Muntinlupa City placed fifth overall among highly urbanized cities (HUCs) in the Philippines and first in resiliency in the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) 2020 rankings based on four criteria: economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure and resiliency.

The CMCI is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the Department of Trade and Industry and National Competitiveness Council with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
This year, Muntinlupa became the fifth most competitive city among HUCs in the country. Manila ranked first followed by Davao, Pasay and Makati. Muntinlupa’s 2020 ranking is an improvement from 8th place in 2019 and 10th place in 2018.
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi said the ranking is a recognition of the local government’s thrust in streamlining disaster resilience in development planning and improving the local government’s processes and transaction procedures.
“Being in the Top 5 of Overall Competitive Cities is a testament that the city government is in the right track in fostering good governance and providing more effective programs for Muntinlupeños,” he said.
Among the criteria, Muntinlupa ranked first in resiliency, besting at least 145 cities nationwide. According to the CMCI, resiliency “is the capacity of a locality to facilitate businesses and industries to create jobs, raise productivity, and increase the incomes of citizens over time despite of the shocks and stresses it encounters.”
Included in the resiliency criteria are land use plan, disaster risk reduction plan, annual disaster drill, early warning system, emergency infrastructure, utilities, employed population and sanitary system.
Muntinlupa’s ranking in government efficiency and infrastructure also rose a rank higher to 6th place from 7th last year.