EDITORIAL — Not so lovable cities

Here’s yet another indication of the progressive decline in the regional standing of the Philippines.

Canadian investment and tourism advisory Resonance Consultancy, which releases an annual list of the world’s best cities, has released its first-ever list of the 100 best cities in the Asia-Pacific. The cities included in the study are those with a population of at least one million.

The rankings are based on livability, “lovability” and prosperity. Livability refers to factors such as property rent, parks, landmarks and highly rated sights. Prosperity is based on gross domestic product per capita and the number of companies in the Fortune 500. “Lovability” is based on nightlife, shopping and reviews on Tripadvisor.

For the Asia-Pacific rankings, only three cities in the Philippines made it to the list. All, however, were ranked below the median, with Manila at 53rd place, Davao City at 91st and Cebu at 92nd.

In contrast, five other Southeast Asian countries had cities in the top 10 and top 50. Not surprisingly, the city-state of Singapore was listed as the best in the Asia-Pacific. In the annual World’s Best Cities for 2025, released by Resonance in November last year, Singapore ranked fifth overall, behind only London, New York, Paris and Tokyo.

This time, in the inaugural Asia-Pacific best cities, Thai capital Bangkok ranked second to Singapore at sixth place, while Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur ranked 10th.

Indonesian capital Jakarta placed 23rd while Vietnamese capital Hanoi was at 28th and its southern city Ho Chi Minh was at 35th. Cambodian capital Phnom Penh was also ahead of Manila at 41st place. Two other Malaysian cities were in the top 50: Johor Bahru at 29th and Penang at 31st. Another Indonesian city, Denpasar, made it to 48th place, while Bandung was at 52nd, a notch ahead of Manila.

Vietnam’s Da Nang placed 60th. Other Southeast Asian cities in the top 100 were Surabaya in Indonesia at 68th, Thailand’s Pattaya (85th), Indonesia’s Medan (87th) and Malang (90th) and Malaysia’s Ipoh (98th).

It’s ironic that the Philippines’ current tourism campaign slogan is “love the Philippines.” The rankings, which reflect tourism arrivals in the region, show that not enough travelers are loving the Philippines.

The rankings are not static, and the Philippines can still regain its status as one of the best performers in the region. This will depend on the willingness and capability of the country to implement the necessary reforms, to develop urban centers that are prosperous, livable and lovable.