DAVAO CITY dropped one rank to 4th most competitive highly-urbanized city in the country for 2018, but officials say staying within the top five continues to reflect good governance. “Davao City has consistently ranked among the top 5 most competitive cities in the Philippines in the past years,” City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) head Ivan C. Cortez said. The city ranked 5th in 2015 and 2016, and moved up to 3rd last year. “The skid from 3rd to 4th can be explained by the different concepts in the business permitting processes,” Mr. Cortez told BusinessWorld, explaining that with the new system, the whole process of getting a permit is counted as five days if the applicant has to go to different offices even if the permit is released in just one day. “The award is the testament of all the efforts made by all of the departments of the city government… With this award, we can see that the government is unceasingly giving its best to continue to improve its services,” Mr. Cortez said. Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, for her part, attributed the award and other achievements to the strong partnership between the city government and the private sector. The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index is an annual ranking developed and collated by the National Competitiveness Council. — Carmencita A. Carillo
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