Parañaque leads the pack

Parañaque City is blazing the trail for progress. Its strategic location is propelling its economy.

Being the first Metro Manila city to welcome visitors at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Parañaque benefits from its prime location for both business and tourism.

The city aims to be a primary tourism investment destination by providing a business friendly environment and developing tourism initiatives.

Parañaque has evolved from a coastal town to a metropolis with licensed manufacturers of food products, motorcycles, home appliances, and electronics, all of which contribute to its economy.

In 2023, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Cinderella City of the Philippines achieved the fastest economic growth rate among Highly Urbanized Cities (HUCs) in the National Capital Region, growing by 8.7 percent from its 2022 level, surpassing Quezon City with 4.5%; Makati City with 6.3%; Manila with 2.2%; Pasig City with 4.8%; Taguig City with 5.8%; and Mandaluyong City with 5.9.

The city’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reached P343 billion in 2023, demonstrating its significant contribution to the regional economy.

The economic success of Parañaque City is driven by its strategic location as a gateway to Metro Manila, a thriving business and tourism hub, its commitment to fostering a business-friendly environment through incentives and public-private partnerships, its robust service and transport sectors, and ongoing efforts in good governance and sustainability. The city’s rapid economic growth is attributed to strong contributions from other services, finances, and trade.

With their mental acuity, the formidable tandem of Mayor Edwin Olivarez and First District Representative Eric Olivarez, together with former vice mayor Joan Villafuerte and former 2nd District representative Gustavo Tambunting, have transformed Parañaque into the sixth-richest city in the Philippines.

The progress of Parañaque City showcases what really happens when the Commission on Audit (CoA) is functional and developmental in the exercise of its regulatory function, enabling the city to stay right and do right, in accordance with the law and the rules.

Parañaque City plans to achieve more through strategic investments in infrastructure and the development of its commercial assets.

Its key advantages include its strategic proximity to airports and major roads, a high concentration of commercial activity in areas like Aseana Business Park, and a booming food and entertainment scene in places like BF Homes. The city government has fostered growth by attracting foreign direct investment.

The rapid economic development of Parañaque mirrors the fascinating success story of the Olivarez brothers, Edwin and Eric. Come to think of it, Parañaque City is perhaps the first in the country to utilize digital systems, including aspects of an intranet for internal management and public service delivery, with initiatives such as the Parañaque Electronic BPLO Online Systems for business permits and an Information Technology Development Department for various IT services. Though no single “intranet system” is named, the city has been actively developing and launching online and electronic government services since 2019.

I will not be surprised if the Cinderella City of the Philippines will further outpace the other competing Top 10 cities in the country, by at least one or two more notches within a year or two.

Email: arturobesana2@gmail.com