According to the infographic coming from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the poverty index in Bohol decreased from 25% in 2015 to 15.2% in 2018. Contributed photo
First District Rep. Edgar Chatto lauded Bohol for ranking as most the competitive province in Central Visayas (CV) and 20th most competitive in the entire country in 2020.
In the 2020 competitiveness index rankings recently released by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Bohol garnered a rating of 39.2262 and the distinction of the most competitive province in Central Visayas region.
In comparison, Siquijor province is the second most competitive province in region 7 with a score of 38.9348 and ranked 24th most competitive province in the Philippines.
Moreover, Cebu province is the third most competitive province in region 7 with a score of 38.6288 and ranks as the 26th most competitive province in the country, while Negros Oriental is the fourth most competitive province in CV with a score of 37.4512 and ranked 43rd most competitive province in the Philippines.
The top 10 most competitive provinces are Rizal, Davao del Norte, Camiguin, Laguna, Cavite, Pampanga, – Albay, Bulacan, Batangas and Benguet, according to the DTI.
Developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the annual competitiveness ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities are based on the sum of scores in four pillars: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, and Resilience.
The global framework on competitiveness is anchored on improving productivity which allows firms, cities, municipalities and countries to improve their standards of living and thereby prosperity to its citizens, according to the information from the office of Cong. Chatto.
Chatto congratulated the leadership of Gov. Arthur Yap and Vice Gov. Rene Relampagos for the latest achievement of the province.
“The COVID pandemic, however, is bound to compromise years of progress made in reducing poverty,” Chatto said.
Furthermore, based on latest available data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there has been a consistent drop in poverty incidence in Bohol from year 2000 to 2018.
From 36.6% in 2009, the province’s poverty index went down to its lowest at 15.20% in 2018, the highest percentage drop in poverty index happened when Chatto was serving as the governor of Bohol.
Additionally, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in 2018, through then Governor Nestor Espenilla revealed a 9.1% average rate of growth in Bohol’s local economy, higher than the 6.7% national average.
“COVID is not only an immediate threat to our lives and the economy, it worsens the disparities that have long been existing,” Chatto explained, underscoring greater challenges that lie ahead not just for the province but for the country and the world.
On the other hand, he noted, Bohol has its share of challenges in the past but the province has not stopped from continuing its efforts to achieve its development goals.
The competitiveness index can be used as a diagnostic tool by local government officials to identify areas for improvement and serve as valuable insight for policy making, development planning and investment promotion, Chatto added.
“It is important to ensure that social services reach those that are most in need and to ensure that the social protection programs are integrated into economic policies,” he stated.