NOTWITHSTANDING its financial handicap, the lakeshore town referred to as the Art Capital of the Philippines, notched the top spot for this year’s search for the most competitive municipalities – infrastructure category.
At the 10th Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Summit 2022 held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) took note of Angono’s massive infrastructure program despite limited resources.
The annual summit gathered all 144 cities and 1,498 municipalities (ranging from first to fifth class) from across the country to cite accomplishments in “promoting the culture of competitiveness” in their respective localities.
Top citations were determined by the Competitiveness Bureau of the DTI using the “Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI)” ranking tool developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of USAID.
Interestingly, Angono topped among the first and second class municipalities under the infra category. Other categories from where overall competitiveness scores are based include economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure, resiliency and innovation.
In a statement, Angono Mayor Jeri Mae Calderon said: “We never had a doubt about our infrastructure program. It is a product of rigid studies and supported by local folks who took part in the tedious process from planning stage, consultation, implementation and project management. Ang galing kinaya natin at mas gagalingan pa sa mga susunod,” the local chief executive said.
Angono also ranked 6th overall in the most competitive municipalities.
“Sa Overall Most Competitive naman eh nasa Top 6 tayo out of 1,488 municipalities meron sa buong Pilipinas. Dahil sa tulong niyo, pakikiisa ninyo sa programa, nakakamit natin ang ganitong pagkilala.. Salamat Angono. Congratulations sa ating lahat!,” she quipped.
Since 2015, Angono, which is the second smallest town in Rizal, has maintained a spot in the top 10 municipalities in the country,
“Angono is relatively a small town. But just like David, we were able to beat the giants,” said Vice Mayor Gerardo Calderon in reference to the rich municipalities.
“After all, our town, which is known for its Higantes Festival, showed size doesn’t matter.”
Since the establishment of the CMCI in 2012 as a basis and measurement of competitiveness in the country 2012, the number of participating LGUs have grown from 285 in 2013 to 1,498 in 2022.
