The City of Manila again proved that it is one of the best cities in the country after it was hailed by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) as the Most Business-Friendly local government unit (LGU) for 2021.
Roberto Amores, the LGU Awards chairman for Cities, announced Manila’s win in the LGU Awards for City Level 1-A for Highly Urbanized Cities in the National Capital Region during the last day of the 47th Philippine Business Conference and Expo held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City on Thursday.
Manila bested seven other finalists in the category, which include the cities of Caloocan, Makati, Malabon, Muntinlupa, Pasig, Quezon and Valenzuela.
Amores said the award recognizes LGUs that have been successfully restoring and increasing the business operations in their area through significant and sustained innovative reforms, programs and policies.
The award also aims to highlight LGU success stories and best practices that go beyond more compliance to address the overwhelming negative impacts of Covid-19 pandemic to the business community.
“In line with the theme of the 47th PBC which is anchored on innovation, the objective of this year’s LGU Award city categories is to highlight LGU success stories and innovative best practices. Special emphasis was given on the LGUs ability to assist the business sector to face the challenges of the current pandemic,” Amores said.
The winners in the city categories were selected by a panel of select panel of judges coming from the private and government sectors and academe, which was held last October 11, 12, 15, and 21. This year’s Most Business-Friendly LGU Awards was sponsored by Ambassador Francis Chua, founding chairman of BA Securities Inc.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso thanked the men and women of PCCI for bestowing honor to the city and recognizing its efforts in creating programs and projects that assisted businesses particularly during the onslaught of the pandemic.