BACOLOD City – The local government wants to improve the business climate in the city – and hopefully raise its ranking in the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index of the National Competitiveness Council (NCC).
A team led by Mayor Evelio Leonardia recently met with NCC officials to discuss the latest trends and innovations in fine-tuning “ease of doing business” and other policies related to transacting business with the public.
The NCC is a public-private body that develops strategy for the long-term competitiveness of the Philippines through policy reforms, project implementation, institution building, and performance monitoring.
The NCC ranks cities and towns based on Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, and Resiliency.
“We consider the NCC results as a guide in setting the direction of the city,” Leonardia said. “The NCC is like a compass that tells us where we are and where we are going. Consulting with them can make our city more competitive and we can attract more investors.”
In 2013 Bacolod ranked fifth in the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index. Its rank slid to 20th in 2014 and 73rd in 2015, and went back up to 26th in 2016 and 22nd in 2017. Leonardia aims to raise the rank further this year.
Joining Leonardia in the meeting at the Department of Trade and Industry head office in Makati City were City Development Council vice chairman George Zulueta and Local Economic and Investment Promotions officer Jonah Javier.
On the side of the NCC were cochairman for private sector Guillermo Luz, also the executive director of Makati Business Club, and program officers Lizamyl Buquid, also a DTI trade and industry development specialist, and Herminio Viterbo Jr., also of the DTI Competitiveness Bureau. (With Bacolod City PIO/PN)
