Mindanao leader lectures on sustainable urbanization in Seoul

KIDAPAWAN CITY – A top government official in North Cotabato is set to speak before a group of leaders and environmentalists from countries in the AsiaPacific on sustainable urbanization.

Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista, an alumnus of the International Urban Training Center (IUTC) of the Republic of South Korea, was invited as main resource speaker in the training entitled, “Eco-city and Low- Carbon Smart City” being held in Gangwon Province in South Korea from May 31 up to June 6.

Evangelista’s lecture will focus on the indigenous community eco-tourism, infrastructure development, and engagement.

The module, according to IUTC Director Professor Kwi-Gon Kim, will contribute to enhancing the capacity of cities and towns, nationally and in the Asian and Pacific region, in support of the goal of ‘sustainable urbanization.’

The training course was organized by the IUTC and United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat).

Professor Kwi-Gon said that the highlight of the training is the case study on Kidapawan’s integrated eco-city development which IUTC of Gangwon province, Korea and Kidapawan City Government of Philippines has recently conducted together as a joint project.

Kidapawan City, considered a first class city in the Philippines and the capital of North Cotabato in Central Mindanao, is located at the foot of Mount Apo.

The city has maintained its ecological balance despite the demand for expansion, growth and development, and urbanization, according to Evangelista.

It has Mount Apo, which is the country’s highest peak and is home to the Philippine monkey-eating eagle and ‘waling-waling’, considered the ‘Queen of Philippine flowers’ and is ‘worshiped’ as the ‘diwata’ of the Bagobo people. The Bagobos andManobos are the main indigenous tribes in the city.