Dipolog even before it became a municipality and the seat of the provincial government, was already the commercial center of the province and the distribution point of goods coming in from Luzon, Visayas and the northern cities of Mindanao. About 90% of the wholesalers in the province are in Dipolog including their respective warehousing facilities. Over the years, infrastructure facilities and other essential services were improved and developed to link this part of the region to the rest of the country. Having attained this level of development (support facilities and services) and economic growth, Dipolog aims to expand its horizon to achieve a broad-based growth, and be considered an active player in all commercial and industrial activities in Northwestern Mindanao. This is taking into account the regional perspective on the Brunie, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asian Growth Areas (BIMP-EAGA) initiative.

Dipolog therefore looks into a vision to become a trading hub in Northwestern Mindanao. Expand the commercial activities towards the southern portion of the city where a vast flat land awaits development. In the process, the city will also couple it with industrial development. Considering that Dipolog is within the Dapitan - Dipolog - Katipunan - Roxas - Manukan Industrial Corridor, established by the Province of Zamboanga del Norte and most of the agricultural products of the province are influenced by the marketing system of Dipolog, the city can be the seat of industrial development of the province in the near future.

Dipolog’s advantage is its geographical location. It is the nearest point in the Zamboanga Peninsula towards the major cities and trading centers of Luzon, the Visayas and the northern coastal cities of Mindanao. It is now the commercial center of Zamboanga del Norte where the support facilities are far more advanced than the neighboring municipalities and the City of Dapitan.

About 15 kilometers away is the twin City of Dapitan. To be more competitive, Dipolog and Dapitan decided to combine their respective advantages. Dipolog to focus on commercial development with a vision of becoming a trading hub in Northwestern Mindanao, and the Shrine City of Dapitan, to focus on heritage and tourism development with a vision of becoming a major tourist destination area. Our combined potentials will attract more visitors and investors.

Opportunities & Comparative Advantages

Urban Productivity

1. In Northwestern Mindanao, Dipolog is the only place with an airport that can handle the size of a 737 plane and the only airport that has a direct flight to Manila, the trading center of the country.
2. The inclusion of Dipolog City in the ADB Airport Improvement Program and the plan of the Air Transportation Office to equip Dipolog Airport as a possible alternate to Zamboanga City Airport in case of peace and order problems.
3. Presence of good telecommunication system with digital long distance service that connects the city to other cities in the country and abroad, with Globe and Philtel cell sites providing good cellphone service convenient for the communication needs of trading.
4. Dipolog is one of the 7 pilot cities in Mindanao under the Mindanao Urban Planning and Basic Services Program (MUPABS) financed by Asian Development Bank (ADB).  Two projects are now awaiting bank approval. One is the Foreshore Development Project, which shall transform the shanties - filled foreshore line into a boulevard with a promenade/recreation area and spaces for commercial activities, providing livelihood to the poor.  The other one is a By-pass Road that will connect from the on-going Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) By-pass Road to the light industrial zone in the southern part of the city towards the Dipolog Feeder Port.
5. The on-going installation of a 69 KVA transmission line of National Power Corporation (NPC) from the hydro-electric power plant in Iligan City to Dipolog and other municipalities of the province will greatly improve the electric power supply of the city.
6. Dipolog is the nearest point in Western Mindanao toward the trading centers of Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao, Cebu City in the Visayas and Metro Manila in Luzon.
7. The on-going construction of Dipolog Feeder Port financed by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and the city itself, will provide a very vital infrastructure that will hasten commercial and industrial development once it becomes operational within the second quarter next year.  Our port will complement and decongest the existing port in Dapitan City and another port in the municipality of Roxas.
8. The city is within the provincial industrial corridor as established by the province of Zamboanga del Norte that is the Dapitan-Dipolog-Katipunan-Roxas-Manukan Provincial Industrial Corridor where Dipolog is a very important player.  With a good and paved highway inter-connecting the two cities and three municipalities in the industrial corridor, Dipolog will be providing the major elements in trading like, advanced communication facilities, banking networks, education and health services and transportation linkages by air, sea and land.
9. Dipolog is connected with a by-pass highway to Pagadian City, the capital city of the province of Zamboanga del Sur.  This makes Dipolog a good trans-shipment point for goods to and from the two provinces, to the trading points in the Visayas and Luzon.
10. Presence of 10 commercial banks, 3 rural banks, 1 savings bank, 1 cooperative bank and 24 lending investors to provide responsive financial packages to any government or private sector initiatives other than what the World Bank can provide.
11. Dipolog is not within the typhoon belt of the country.
12. Density is still low at an average of 7 persons per hectare.

Urban Poverty

1. Educational institutions that can be tapped to provide/train the labor force to an appropriate and anticipated demand.
2. The newly completed Fishing Port and Ice Plant by the Philippine Fisheries and Development Authority which has  the livelihood component that will benefit the fishing industry of the city.

Urban Governance and Capacity Building 

1. The good working relationship between the legislative and executive branches of the city government, especially in the common interests for development.
2. Dipolog is a very peaceful city in the island of Mindanao contrary to the adverse connotation the name “Mindanao” has created in the nation and international scene.
3. A relatively peaceful city in this part of Mindanao.
4. Have revised the Local Tax Code, to generate revenues.
5. Have enacted additional revenue source/measures.
6. Private sector’s involvement/participation in government affairs.
7. Dipolog is just 14 kilometers away from the Shrine City of Dapitan, which is a potential tourist destination.  Because of our proximity we have formalize our twinning mechanism to be the twin cities in Mindanao.  You can come to Dipolog for the business of trading and you can also have Dapitan for tourism.

Strategies for Development

In our effort to pursue our vision and provide our people with a better quality of life and protect the quality of our environment. We shall adapt the following strategies: 

1. Upgrade/construct facilities that are essential in the trading industry.

This strategy will enhance or improve the position of the City in achieving our vision. The existing facilities shall be upgraded and construct new ones. These facilities shall be in the aspect of transportation, to move commodities fast by land, sea and air. Good communication facilities and fast access to information is a plus factor in trading. Likewise, water supply and adequate electric power supply are essential elements.

2. Maintain the livability of the city.

This shall provide a better quality of environment for the people to live in. Likewise it will attract visitors and investors to come to Dipolog and eventually lure them to stay for good as part of a dynamic community. This will then contribute to the development of the City.

3. Embark on a more aggressive promotional programs and activities.

As the city is an emerging trading center, a more aggressive promotional strategy will enhance the prospect of achieving the vision as a trading hub in Northwestern Mindanao.

4. Improve management and administrative systems to create a better business climate and for an efficient and effective delivery of services

Management and administrative systems have to be improved to face the challenges of the vision. We have to streamline and standardize procedures in getting or renewing business permits and requirements. Provide adequate office space and equipment in the line with the new technology and computerization. Then, an in-depth study to restructure the city offices to improve tax collection and service delivery shall be undertaken.

5. Complete the land use plan to cover the entire city.

Presently the land use plan and zoning ordinance of the city covers only the poblacion and eight barangays. Eight remaining barangays have to be properly zoned and incorporated in the over-all land use of the city. To guide and control the physical development of the city taking into account the compatible land use relationships and environmental protection, the land use plan has to be expanded and cover all the barangays of the City.

6. Encourage people-participation in project planning, implementation and monitoring.

People participation is a very important element in achieving people-oriented and demand driven development thrust. The private sector is a very strong partner of government in development and project implementation. It is very vital therefore that public-private partnership be a policy in developmental endeavors.

7. Sustain agricultural development and food production.

Though the city’s vision is towards trading, and considering Dipolog as an agricultural area, the city have to use its resources - sustain its agricultural development by way of diversifying agricultural products towards agri-based industrialization, and self-sufficient on its food supply.

8. Promote environmental protection to sustain development.

By way of eliminating the threats of life and the threats to health or protecting people’s life against any threats could be a come on to any individual to stay on the city. As such, the city’s economic activities towards development can not be hampered through rehabilitating and protecting the city’s environment.

9. Uplift the social and economic well-being of the urban poor.

The urban poor who are the vulnerable sector of society shall be viewed as active players in the over-all sphere of development. The City shall look into their well-being to make them potential partners in community building.

10. Encourage inter-local linkage in project implementation and management which are mutually beneficial

Inter-local linkage is a new approach to improve project viability and maximize benefits in a wider scope. The Dipolog-Dapitan twinning efforts can be the core mechanism for this kind of undertaking. Other nearby LGUs can later be integrated to the system to further expand its benefits. Since Dapitan City is just 14 kilometers away, we should harmonize our land uses and explore the possibility of a common project in disposal system.