'And for the city government of Biñan – which sees awards like this as a 'measuring stick' of sorts of its performance – the CMCI rankings are indications that the LGU is on the right track to economic progress.'
For the second year in a row, the local government of Biñan City in Laguna, under Mayor Arman Dimaguila, has once again proven that it could compete with the country’s more progressive cities.
In this year’s Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Biñan City LGU ranked 3rd place in Innovation and 1st place in Economic Dynamism, and 9th overall in the competitiveness ratings.
The CMCI is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the National Competitiveness Council (NCC), which gauges how LGUs know their resources and how they use these resources to improve their standard of living.
It ranks cities and municipalities based on “Five Pillars” — competitiveness: economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure, resiliency, and innovation.
Measuring Stick
And for the city government of Biñan – which sees awards like this as a “measuring stick” of sorts of its performance – the CMCI rankings are indications that the LGU is on the right track to economic progress.
“Napakaganda po itong indication [ng CMCI]. Ibig sabihin po nito ay masigla at maganda ang ekonomiya dito sa Lungsod ng Biñan, which makes it perfect for new businesses, either large-scale investors or micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs),” Atty. Edward Arriba, head of the City Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO), told OpinYon Laguna.
Economic Dynamism, Employment
That the city government of Biñan has, for the second year in a row, ranked first in terms of economic dynamism meant that its efforts at being a “business-friendly” city is finally bearing fruit, Arriba explained.
“Tingnan na lang po natin yung dalawang criteria ng business dynamism – cost of doing business at employment. Dito sa Biñan City, for instance, pwede ka nang magnegosyo rito for as low as P1,000, yun lang ang gagastusin mo para magkaroon ka ng business permit dito sa lungsod.
"At ang employment rate natin dito, napakaganda dahil napaka-active ang ating PESO [Public Employment and Service Office] hindi lamang sa pagresolba sa isyu ng unemployment kundi pati na rin sa isyu ng underemployment at jobs mismatch,” the BPLO head said.
This “demand-driven” approach to business and employment enabled the city government to record a 30-percent growth in the number of its businesses in 2021, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
And while the city slipped from its overall competitiveness index from 6th place in 2022, Arriba said the city government is still motivated to ensure inclusive economic growth for all Biñanenses.
“Happy pa rin naman po kami, and in fact yun din po ang inspirasyon namin upang mas pag-igihan pa. We have a big room for improvement, so hopefully by next year, mas mag-improve, and we are targeting to get the other pillars as well.
It’s a great indication na we are doing very well dito po sa ating lungsod ng Biñan,” he noted.
Focus on MSMEs
While the city government of Biñan continues its efforts to attract more large-scale investments, the LGU concentrates in enabling small enterprises to legalize their businesses and contribute to the local economy.
On particular focus is on the Barangay Micro-Business Enterprises (BMBEs), or small businesses that are allowed to pay the lowest fees for their business permits.
A city ordinance granting additional incentives for BMBEs, authored by Councilor Christopher Alba, enabled small enterprises in the city to legalize their businesses.
Under the ordinance, new business registrants with P100,000 capital would only have to pay P1,000 for a business permit, while businesses with P200,000 capital will only pay P2,000.
“Noong 2022, halos 1,000 lang po yung pumasok na BMBEs, pero malaki na po iyon for that year. At ang last number po namin ngayon, 9,100 to 9,200 BMBEs na po ang pumasok sa amin,” Arriba reported.
“Ang dami pong nagsipuntahan, marami po tayong mga emerging businesses, kasi ngayon lang po nila kinaya yung rate ng business permit dito sa ating lungsod. That is one of the reasons kaya po tayo nag-number one in terms of economic dynamism, kasi yung cost of doing business dito sa Biñan ay binabaan po natin,” he added.
Sustainable Cycle
For Jenny Anne Sarmiento of the Human Resources and Development Office (HRMO), the city’s focal person on the CMCI, what matters now is that the Biñan City LGU can now “sustain” a cycle of inclusive economic growth.
“It’s not just about the income – isa sa mga parameter ng economic dynamism is yung jobs generation. Para itong cycle, since maraming nag-iinvest, maraming kita ang mga tao, maraming nagkakaroon ng maayos na pamumuhay, so nasu-sustain rin ang government projects gaya ng free education and healthcare. So that means that Biñan City is now a good place to work and live in,” she explained to OpinYon Laguna.
That cycle also applies to local governance, Sarmiento added, saying that the high trust of both businesses and residents to the current administration of Mayor Dimaguila has opened up new opportunities for economic progress.
“Hindi man ‘highly-urbanized’ area ang Biñan City gaya ng Metro Manila, kung nakikita mo na yung mga local official mo ay ginagawa ang parte nila upang mabigyan ng magandang kinabukasan ang mga nakatira rito, so mas malaki yung trust mo sa kanila,” she said.
#OpinYonLaguna #CoverStory #WinningStreak #Biñan #CMCI #ArmanDimaguila #DTI #EconomicDynamism #Innovation #Competitiveness #NCC #MSME #BPLO #PESO #HRMO #OpinYon #WeTakeAStand