The province of Guimaras again made a mark on the Philippine map in the field of good governance.
This, after the town of San Lorenzo was recognized as the “most competitive” municipality in the entire country under the 5th to 6th class municipalities category for 2021.
From 142nd in the 2020 rankings, San Lorenzo made the highest leap to make it to the top spot.
San Lorenzo Mayor Ninfa Gajo accepted the recognition at the 10th Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Summit held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on October 20, 2022.
Mayor Gajo said that she did not expect the result of the competitiveness ranking this year.
The mayor expressed gratitude to the Provincial Government of Guimaras and Congresswoman Ma. Lucille L. Nava for all the support given to San Lorenzo through various development projects which is one of the reasons why her town has achieved the recognition.
The competitiveness ranking of areas in the country is based on the five pillars of competitiveness which are economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure, resiliency, and innovation.
To get the coveted award, the Municipality of San Lorenzo ranked 2nd in Innovation, ranked 4th in Infrastructure as well as in Economic Dynamism and placed 6th in the “Most Improved LGU”.
It was not an easy route for the municipality towards achieving the said honors.
According to Catherine Ann L. Gaurana, Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator and designated focal person for the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index, they faced a big challenge because there was no onsite validation.
Their success depended on the documents they submitted to the validation committee.
She said that one of the reasons why San Lorenzo got the recognition is the complete documents that they have submitted to the validation committee.
It took them two months to gather all the necessary documents with the help of the Provincial Planning and Development Office.
Gaurana added that the recognition is the result of the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders toward a common goal which is to improve the lives of the people of San Lorenzo.
“It is really about what San Lorenzo is in terms of the 5 pillars. Collaborative effort gid sang tanan. Ang support sang aton private sectors and investors and non-government organizations,” Gaurana said.
Sustaining the economy despite the COVID-19 pandemic to provide the right services for their citizens was a big factor that the town of San Lorenzo topped the competitiveness ranking according to Gaurana.
Further, one of the keys to the success of San Lorenzo is the leadership of Mayor Gajo who always reminds them to aim for excellence and the cooperation of the barangays.
Big infrastructure projects in San Lorenzo such as road networks have added to San Lorenzo’s points.
Gaurana said that this award is a step closer to the goal of Mayor Gajo to lift San Lorenzo into a second-class or first-class municipality.
The annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities was developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development.
The initiative assesses “how a city or municipality knows its resources and how it uses these to improve its standard of living”.
