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By Ben Arnold de Vera, Researcher
KEY cities in the southern part of the
Philippines have topped a recent survey of the most competitive
places to live in, work and operate a business.
According to the Asian Institute of Management
(AIM) Policy Center, the most competitive metropolitan centers based
on economic performance and responsiveness to business enterprises,
include Davao, Lapu-Lapu, Makati, Manila, Marikina and Quezon.
Among midsized cities, the list of the most
competitive include the cities of Cabanatuan, General Santos, Lucena,
Olongapo, San Pablo, Tagum and Tarlac. A midsized city is one with
more than 200,000 inhabitants.
The most competitive small-sized cities, or
those with less than 200,000 residents, were Bayawan, Calapan,
Calbayog, Dagupan, Dipolog, Lauag, San Fernando in La Union,
Malaybalay, Naga, Surigao, Tagbilaran and Tuguegarao.
Cities which land on top of this competitiveness
survey attain keen investment interest, thus boosting their local
economies, said Federico Macaranas, executive director of the AIM
Policy Center.
The 2007 study covered 90 cities, and evaluated
them based on the following competitiveness drivers: dynamism of
local economy, cost of doing business, infrastructure, human
resources and training, responsiveness of local government units to
business needs, and quality of life. Within these six
competitiveness drivers, 43 indicators were assessed through surveys
among about 40 small and medium enterprise managers per city, who
evaluated their respective areas. Also, quantitative indicators
taken from government and private utility firms’ data, such as
electricity and water rates, business tax burden, and crime solution
efficiency, were analyzed.
Mel Senen Sarmiento, secretary-general of the
League of Cities of the Philippines, said the group has been
encouraging its members to participate in the survey, as it fosters
dynamism in local governments.
The AIM Policy Center conducts the survey every
two years starting 1999, in collaboration with partners from the
private sector and academe.
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