THE Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) is bent on strengthening its competitiveness as a steady stream of investments is coming in. Governor Aris Aumentado addressed new local chief executives and focal persons during the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) Roadshow organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) held at the Ceremonial Hall of the Bohol Provincial Capitol last March 21, 2023.
Governor Aris Aumentado emphasized the importance of the competitiveness index for Local Government Units (LGUs) in terms of their preparedness to welcome investments, as his leadership is keen on bringing in more investments with the aim of making the lives of Boholanos better.
“It’s not all about the ranking; it’s about the true measure of the readiness of LGUs to accept investments. It’s all about the data to present to potential investors to entice them to finally locate in the province,” Provincial Administrator Asteria Caberte stated. The CMCI is an essential tool to measure competitiveness vis-à-vis getting the right investments and creating relevant jobs.
Caberte cited that the PGBh gets an average of two investment inquiries each week, which would benefit from updated and relevant data from LGUs using the CMCI as an investment tool. Developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the CMCI ranks cities and municipalities based on the sum of their scores on five pillars: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, Resiliency, and Innovation.
For the roadshow, DTI brought in consultants from the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning (UP SURP) Rainjani Bandril and Sarah Mae Chavez, who gave an overview of the CMCI – results, ranking, indicators, strengths and weaknesses of Bohol LGUs as well as strategic tips to improve the LGUs scores and rankings, and best practices of other LGUs.
Participants also listened to resource speakers from DTI, Ma. Theresa Sederiosa and Jude Bernard Guieb, on the CMCI as an important tool for investment promotion and how to use the CMCI portal.
DTI Bohol Provincial Director Ma. Soledad Balistoy said the roadshow highlights what CMCI is and its importance to LGUs in terms of scoring and employing methods to increase competitiveness ranking and producing a work plan to achieve it, while relying on the consistent support of the Provincial Government for the competitiveness index.
The Bohol Economic Development and Investment Promotion Office (BEDIPO) through its head, Maria Fe Dominise, has been directed to designate a point person solely tasked to work on the competitiveness requirements.
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Bohol representative Mardonio Roxas, was present during the activity, also underscored the importance of the CMCI as a tool in the business-friendly and competitiveness component of the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) assessment. (PIMO/LMS)
