MAGSAYSAY, Davao del Sur, July 20 (PNA) — Mayor Arthur Davin hailed Governor Claude Bautista for making Davao del Sur as the most competitive province in the entire country for 2015.
Davin, an ally of Bautista’s political rival former Governor Douglas Cagas, said the governor’s non-discriminatory style of governance made it possible to excel and win the prestigious award.
On July 16, the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) presented the award to Bautista during the 3rd Regional Competitiveness Summit at Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
Davao del Sur ranked first as the most competitive province in the country in improved infrastructure, economic dynamism and government efficiency.It was followed by Misamis Oriental in Northern Mindanao and Cebu in Central Visayas.
South Cotabato and Zamboanga del Sur ranked fourth and fifth competitive province in the country, respectively.
Other provinces in Mindanao that made to the top 10 list were Agusan del Norte and Camiguin.
The NCC started to measure the competitiveness of the LGUs in 2013 when they first ranked 285 LGUs. The figure doubled to 535 last year and these further increased to 1,120 LGUs this year, which provided the necessary data requirements to measure their competitiveness.
Davin said Bautista should be praised “because in just a matter of two years as the provincial governor, he showed the political will, transparency and good fiscal management to make the province the most competitive one.”
For his part, Bautista said politics had no role in the implementation of projects and programs under his administration, which helped the province, satisfy the NCC’s requirements.
“We treat each one equal. No political color. We address the problems based on urgency and not political affiliations,” he said. (PNA)