Saint Mary’s University, represented by Dr. John Octavious S. Palina, Dr. Harrison T. Villanueva, and Engr. Angelino A. Pimentel, achieved recognition as a Top 3 Finalist in the Group Category during the 5th Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) Academic Symposium held at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City on December 6, 2023. The team presented their research paper entitled “Reconnoitering LGU’s Potential as a Creative Innovation Center of Nueva Vizcaya using CMCI.” Saint Mary’s University, having been the champion in the 1st Cagayan Valley CMCI Research Conference last year, stands as the sole qualifier from Region 2 for this recently concluded national symposium. The CMCI is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the National Competitiveness Council and the DTI through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs). It serves as a tool to measure LGUs’ performance across five pillars: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, Resilience, and Innovation.