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When it rains, it pours. In a week, when Bacolod has been chosen as the
only pilot city in the country for a European Union Project and Mayor
Evelio Leonardia was elected Executive Vice President of the League of
Cities of the Philippines, another national recognition was bestowed
upon Bacolod City.
The Asian Institute of Management awarded Bacolod City
as having the “Best Compliance with Government Mandated Plans” on
responsiveness of local government units in line with the 2009
Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project. AIM gave the award in
collaboration with the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).
The recognition was received by Mayor Evelio Leonardia
and City Administrator Rogelio Balo during the awarding ceremonies held
at the SMX Convention Center in Manila on Monday. The city was
recognized for its outstanding performance in the competitiveness
ranking project among the growth centers in the country.
Leonardia said that Bacolod having been categorized as
a new growth center is another validation that indeed, Bacolod is
growing fast and surging ahead. In 2005, the AIM also recognized Bacolod
as the Most Competitive Mid-size City in the Country.
The nine other cities that were recognized as new
growth centers in the country were the cities of Baguio, Olongapo,
Batangas, Iloilo, Mandaue, Lapu-lapu, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro and
General Santos.
The evaluation of the 29 selected cities established
three new categories namely, emergent cities, growth centers and
metropolitan growth centers. In the new classification, assessment was
based on a scientifically supportable distinction of the characteristic
of a city. Factor taken into account is the ability of the city to
generate local income against its population.
In the presentation of the new categories of cities, it
was concluded that Growth Centers including Bacolod City has higher per
capita income than emergent cities and metro growth centers.
Metropolitan centers included the cities of Cebu and
Davao while emergent cities are Dagupan, San Fernando, Santiago,
Tuguegarao, Angeles, Lucena, Puerto Princesa, Naga, Legaspi, Tacloban,
Ormoc, Pagadian, Iligan, Tagum, Cotabato, Butuan and Surigao.
The awards were presented by Dr. Edilberto de Jesus,
AIM president; Prof. Ma. Lourdes Sereno AIM Policy Center executive
director; Dr. Volker Steigerward, GTZ program manager; and Dr. Ana Maria
Tabunda, 2009 PCCRP consultant and chief research Fellow Pulse Asia,
Inc. Guest speaker at the awarding ceremony was Undersecretary Austere
Panadero of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
Since 2004 when the Leonardia administration started,
Bacolod has been a recipient of numerous local and national recognitions
from the national government and private institutions. Just recently,
Bacolod has been chosen as the only pilot city in the country for the
European Union funded project “Partnership for Democratic Local
Governance in Southern Asia”, was awarded as the “Most Business Friendly
City” and was named the “Best Place to Live in the Country” by Money
Sense Magazine. The city also received other prestigious recognitions
such as the “Most Child Friendly City”, “Most Disabled Friendly City”
and has been a finalist in the “Best City Peace and Order Council”, and
“Best City Disaster Risk Management” among many others.
Rose to the top three spot in the Top 10 Next Wave
Cities for Best BPO Locations in the Country. It has also received other
recognitions such as the “Most Business Friendly City” , the “Best Place
to Live in the Country”, “Most Child Friendly City”, “Most Disabled
Friendly City”, “Best Tourism Oriented LGU”, and “Best Performing City
in Economic Development” among many others. |