BATANG MAYNILA
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno
There is an oft-repeated saying, “when it rains, it pours.”
In our beloved city of Manila, this quote has taken its true form in recent days in terms of awards being heaped on the local government, thanks to the good Lord, myfellow workers in City Hall and our own populace.
One after another, our governance in Manila had been reaping awards in recognition of various aspects of how the city government is being run and how the residents directly benefit from it.
It is with great pride and honor that I attribute all these awards to the efforts and efficiency of my colleagues in the city government, because I could not have done all our laid-out programs successfully without their help and support.
Just this past Thursday, the city of Manila was awarded "2021 Most Business-Friendly" local government unit by no less than the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) which said that it is a recognition of local government units that have been successfully restoring and increasing the business operations in their area thru significant and sustained innovative actions, programs, and policies."
My heartfelt gratitude goes to the officials of the PCCI. I assure them and the public that the city government will continue to create programs and projects that will benefit the business sector.
Thanks for recognizing our small efforts in ensuring that doing business in Manila will be such a breeze. It is our goal to rev up the economy and create job opportunities for everyone.
Let me assure businessmen and investors that the city of Manila will continue to be business-friendly for the next years to come, with Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna at its helm.
The Manila support local campaign, the establishment of the Business One Stop Shop and Go Manila App are just some of the innovative programs sucessfully piloted by our permits bureau chief Levi Facundo that made us qualify for the award.
Before the PCCI award, just last Oct. 29, the city of Manila also won three awards during the Digital Governance Awards 2021 (LGUs Best Practices in Information and Communication Technology).
The city of Manila was awarded Best in Customer Empowerment Award for "Connection for Inclusion" (first place, city level); Best in LGU Empowerment Award for its COVID-19 Testing Center Web Lab-IS (first place, city level) and Best in Business Empowerment Award for its GO Manila App end-to-end solution (2nd place,city level).
Still before this, Manila also ranked top in the 2020 Highly Urbanized Cities as it bested 32 other LGUs across the country as shown in the Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index website of the Department of Trade andIndustry (DTI).
The said 2020 rankings of Highly Urbanized Cities in the Philippines was based on the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI).
Developed by the DTI and National Competitiveness Council (NCC) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development, the CMCI is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities.
The National Competitiveness Council was organized through Executive Order No. 44 which aims to promote a more competitive Philippines and instill a culture of excellence through public-private sector collaboration asmeans to reduce poverty through inclusive growth.
Under the system, cities and municipalities are ranked on their competitiveness based on an overall competitiveness score and such scores are determined by the values of the actual data, as well as the completeness of the submitted data submitted by local government units.
The barometer for measuring the competitiveness of cities and municipalities have four indicators, namely: economic dynamism, or activities that generate more jobs and businesses in the city; government efficiency, or the quality of service and reliability of the local government unit; infrastructure, or the physical development of the city and resiliency, or the capability of the city to pursue development even after a tragedy.
From the bottom of my heart, thanks to the DTI family, I assure you that the said award will definitely serve as an inspiration and motivator for all Manila government workers to strive even more, so as to give the best service possible for Manila residents whom he said deserve no less.
Being adjudged number one in the said ranking is a clear testament that the city government of Manila is right on track and that all its pro-people programs are being appreciated not only by the citizens of Manila but by the national government as well.
The awards reaped by the city of Manila does not solely go to me. I am sharing it with my ever supportive and helpful Vice Mayor, Honey Lacuna and all the city officials and employees, who are highly instrumental in everything that my two-year-old administration had accomplished.
Getting awarded for all of our efforts is just a bonus for which I am giving back all the credit to all our city employees who never wavered in their support and efforts in helping me bring Manila back on its feet again, after years of utter neglect.
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Gaya ng paulit-ulit kong sinasabi, kailangan ko ang tulong ninyong lahat. Walang magmamalasakit sa Maynila kundi tayo ding mga Batang Maynila. Manila, God first!
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For updates on latest developments in the city of Manila, please visit my Facebook account — ‘Isko Moreno Domagoso.’