Dumaguete is 3rd most competitive component city in Visayas

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY— The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index 2020 Rankings has tagged Dumaguete City as the third Most Competitive Component City in the Visayas.

Dumaguete City mayor Felipe Remollo was elated to receive the recognition during the 8th Regional Competitiveness Virtual Summit held in City in December last year.  He bared that in 2018 Dumaguete City also received a similar award at the national level for being the seventh Most Improved Component City.

"We try as much as possible to encourage business liaise with business organizations in Dumaguete. We promote small entrepreneurs, build infrastructure that will prepare Dumaguete for the big thing—when this pandemic end and when the vaccines arrive, we can go back to the new normal,” the mayor said in a live PCOO Network Briefing recently.

Remollo bared his plans that focus more on infrastructure projects which include two bridges, leisure parks, and open spaces available for competitive sports for 2021. The City is building two bridges even during the pandemic with the objective to control the movement of people and traffic during this time.

Traffic congestion is a deterrent for business especially now that several business process outsourcing companies have expressed interest in relocating their operations in Dumaguete City. Remollo added.

The mayor is also keen on establishing more parks, leisure parks and open spaces.  He said that these are the heart and soul of every community where people, especially children who have not been able to go out because of the pandemic are able to use these facilities.

Remollo went on that he wants Dumaguete to be acknowledged as the gateway to beautiful spots in Negros Oriental and in Central Visayas such as lakes, forests and beaches. 

He also wants to open the city to local divers and enthusiasts and said that the city Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) is working with the national IATF to set and approve guidelines for incoming local tourists.

In terms of jobs and livelihood opportunities, the City has donated a land area to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for the construction of its facility which will be the first technological facility in Negros Oriental to cater to out-of-school youths and other skilled workers.

Plans to sustain Dumaguete City’s competitiveness ranking are continuously  worked out by the local council and development-oriented private and business sectors to push the City’s edge to its varied potentials in tourism, lifestyle, education and in the digital highway. (Photos: Google files)