DTI chief pushes digitalization to LGUs

MANILA, Philippines — In a bid to improve the ease of doing business in the country, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is urging local government units (LGUs) to shift toward digitalization.

During the 10th Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Summit in Pasay City, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said that LGUs play a vital role in the development of the country’s competitiveness.

“As chair of the Ease of Doing Business – Anti-Red Tape Advisory Council, we support the streamlining of government operations. Let us work together to digitize your data and digitalize your operations toward e-governance,” Pascual said.

The Trade department said that the ease of doing business and anti-red tape initiatives are central to the Marcos Administration’s campaign for bureaucratic efficiency and creating a business environment that attracts and sustains foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the country.

It added that promoting ease of doing business, especially at the LGU level, helps eliminate corruption, promote good governance, and improve competitiveness.

Pascual also cited the importance of the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) program.

The index is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development.

Pascual said the program allows LGUs to assess their relative level of competitiveness and derive insights for their local policymaking and planning.

Through the insights that can be derived from the CMCI Data Analytics Platform, the DTI said policymakers and local chief executives can formulate concrete plans and programs to strengthen their competitiveness and promote local communities as viable investment destinations of choice for new and existing investors.

“CMCI constantly evolves to be a timely and relevant indicator of local competitiveness as it added the Innovation Pillar from the list of its convergent pillars, namely, Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, and Resilience,” Pascual said.

Results of this year’s CMCI  showed that Quezon City was the overall most competitive highly urbanized city in the country, followed by the cities of Manila and Pasay.

Pascual lauded the outstanding performance of LGUs who have endeavored and committed to pursue quality and excellence and have worked hard to improve their competitiveness scores in this year’s Summit.

The DTI chief urged LGUs to not settle with their laurels and continue to do better, be more innovative, and push through with more initiatives that would contribute to the overall competitiveness of the country.