Roberto de Vera, author and regional studies director of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), cited Cagayan de Oro as the best positioned for future growth and investments among 23 leading urban regional cities of the Philippines.

In his 2000 paper "Investing in Regional Cities: the Next Big Thing," de Vera describes how Cagayan de Oro is not only the gateway to Northern Mindanao region, but is its regional shopping center as well.

Although it ranked only 16th among the 23 cities in the study in Gross City Domestic Product (GCDP) with P4.93 billion, it led all others in investments with P16.5 billion. It was also the only city in Mindanao among the top five cited by the study in investments posted with the Board of Investments (BOI) in 1999.

Cagayan de Oro was also cited in a 2000 study by the Washington Sycip Policy Forum -- a think tank of the Asian Institute of Management -- because of its "focused vision for its economic future."

The study said Cagayan de Oro's competitiveness was enhanced by its strong economic ties such as with the Northern and Central Visayas regions, Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor (CIC), and the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

Although other regional centers like Davao were also progressive, its average household income from 1994 to 1997 dropped 10%, while those of Cagayan de Oro and General Santos increased.

Another unique feature of Cagayan de Oro is the way by which its strong real estate property development is balanced by inter-regional infrastructure development such as the Laguindingan international standard airport, Mindanao International Container Port, Tubod-Tangub bridge and widening of its Iligan-Cagayan de Oro-Bukidnon Road (ICBR), the road artery which links it to key satellite areas.

With over 100 subdivisions containing 80,000 lots covering over 1,000 hectares and counting, the real estate boom in the city is likewise balanced by intercity infrastructure such as the planned construction of three additional bridges across the Cagayan river, Licoan flyover and the East and West coast public utility terminals aimed at loosening the city's tightening gridlock.

Which is just as well, since although Cagayan de Oro city itself only has half a million residents, it serves a consumer base of well over three million people covering the five provinces (Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Occidental) and six cities (Cagayan de Oro, Gingoog, Iligan, Oroquieta, Ozamiz, and Tangub) of Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) as its regional shopping center.

Already, SM City and rival Big R Super Center have set up mixed-use shopping malls to rival Gaisano's three malls and the local titans Ororama and Limketkai which all boast of department stores, concessionaires, national food chains and cinemas equal if not better than similar stores in other booming regional centers like Cebu, Bacolod and Davao.

Besides retailers, light and medium industries are also finding Cagayan de Oro and its satellite areas an ideal home with its mix of affordable industrial parks, reliable and affordably priced utilities, and central location linked to the rest of the country and the ASEAN region with seamless transportation and communications.

The 3,000-hectare PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate-Misamis Oriental is the country's largest, with the 200-hectare First Cagayan de Oro Business Park and the 80-hectare Alwana Business Park now online. Three others are in the pipeline: Laguindingan Industrial Park, El Salvador Economic Zone, and Gingoog Special Economic Zone.
Already, 19 light and medium industries are operating in Cagayan de Oro, the largest of which are Del Monte Philippines, Inc. and Nestlé Philippines, Inc.'s ASEAN regional manufacturing center for coffee and milk powder. Another 30 or so industries are operating in the Phividec Industrial Estate-Misamis Oriental.

In large part due to this mix of industrial infrastructure and locational advantages, exports topped the US$200-million mark in 2001 as downstream industries, taking advantage of the city's proximity to the agriculture powerhouse Bukidnon, churned out an increasingly diverse array of products to complement the region's predominantly coconut-and-pineapple export base.

Another reason for the continued increase in exports and gross city domestic product are Cagayan de Oro's recent and planned transportation and communications projects through which the lifeblood of this regional dynamo flows. Already served by five telephone local exchange centers (LECs), and four mobile phone companies, the present 65,000 land lines are set to double by another 50,000 in the next two years, further boosting teledensity beyond 10 phones per 100 persons. Two paging networks and nine Internet service providers provide pinpoint local and global reach.

On top of this, 122 banks and 203 public and private schools provide support services, accounting for over half the region's total for both categories. Health services are equally impressive: Eleven public and private hospitals provide over 1,500 beds -- half the total in Region 10.

These are further backed by some 49 barangay health centers, 66 family planning clinics, and over 200 medical and dental clinics. Medical facilities include world-class institutions like the Northern Mindanao Heart Center and Mindanao Eye Center.

Tourism is another sunrise industry. Regional and national convention-goers find irresistible the city's close proximity of hotels and accommodations, wide variety of easily accessible exotic tourism destinations and amenities including an 18-hole world class golf course and a country club.

Not the least, the leisure industry appears to be crossing even political and ideological lines as Cagayan de Oro has been relatively spared the rash of violence which has rocked Mindanao's urban centers as of late. Although its peace and order situation is by no means impeccable, still it has been spared the wholesale bombings and killings many have come to associate with Mindanao.

The most logical explanation for this is multicultural harmony: Despite the diversity of beliefs and ideological convictions, residents share the same admiration and affection for the City of Golden Friendship, the city that has become a home even to migrants and ever-increasing number of visitors over the years.

Michael Baños is the station manager of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation in Iligan City. Born in Zamboanga City, he spent three years with the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce as project officer of the Philippine-German Chamber Cooperative Program, and two years with the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor Special Development Program as Planning Officer. He also worked as news correspondent for Business World, The Philippine Star, The Manila Chronicle, and Agence France Presse. He has
lived in Cagayan de Oro for 21 years.

CONTACTS

Hon. Vicente Y. Emano
City Mayor
City Hall, 9000 Cagayan de Oro City

Ms. Eliza A. Pabillore
Provincial Director
Department of Trade and Industry-Misamis Oriental
3rd Floor, Business Center Building
Justo Gaerlan Street
9000 Cagayan de Oro City
Email epabillore@websprinter.net

Ms. Raelita Legaspi
Manager
Oro Business Promotion Center
(Oro-BPC)
2nd Floor, Business Center Building
Justo Gaerlan Street
9000 Cagayan de Oro City

Mr. Milton Along
President
Cagayan de Oro Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (Oro Chamber)
9000 Cagayan de Oro City
Email : orocham@orochamber.com

Clara Marie Asuncion Q. Gonzales and Elson T. Elizaga
Nazca Graphic Design & Photography
2nd Floor, Elizaga Caltex Station
Lapasan Highway
9000 Cagayan de Oro City
Email : nazca@cdo.weblinq.com