THE Provincial Government of Pampanga and nine more local government units (LGUs) in the province made it to the top 20 nationwide ranking in the 2020 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI).

The recognition, which was facilitated by Department of Trade and Industry Competitiveness Bureau, are based on their productivity on the areas of Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure and Resiliency.

Based on the criteria, the Provincial Government of Pampanga was named the sixth most competitive province in the Philippines.

The City of San Fernando, meanwhile, bagged multiple recognitions, including 8th in the Overall Competitiveness category, 10th in Government Efficiency category, 12th in the Resilience category and 18th in Infrastructure category among all component cities in the country.

Mabalacat City, likewise, earned the 6th spot in the Infrastructure category on component cities level.

The LGUs of San Simon and Bacolor also both garnered two recognitions, including 12th and 19th, respectively, in the Overall Competitiveness category and 11th and 10th in Economic Dynamism category on 3rd to 4th class municipalities level.

Also, the LGUs of Floridablanca and Macabebe ranked 13th and 18th among first- to second-class municipalities, while LGUs of Sta. Rita, Sto. Tomas and Sta. Ana ranked 10th, 11th and 13th among third- to fourth-class municipalities on Most Improved category.

The CMCI is developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development.