By Wilfredo Rodolfo III
Original report at The Business Mirror
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/0111&122008/nation04.html
THREE Philippine cities were included in the top 10 Asian Cities of the Future Award 2007 by Singapore-based consulting firm AsiaBIZ Strategy Pte. Ltd.
Quezon City placed seventh, Cebu City, eighth and Davao City 10th on the top 10 which was topped by perennial powerhouses Hong Kong (1st), Singapore (2nd) Taipei (3rd) and Melbourne (4th).
Rounding up the top 10 are Chinese cities Dalian (5th), Shijiazhuang (6th) and Guangzhou (9th).
The awards were based on the results of survey among businessmen, who were asked to rate over 200 Asian “big” and “small” cities according to their standing in terms of business and investments opportunities.
AsiaBIZ Strategy Pte. Ltd. is a Singapore-based strategy and investment promotion consultancy company which has interests in Asia’s 20 biggest countries. The company said its consulting services has resulted in an overall Fortune 500 client investment portfolio in excess of $2 billion in Asia, excluding small- and medium-enterprises clients.
Quezon City also placed eighth on the top 10 list of Asian cities with the best economic potential while placing third in the most cost-efficient city in terms of doing business together with Cebu (4th) and Davao (6th).
Davao City is fifth in terms of quality of human resources, followed by Quezon City. Cebu is seventh in terms of best quality of life while Quezon City is tenth. None of the Philippine cities barged into the top ten with the best infrastructure and business-friendliness.
Cebu placed second in terms of quality of development and promotion, next only to Singapore.
No Philippine city entered the rankings in the small cities category, which was won by Alor Star in Malaysia and Newcastle, Australia.
Joel Mari Yu of the Cebu Investments and Promotions Center (CIPC) said Cebu City’s promotional efforts abroad and its concrete program for investments and business is paying off and getting its deserved recognition.
“We just don’t act when investors have already arrived. We have a year-round program to market Cebu and to improve the business climate here,” Yu said.
He said CIPC was part of the organizations “tested” by AsiaBiZ in terms of how they handle investment inquiries and how efficient their international marketing promotions are.
Yu, however, lamented Cebu’s infrastructure which he said is keeping Cebu backwards compared with its Philippine counterparts.
“Maybe we are better off, compared to other cities in the Philippines, but when we are put side-by-side Singapore and Hong Kong, we are down there at the bottom,” he said.
He also said Cebu should be on top in terms of quality of life for bringing a good balance of business and economic opportunities with a very livable environment.
“We have all the amenities of Manila but with one-tenth the traffic and the pollution,” he said.
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From the ASIABIZ STRATEGY Website
http://www.investasiapacific.com/Awards.htm
‘ASIAN CITIES OF THE FUTURE’ 2007 AWARD
AsiaBIZ Strategy conducted an Asia-wide survey in 2007 to rank both big and small Asian cities involving 200 over cities. Below are the results:
ASIAN CITIES OF THE FUTURE
1, Hong Kong, China
2, Singapore, Singapore
3, Taipei City, Taiwan (Republic of China)
4, Melbourne, Australia
5, Dalian, China
6, Shijiazhuang, China
7, Quezon City, Philippines
8, Cebu City, Philippines
9, Guangzhou, China
10, Davao City, Philippines
BEST ECONOMIC POTENTIAL
1, Hong Kong, China
2, Singapore, Singapore
3, Dalian, China
4, Guangzhou, China
5, Quezon City, Philippines
6, Melbourne, Australia
7, Fukuoka, Japan
8, Macau, China
9, Taipei City, Taiwan (Republic of China)
10, Tokyo, Japan
MOST COST EFFECTIVE
1, Shijiazhuang, China
2, Dalian, China
3, Quezon City, Philippines
4, Cebu City, Philippines
5, Guangzhou, China
6, Davao City, Philippines
7, Colombo, Sri Lanka
8, Taipei City, Taiwan (Republic of China)
9, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
10, Taichung, Taiwan (Republic of China)
BEST HUMAN RESOURCES
1, Singapore, Singapore
2, Melbourne, Australia
3, Hong Kong, China
4, Taipei City, Taiwan (Republic of China)
5, Davao City, Philippines
6, Quezon City, Philippines
7, Seoul, South Korea
8, Chongqing, China
9, Shijiazhuang, China
10, Guangzhou, China
BEST QUALITY OF LIFE
1, Melbourne, Australia
2, Hong Kong, China
3, Singapore, Singapore
4, Tokyo, Japan
5, Macau, China
6, Taipei City, Taiwan (Republic of China)
7, Cebu City, Philippines
8, Sakai, Japan
9, Hiroshima, Japan
10, Quezon City, Philippines
BEST INFRASTRUCTURE
1, Tokyo, Japan
2, Singapore, Singapore
3, Hong Kong, China
4, Yokohama, Japan
5, Taipei City, Taiwan (Republic of China)
6, Fukuoka, Japan
7, Osaka, Japan
8, Kobe, Japan
9, Seoul, South Korea
10, Hiroshima, Japan
MOST BUSINESS FRIENDLY
1, Singapore, Singapore
2, Hong Kong, China
3, Macau, China
4, Melbourne, Australia
5, Shijiazhuang, China
6, Nanjing, China
7, Colombo, Sri Lanka
8, Brisbane, Australia
9, Taipei City, Taiwan (Republic of China)
10, Tokyo, Japan
BEST DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION
1, Singapore, Singapore
2, Cebu City, Philippines
3, Hong Kong, China
4, Taipei City, Taiwan (Republic of China)
5, Melbourne, Australia
6, Dalian, China
7, Nanjing, China
8, Brisbane, Australia
9, Guangzhou, China
10, Lucknow, India
SMALLER CITIES OF THE FUTURE
1 Alor Star, Malaysia
2 Newcastle, Australia
3 Jeju , South Korea
4 Taoyuan City, Taiwan
5 Gifu, Japan
6 Ipswich, Australia
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