Camiguin reaps awards, recognition

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - Despite the community disruptions brought by COVID-19, Camiguin bounces back with numerous awards and recognitions from 2022 alone.

Gov. Xavier Jesus Romualdo said it is a banner year for the province which was conferred the 2022 Seal of Good Local Governance Award, the highest recognition given to the country's best-performing local governments.

He said along with the recognition is the National Anti-Drug Abuse Council Performance Award and the Balangay Seal of Excellence for clearing all the municipalities from illegal drugs.

Through the provincial government’s transparency and accountability in the management and implementation of local projects, Camiguin also placed third in the SubayBAYANI Award. In addition to this, there is the Civil Service Commission's PRIME-HRM Bronze Award for excellence in human resource management.

With a GDP of P10.3 billion, mostly due to the growth of local agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, Camiguin is the 5th most competitive province in the Philippines, according to the DTI. This means that 3.7% fewer people live in poverty there, the governor said.

Romualdo also believes that the 1,104 new businesses that the DTI will have registered by the end of 2022 will contribute to the economy's continued expansion.

The provincial government’s total income in the third quarter of 2022 was P738.9 million. With the increased revenue and financial resources, Camiguin is set to venture into greater investments in key economic drivers such as agriculture.

“Under our administration, the provincial government will undertake initiatives that will allow us to meet good governance objectives, such as environmental protection and conservation and efficient operation and management of tourism sites, and, at the same time, maximize local revenue sources and boost collections,” Romualdo said. (TAAG)