From a bottom rank of 105th during the 2019 Evaluation, the City LGU of Borongan was recently acclaimed, as the 4th Most Improved Component City in the country for year 2020, by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) using the year’s data, and the only awardee among Region-8’s Component cities.
This was according to DTI’s Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI).
“When I learned in 2019 that we placed 105th, of all the country’s LGUs, I promised to myself that it will be different next time,” said Mr. Cheyney Ibarbia, Section Head, Business Processing and Licensing Office and Focal Person for the DTI’s Assessment and Evaluation Procedure.
Ibarbia added that although he promised himself to lead the LGU’s economic and service teams in order to improve the City’s ranking, he did not expect the giant leap, so as to have grabbed the 4th rank in the nationwide competitiveness assessment.
He believes that Borongan City excelled in the Online Business Processing because he actually pushed for it, despite the pandemic.
He also recalled that the City’s 2019 revenue was only 22M but in 2020 it soared to 25M.
“Resiliency counts also,” Ibarbia added. “Because there is an item in the list of indicators for disaster preparation and resiliency, and I am sure of that, with CDRRMO, always checking and monitoring the LGU’s capacity to respond to disasters, he added.
“Similarly, when COVID-19 pandemic hit its peak, and whenever possible, the LGU, would call on carpenters, laborers and helpers to construct access roads to interior barangays, in answer to the cry for accessibility of far villages which are prone to CPP-NPA Infiltration activities,” informed Ibarbia.
These infrastructure projects did not only provide upstream barangays with a much easier access to government basic services, it also granted odd jobs to a hundred fathers and family heads who lost their jobs to COVID-19 pandemic, it was learned.
“Placing 4th rank, as most improved component City in the Country for year 2020, is a milestone in the City LGU’s continued quest for a far better Borongan. However, we shall not sit on our laurels. Instead, I take it as a challenge to work, harder, better, “ was Mayor Agda’s reply to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, DTI Provincial Director, Mrs. Samonte shared that in one awarding ceremony in Manila, where MayorAgda was in attendance, he looked fascinated and interested as well, to realize the indicators his counterparts have remarkably met, which can be done likewise by Borongan.
“Then he turned his head to me and said, “Bubuligan ak nim, ha?” (“You will help me, ha?”)
Samonte said, the collaboration between her office and the City LGU paid-off, saying she assigned her staff, Ken Cillo, Counselor for “Negosyo Center Business“ to assist.
She informed further that there were four pillars from which, cities and municipalities all over the country were ranked and obviously were met by Borongan City LGU with flying colors: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Resiliency and Infrastructure,
Among others, Borongan City LGU was judged according to the following indicators, Capacity of Health Services, Capacity of Schools, Security, Business Registration Efficiency, Compliance to BPLS standards, Presence of Investment Promotions Unit, Compliance to National Directives for LGUs and Ratio of LGU collected tax to LGU revenues.
In 2018, Borongan City LGU ranked 109th; in 2019, 105th; in 2020, 104th and this year 2021, 4th.
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