Angono, the second smallest town in Rizal Province, has been adjudged as this year’s most competitive municipality in the country in terms of infrastructure.

At the 10th Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Summit 2022 held recently at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) took note of Angono’s massive infrastructure program despite the town’s limited resources.

“We never had a doubt about our infrastructure program. It is a product of rigid studies and supported by local folks who took part in the tedious process from planning stage, consultation, implementation and project management,” Angono Mayor Jeri Mae Calderon said.

Angono was also recognized as the 6th most competitive municipality out of the 1,488 municipalities all over the country.

Since 2015, Angono has maintained a spot in the top 10 municipalities in the country.

“Angono is relatively a small town. But just like David, we were able to beat the giants,” said Vice Mayor Gerardo Calderon in reference to the rich municipalities.

Other categories from where overall competitiveness scores are based include economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure, resiliency and innovation.

The annual summit gathered all 144 cities and 1,498 municipalities (ranging from first to fifth class) from across the country to cite accomplishments in “promoting the culture of competitiveness” in their respective localities.

Top citations were determined by the Competitiveness Bureau of the DTI using the “Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI)” ranking tool developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Since the establishment of the CMCI in 2012 as a basis and measurement of competitiveness in the country 2012, the number of participating LGUs have grown from 285 in 2013 to 1,498 in 2022.