Baguio City hosts Luzon ICT conference
This city is aiming to transform itself into a Smart City that is aligned with its strategic direction of becoming a smart, green and sustainable city.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong made the remark during the “Convergence of Luzon ICT Champions Conference and Exhibition (CLICkCONEx) 2024” on Tuesday, April 1V, at the Baguio Convention and Cultural Center.
“We aim to leverage technology not only for the sole purpose of achieving Smart City status but to translate it into addressing climate change and achieve net zero,” the mayor added.
Around 300 officials and representatives from more than 20 local government units and the private sector participated in the conference which ended on Wednesday, April 17.
The mayor said that a city is considered “smart” when it utilizes technology to enhance security measures and disaster preparedness; when it is employed for traffic management and optimizing public facilities; utilizing big data analytics to understand urban conditions and make informed decisions; implementing innovative approaches to maintain smart systems; and encouraging active involvement of citizens in city planning and governance.
“In essence, we must be efficient in delivering government services to the people, especially to those who need them most,” Magalong stressed.
He said the city is facing development challenges that need to be solved and major urban problems that have to be surmounted like overpopulation, land use, waste and traffic management, air pollution, landslides and flooding.
“Despite all these challenges and the setback brought about by the pandemic, our city gathered more resolve to become a Smart City in 2027. We are actively engaging stakeholders and technology partners to put into flesh this digital platform,” the mayor said.
“The establishment of our Smart City system involves utilizing building blocks in a cohesive and integrated way. Baguio has been investing in various technologies,” the mayor said.
These include the P200-million Smart City Command Center with the help of former president Rodrigo Duterte inaugurated in September 2021, the first of its kind in the country; Project Minerva launched in 2022 in partnership with Asian Institute of Management, UP Baguio, and Department of Science and Technology; Flood Early Warning System with the Asian Development Bank under the Asian-Australia Smart Cities Trust Fund implemented by Ramboll Denmark; Baguio In My Pocket digital application; and more.
For all its efforts in the field of digitalization, he said the city has received six major Digital Governance awards from 2018 to 2021.
“We want to transform Baguio from the business-as-usual standard and develop it into a smart and sustainable city, and innovation hub. We don’t want to be just a smart city but also a connected city where every citizen is connected and able to benefit from this vision. This is an inclusive smart city and not exclusive,” he said.
Magalong said that secure, sustainable, efficient community and lifestyle built on a platform of good governance are the five core values that would drive the city in its journey to realize its Smart City Vision by 2027.
CLICkCONEx was conducted by the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, the Department of Information and Communications Technology and CLICk, in partnership with the city government of Baguio.