BAGUIO CITY – The local government declared the City’s ambition to achieve smart city status by 2027 at the Luzon ICT Champions Conference 2024, highlighting a strategic commitment to a smart, green, and sustainable quality of life.
“Our decision to transform the city of Baguio into a smart city is aligned with our strategic direction of becoming a smart, green, and sustainable city with the ultimate goal of improving the urban quality of life of our residents,” city officials said.
It was also emphasized that the city’s primary goal is to utilize technology to combat climate change effectively and work towards achieving net zero emissions.
Moreover, city officials clarified that despite recent advancements, the city is not yet officially considered a “smart city.” However, the city has made significant progress by establishing a command or smart command platform. It was revealed that the city is utilizing Cisco Technology, a single technology solution that is being projected to be one of the best globally.
Baguio City is grappling with a host of development challenges and significant urban issues that require urgent attention and resolution. City officials highlighted the city’s struggles with overpopulation overload, misaligned land use plans, inadequate waste management, traffic congestion, and air pollution, as well as climate-related hazards like landslides and flooding. Notably, urban decay is already taking hold within the city.
It was stressed that today’s focus revolves around tackling these pressing issues head-on. All 53 strategic, analytic, and catalytical projects have been specifically designed to combat urban decay in Baguio. Given the city’s limited land availability, prudent management of its land resources is vital to strike a harmonious balance between development, conservation of green spaces, and addressing the varied needs of different sectors within the community.
It was articulated the rationale behind the development of a net zero roadmap, outlining a progressive vision for the city’s future. By harnessing artificial intelligence, information, and technology, the city aims to address existing challenges, enhance operational efficiency, and effectively manage resources. This strategic approach emphasizes the evolution of solutions over time to elevate the quality of government services, improve citizen welfare, and offer enhanced lifestyles through innovative smart services.
Despite facing obstacles exacerbated by the pandemic, Baguio City is steadfast in its ambition to transition into a smart city by 2027. Working actively with stakeholders and technology partners, the city is dedicated to materializing its ambitious digital platform. The implementation of the smart city system revolves around the thoughtful integration of various building blocks in a synchronized and cohesive manner.
A pivotal milestone in this journey was the successful procurement of a groundbreaking Smart City Command Center valued at 200 million pesos with the support of former President Rodrigo Duterte. This state-of-the-art facility, inaugurated in September 2021, stands as a pioneering achievement as the first of its kind in the entire country, he added.
Jessraf S. Palmares, the President of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP), conveyed his delight and admiration to the local government commending its forward-thinking approach that recognizes technology as a crucial tool in addressing the myriad challenges faced by a city. Palmares emphasized the critical importance of embracing digital transformation, warning that failure to do so would result in being left behind in a rapidly evolving landscape. He underscored that technology represents the future, transcending boundaries while harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) or generated AI to revolutionize the way individuals live their lives. Despite posing challenges to the current job market, particularly in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, Palmares stressed the necessity for individuals to adapt and upskill themselves to meet the evolving demands of the industry.
Baguio City is on a transformative path to becoming a smart city by 2027, guided by five key pillars: Security, Sustainability, Efficiency, Community-oriented, and Lifestyle. It was articulated that this ambitious vision rests upon a solid foundation of good governance. Stressing the importance of prudence, fairness, and responsibility, It was emphasized the imperative for city leaders to uphold rigorous ethical standards and integrity, while ensuring transparency and accountability to cultivate public trust in government.
“Smarter is a more responsive and livable city, we don’t want just to be a smart city. We want to be a connected city. A truly connected city in which every citizen is connected, and every citizen is able to benefit from this vision,” city officials conclude. Trust was emphasized as the bedrock of Baguio City, serving as a linchpin for fostering community support for city initiatives. By Joy Anne M. Palaoag
