Tagbilaran City among RP's best cities

Makati, Cabanatuan, Tagbilaran are RP's best cities to live in

By CARMELA FONBUENA
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Among the best cities in the Philippines, Makati City, Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija, and Tagbilaran City in Bohol offer the best quality of life, according to a new survey of the Asian Institute Management (AIM).

These three cities ranked highest in the quality of life category among 25 cities that made it to the AIM’s Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project 2007, a survey of cities’ global competitiveness.

The cities were separately ranked according to size. Makati, Cabanatuan, and Tagbilaran were categorized as metro, mid-sized and small-sized, respectively.

Quality of life is one of six categories in AIM’s survey. The other categories are cost of doing business, dynamism of local economy, human resources and training, infrastructure, and responsiveness of local government units (LGUs) to business needs.

Unlike its previous surveys, AIM decided not to rank the cities based on total performance.

This is the 5th round of the AIM survey on Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking.

Quality of life is considered one of the yardsticks in determining which cities have successfully developed and which have succumbed to the ills of urbanization.

Among the relevant aspects of quality of life are social welfare of the people, peace, and order, quality of living environment, and local amenities.

Cabanatuan and Tagbilaran ranked first in their respective city sizes, rating 7.17 and 7.97, respectively. The highest rating is 10 points. The average rating in their city sizes is 6.31 and 6.43, respectively.

Makati ranked second among metro cities, with a rating of 6.98. The average rating of metro cities in terms of quality of life is 6.06.

Cabanatuan was credited for its good access to commercial banks, low or non-existent informal fees, and total crime solution efficiency.

Tagbilaran was noted for its low or non-existent informal fees, good supply of water, and low water rates. Its local environmental planning and management program was also praised.

Makati was recognized for its good access to commercial banks, total crime solution efficiency, and supply of potable water among others. AIM also noted its programs such as the Makati Health Program, the “Yellow Card,” the Makati Command Center, and its Satellite Real Property Tax collection.

A total of 90 cities were surveys—20 metro cities, 25 mid-sized cities, and 45 small-sized cities. The AIM survey was conducted in collaboration with the German Technical Cooperation, International Finance Corporation, International Labour Organization, SM Investments Inc., and Petron Corporation.

The following is the complete list of the top performing cities.

Metro Cities:
1. Davao
2. Lapu-Lapu
3. Makati,
4. Manila
5. Marikina
6. Quezon City

Mid-sized Cities:
1. Cabanatuan
2. General Santos
3. Lucena City
4. Olongapo City
5. San Pablo City
6. Tagum
7. Tarlac

Small-Sized Cities
1. Bayawan
2. Calapan
3. Calbayog
4. Dagupan
5. Dipolog
6. Laoag
7. Malaybalay
8. Naga City-Camarines Sur
9. San Fernando City-La Union
10. Surigao
11. Tagbilaran
12. Tuguegarao