CSF is PH’s most competitive city

With its aim to improve the quality of life of ev ery Fernandino, the City of San Fernando has embarked on a journey to transform the capital city into a competitive and flourishing urban center dubbed as the “New San Fernando”.

Among its many endeavors to attain this “dream city”, as what Mayor Edwin Santiago refers it to, the city government adopted effective policy actions and reforms that help attract, retain, and expand industry growth, employment, and productivity — promoting shared prosperity for all.

Evidence that the city leaders continue to work hard to go beyond the vision of creating a new city that is smart, green, sustainable, and liveable towards inclusive growth, is the many recognition the city hurdles under its belt.

Recently, the City of San Fernando was recognized as one of the most competitive cities in the Philippines during the 5th Regional Competitiveness Summit held August 16 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index were measured into four pillars including Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure and Resiliency.

Under the component city category, the city ranked 2nd for Economic Dynamism; 6th for resiliency; 10th for infrastructure and 11th for government efficiency; while for Overall Competitiveness, the city ranked 4th among the component cities in the country.

Mayor Edwin Santiago shared that this feat is the result of the hard work and perseverance of the city government to maintain good governance and transparency in the city.

He then extended his gratitude to the National Competitiveness Council for recognizing the city’s efforts towards sustainable development without compromising the quality of public service.

“Malaki ang naiaambag a partisipasyon ng bawat isa sa syudad, kaya patuloy tayong nakakatanggap ng ganitong klase ng pagkilala. Sama-sama nating mas palawakin at pag-igihan ang pagbibigay ng mahusay at tapat na pagseserbisyo sa mga Fernandino,” Santiago vowed.

Moreover, as one of its many ways to further improve the city’s competitiveness, the city government continues to prioritize the youth through providing quality education and training programs that will mould them into skilled and talented citizens.

Just last August 16 to 18, more than 5,000 Grades 10 and 12 students from all public high schools in San Fernando joined the city’s first Education Fair which seeks to guide the incoming Senior High School and College students in choosing the right K-12 strand or course based on their interest and the available job opportunities in the city.

The three-day activity was realized through the City Public Employment Service Office in partnership with the Department of Education, Department of Labor and Employment and Edukasyon.ph, a nongovernment organization based in Manila that connects students to education opportunities through an online platform and promotes career awareness among the Filipino youth.

Various schools and universities in the City have participated in the said fair to provide the students a comprehensive understanding on the different programs and scholarships they offer.

Aside from the career orientation, students were also given the opportunity to determine the right school based on their desired courses and the availability of resources.

Santiago stressed that the city government highly gives importance to guiding the youth in choosing their respective career paths to reduce job mismatch and unemployment rate in the city.

“Education and employment are our top priorities in the city because we believe that these two play an integral role towards sustainable development. Thus, improving the quality of life of every Fernandino,” he concluded.

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Erika Mariel Gines