Angono, Rizal, 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 municipality under the 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 considered Angono’s massive infrastructure program that was undertaken despite limited resources.
The annual summit gathered officials of 144 cities and 1,498 municipalities across the country to review their performance in achieving the goal of “promoting the culture of competitiveness” in their respective localities.
Citations were determined by the Competitiveness Bureau of the DTI using the “Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index” ranking tool developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees, with the assistance of the US Agency for International Development.
Angono was the top choice among the first and second-class municipalities under the infrastructure category.
Other categories from where overall competitiveness scores were based include economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure, resiliency and innovation.
Doubt not entertained
“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 the planning stage, consultation, implementation, and project management. We managed to meet expectations and we will do better in the future,” Mayor Jeri Mae Calderon said.
Angono also ranked 6th overall in the most competitive municipalities.
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 the biblical David, we were able to beat the giants,” Vice Mayor Gerardo Calderon said 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, the number of participating local government units has grown from 285 in 2013 to 1,498 in 2022.