary effort on the part of the LGUs.

This really speaks more about the LGUsare they ready to give data or not? But this can be a wake-up call because you need to show data. Its not just about claiming to be competitive, investors would want to see data on power rates, etc., Luz added. Monday, July 29, 2013

OVER a year after the creation of Pampangas 3rd city, the best is yet to come to Mabalacat City which plays host to the ever growing Clark International Airport. During the CSR activity of the Community Relations Department of Clark airport in Barangay Sapang Biabas, I had the chance to talk with Mayor Marino Boking Morales, the effervescent smile and good looks still visible. Morales told me that the city government will pursue development projects such as the multi-level public market that will be funded by the SM Group of business tycoon Henry Sy. Ginagawa po natin ang lahat para mapabuti ang kalagayan ng ating mga nagtitinda sa public market at para na rin sa ating mamimili. Morales said the City Government and SM management had already been exploring avenues on the establishment of the new multi-level Mabalacat Public Market that will replace the old one along the MacArthur Highway. The first floor of the new Mabalacat Public Market will be devoted to the stall owners at the old public market. A Triple A slaughterhouse approved by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) will also rise in the city. The chief executive said that more infrastructure projects had been realized under the city government, notable among them are the community high schools and a community college where hundreds of students are able to get quality and affordable education. Morales said Mabalacat City will become the next Makati north of Manila, foreseeing the development of areas in Barangays Tabun and Dolores into a central business district. The Clark Freeport Zone can actually extend the Freeport zone to include the northern part of Mabalacat where a wide swath of land is available for development. The area had been ravaged by the dreaded lahar flows in the past but slowly reemerging from the destruction wrought by the eruptions of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. Mabalacat City is a part of the Clark aerotropolis, an airport-driven development that is seen to generate economic activities in other areas encompassing the Clark airport. The city plays host to the Clark airport and the Clark Freeport Zone. The modern SubicClark-Tarlac Expressway also cuts through the heart of Mabalacat City linking it to the deep-sea port of Subic Freeport Zone. We have the international airport at Clark and we have the deep-sea port of Subic. Both will play a big role in the development of Mabalacat City, said Morales, the only politician in Pampanga who graduated in the prestigious Asian Institute of Management.

The long-hackneyed city of peace, progress and prosperity has come full circle. Mabalacat has gone a long way and more developments will come. STA. RITA -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Kapampangan Development Foundation (KDF) set on May 31 a livelihood seminar on hybrid rice production using the Trikombi technology. The seminar, which will be held inside the DSWD covered court at the Regional Government Center in Barangay Maimpis, City of San Fernando, aims to provide some 100 farmer-beneficiaries and those with interest in agricultural production the know-how in hybrid rice production. KDF president Benigno Ricafort said that aside from valuable information about hybrid rice production, the free seminar will also give valuable inputs on rice production using the revolutionary Trikombi technology. Trikombi is a soil conditioner that uses organic soil enhancing fertilizer to produce better yield of agricultural products. The technology was invented by Filipino Dante Dizon. The first generation of his soil conditioner, called Trikombi, was officially endorsed by the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) and PhilRice. Since then, he has been working on a second-generation soil conditioner. In recent interviews, Dizon said that with the help of a 3.5-kilogram bag of Trikombi organic soil conditioner costing P1,975, both the marginal and typical farmer can significantly cut chemical fertilizer costs by limiting their purchase to only three bags. Also, the marginal farmer may increase his yield by 15 to 20 cavans, while the typical farmer may expect an additional four to six cavans, according to Dizon. Ricafort said the seminar will give farmers here a different approach to conventional farming. The seminar is part of KDF's livelihood seminar series as parts of the group's livelihood program initiatives. KDF is an organization of Kapampangans living outside of the province who provide free social services, medical missions, medical services, livelihood seminars and trainings to Kapampangans. The group operates through donations and tie-ups with government line agencies and non government organizations. The KDF board is chaired by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan.