TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The city continues to gain national recognition for its significant accomplishments in aggressively promoting the component city as a potential economic hub not only of the Cordillera but also the entire Northern Luzon.
Recently, Tabuk under the leadership of Mayor Darwin C. Estrañero was recognized by the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) as the 19th Most Improved City among the more than 120 component cities in the country.
The achievement allowed Tabuk to climb 19 notches higher in the CMCI rankings among component cities from its 75-place last year to its current position of 65th place this year.
The CMCI is an annual recognition given to local governments that ascertain their performances in five pillars such as government efficiency, economic dynamism, infrastructure, innovation and resiliency.
The annual CMCI is now on its 10th edition in giving recognition to the efforts of local governments to significantly improve the delivery of basic services and improve the state of infrastructure in their respective areas of jurisdiction for the overall satisfaction of their constituents.
Earlier, Tabuk was the only city in the Cordillera that received the coveted Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Award from the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Further, Tabuk was also adjudged as a recipient of the prestigious Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Clean Tourist City Award for 2024-2027 in recognition of the aggressive programs and projects of the city government to make tourism one of the city’s major economic driver aside from agriculture.
In 1950, Tabuk was created as a municipality and served as the capital town of Kalinga.
In 2007, Tabuk was converted into a component city of Kalinga by virtue of Republic Act (RA) 9404 which was overwhelmingly supported by the people during the plebiscite scheduled for the said purpose.
Tabuk is the third largest city in the country with a land area of more than 701 square kilometers behind Davao City and Ilagan City in nearby Isabela province.
Moreover, it is the rice granary of the Cordillera with its tens of thousands of hectares of rice farms that contribute in making the region rice self-sufficient amidst the prevailing problem on the buying price of rice in the markets around the country.
The health department also recognized Tabuk for having the Best COVID-19 Pandemic Response with the establishment of the first local government-funded and owned molecular laboratory that contributed in significantly reducing the turn around time in the release of swab test results and allowed the city to implement the appropriate community quarantine restrictions to prevent the rapid spread of the deadly virus not only within the city’s jurisdiction but also the whole Kalinga province.
Mayor Estrañero said that the various recognitions received by the city government is a product of the dedication and commitment of the city officials and employees in doing things right for the benefit of the people whom they vowed to serve. By Dexter A. See
