Davao City ranked first in economic dynamism and infrastructure among highly urbanized cities in Visayas and Mindanao in the recent Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) Ranking.
The CMCI is an annual competition conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) wherein cities and municipalities competitiveness is measured through five indicators including economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure, resilience, and innovation.
Among highly urbanized cities in Visayas and Mindanao, CMCI results showed that the city is the most competitive in economic dynamism earning the highest score of 7.5468, and 8.4445 in infrastructure.
Davao City has consistently been in the top 10 of the most competitive highly urbanized cities since 2015.
This year, the city ranked 7 out of 33 highly urbanized cities with a significant increase in its score from 49.08 in 2023 to 49.83 in 2024.
Christian Cambaya, Davao City Investment Promotions Center’s (DCIPC) Investors Assistance and Servicing Unit Head, said the increase of the number of business establishments in the city from 2023 to 2024 contributed significantly in the city’s performance in terms of economic dynamism.
“The increase of business establishments can be attributed to the initiatives of the city government to simplify the business process in the city including the application of permits which are automated,” he said in an interview with the City Information Office.
“Similarly for DCIPC, applications for investor incentives can be lodged online,” Cambaya added.
The report submitted by the Davao City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) to the DTI also shows that high impact areas for economic dynamism in the city includes the active establishments in the city, the cost of doing business, and safety compliant businesses.
In terms of infrastructure, the city government’s investment, distance to ports, availability of basic utilities, health, and education infrastructures significantly boosted the city’s standing.
Cambaya said that the ranking is a reflection of the continuous efforts of the city government in pushing for the growth and development of the city.
Davao City also ranked first in Information Communication Technology (ICT) Plan, ICT Use-BPLS Software, online payment facilities, Land Use Plan, Disaster Risk Reduction Plan, Local Risk Assessments, compliance with National Directives, and compliance with Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) Citizens Charter. CIO
