General Santos City (10 July) -- In a simple ceremony on July 4, 2008, at the Grand Ballroom of the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City, Gen. Santos City was again awarded as Most Competitive Mid-Sized City of the Philippines along with six others in the Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project 2007 of the Asian Institute of Management Project Center. Receiving the award was GenSan City Mayor Pedro Acharon, Jr.

This is the 3rd time that the Tuna Capital was accorded such honors by the Asia Institute of Management Policy Center. The first time was in the year 2000 when it was the Most Competitive City in the Philippines and two years later, when it was ranked as the Most Competitive Mid-Sized City.

This year, however, among a field of 35 contender-cities, it has to share the title with six other medium-sized cities. And so, for 2007, the country's most competitive cities in alphabetical order are the Cabanatuan City, General Santos City, Lucena City, Olongapo City, San Pablo City, Tagum City, Tarlac City.

The awardees for the Most Competitive Metro Cities are the Davao City, Makati City, City of Manila, Marikina City, Lapu-lapu City, Quezon City.

And lastly, the Most Competitive Small-Sized Cities are the Bayawan City, Calapan City, Calbayog City, Dagupan City, Dipolog City, Laoag City, Malaybalay City, Naga City, San Fernando City (La Union), Surigao City, Tagbilaran City, Tuguegarao City.