“Let’s go local,” encouraged Iloilo Provincial Government Board Member and event facilitator Jason Gonzales during the smart city workshop titled “Building Cities: Smarter, Fairer, Greener” of the Center for Liberalism and Democracy together with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Philippines (FNF Philippines), held at Eugenio Lopez Center, Antipolo on October 19-21, 2022.
The three-day workshop introduced smart city concepts and tools to more than 20 delegates coming from different local government units (LGUs) and national government agencies (NGAs). Among the attendees were city and municipality councilors, representatives from various offices of the mayor, and representatives from key government agencies.
As an introduction to smart cities, the Vice President of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Dr. Marife M. Ballesteros discussed the definition of a “smart city”. During the opening session on October 19, Dr. Ballesteros compared three definitions of a smart city. The first, from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Smart Cities Framework, stated that “a smart city in ASEAN harnesses technological and digital solutions as well as innovative non-technological means to address urban challenges, continuously improving people’s lives and creating new opportunities.” The second, from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Framework for Smart Sustainable Communities and Cities, described a smart city as “an ecosystem comprised of people, organizations and businesses, policies, laws and processes integrated together to create desired outcomes.” And the third, from the Bureau of Philippine Standards, defined a smart city as “a city that increases the pace at which it provides social, economic and environmental sustainability outcomes and responds to challenges.”
Basically, as Dr. Ballesteros simplified, a smart city is a city that maximizes the use of technology to address the issues and challenges of a city. In the context of the smart cities framework however, Dr. Ballesteros clarified that “technology” may not necessarily pertain solely to gadgets and digitalization. Indigenous and local technology may also be utilized in a smart city. This was something important to note in the Philippine context since LGUs depend heavily on funding from the national government. To afford and sustain smart programs in the locality, Dr. Ballesteros advised the maximization of the use of indigenous resources.
In further exploring the significance of smart cities, the workshop focused on three key elements—open data, smart mobility, and sustainability & resilience. The presentation of the speakers revolved around these three key elements.
On Open Data
Integral to a smart city is data. It serves as the backbone of innovation and development. Without data, how could success be measured? How can the appropriate solution be made? While there is data available in several cities in the country, data available is often mismanaged. Thus, inefficiently and inadequately addressing the needs and welfare of residents. As a gateway to good governance, efficient open data management leads to social and economic improvements in government transactions, education, health, public transport, and care systems to name a few.
During her discussion Donna Pamela D. Gonzales, Deputy Project Manager of Smarter Philippines through Data Analytics, Research and Development, Training and Adoption (SPARTA), put emphasis on the importance of putting up a local data collecting center. This was one of the good practices of Butuan and Cauayan City which are both emerging smart cities of the Philippines according to Ms. Gonzales. Establishing a local data collecting center allows other offices and agencies of a city to use open data for good governance. Barangays can use it to identify the key problems of their constituency. Local traffic regulations can be modified in accordance to the need of residencies. Demographics can be used to efficiently prepare for disasters and reduce casualties.
Pamela Gonzales also reminded the participants of being compliant to rules and regulations of data collection, citing Republic Act (RA) 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Personal data should especially be made secure. There are specific data which is allowed to be made public under the provisions of RA 10173. For instance, the number of residents in a city, among them the number of males, females, youth, and senior citizens. These are data that the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) legally collects and makes public.
“Data are considered to be ‘open’ if anyone can freely use, re-use, and distribute them, for any purpose without restriction,” Pamela Gonzales pointed out. While open data promotes transparency, public service improvement, innovation and economic values, and efficiency, Pamela Gonzales reminded everyone of the disinformation campaign which was heavily data-driven. Although data can be used for good governance, it can also be used the other way around. Hence, the need of reliable and security software when data is digitalized.
While open data promotes freedom, good governance, and progress, there needs to be a system in place to secure privacy and accountability. In his discussion of privacy and security, Raymund Enriquez Liboro, Founder of Privacy and Security by Design, Inc., stated that governments have two main roles—preserve and protect. Preserve freedom, democracy, nationalism, progress, and the welfare of its people. And protect privacy, sovereignty, the country and the lives of its people. LGUs, being a government agency, must protect the data of its people while it collects them. Apart from being compliant of RA 10173, LGUs must also instill the ethical management of their data. They must assure their citizens of anonymity as much as possible while using data for good governance.
On Smart Mobility
Data management helps urban planners optimize city designs to prioritize infrastructure and open spaces for public consumption, and safe and humane transportation. A smart city is a city that moves people, not cars. In recognizing that mobility is a human right, cities must be able to respond to the needs of its people for sustainable, reliable, equitable, and efficient transport systems.
In his discussion on smart mobility, Ira Cruz of AltMobilityPH had one specific campaign: #CommutersNaman. The mobility issue in Metro Manila has shown how national and local policies are car-centric than human-centric. Because Metro Manila and other cities in the Philippines are not commuter-friendly, residents tend to depend more on cars. Only 20% of Filipinos can afford cars. The 80% commute every day. The over-dependence on cars has not only polluted the atmosphere but also create an inhumane and an almost non-livable environment. Napaka-traffic! Hence the campaign, #CommutersNaman. It is now more than ever when our government leaders must shift the framework of the mobility issue towards the benefit of commuters.
As a way forward, Cruz suggested the enacting of a local ordinance similar to Senate Bill No. 775 or the Magna Carta for Commuters introduced by Former Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan. In crafting this local ordinance, Cruz reminded the participants that there needs to be a public conversation instead of a public consultation with commuters. Civic leaders, mobility experts, urban planners, and landscape artists should be not just be on board but also on the ground.
Cruz also mentioned that there needs to be more studies on alternative mobility, citing for instance “Bikenomics”, a study of AltMobilityPH in partnership with FNF Philippines which showed the benefit of biking in the Philippines for the biker, businesses, and the government.
“It’s all about information,” Cruz said.
Emerson Carlos, former Chair of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), agreed with Ira Cruz. He mentioned how mastery of Metro Manila’s geography and topography helped him provide immediate solutions to flood and traffic. He showed how recycled electric fan covers are the cheapest and most efficient way of collecting garbage from Pasig River, how a simple hook inserted in the canals of flood-prone areas can prevent the overflow of water in streets, and how a data-driven systematic approach helped him create the effective flood control operation system of MMDA and the no contact apprehension policy.
Although some of the solutions were admittedly band-aid solutions, Carlos said that they were immediate needs of the city. They were data-driven, project not made for revenue, and human-centered. When it came especially to the no contact apprehension policy, he emphasized that there needs to be behavioral change. While he agreed highway interaction between drivers and traffic enforcers caused more traffic jams, he also took into account how drivers needed to be accountable when they violate traffic rules and regulations. He could not simply remove traffic enforcers without providing an alternative and smarter solution. Hence, the no contact apprehension project. This was, as Carlos would put it, a “simple, but smart” solution.
Dr. Andrian Roy Valdez, Research and Extension Fellow of the University of the Philippines National Center for Transportation Studies (UPNCTS), presented other smarter solutions like the digital traffic simulator. Instead of physically simulating a proposed alternative traffic route, urban planners and LGUs can simulate them digitally with an the same topographical conditions.
On Sustainability and Resilience
It is crucial to study urban planning from a sustainable environmental planning perspective. Building smart cities should integrate projects, programs, and policies that secures sustainability and resilience to adapt to technical/man-made or natural disasters. It is important to place highly value on the climate agenda and actions in optimizing cities.
Immanuel Cedrik L. Forbes, Managing Director of Insights Grid, presented a study he authored together with the CLD on renewable energy. With the fast development of technology comes a trade-off with the environment. Rapid economic development has led to an increase of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although the Philippines contributes a fairly minimal amount of GHG compared to other countries, it is one of the countries that is most affected globally.
During the 2015 Paris Agreement, the Philippines committed to a 75% reduction of GHG emissions, by 2030. In order to meet this commitment, the cooperation of the LGUs needs to be prioritized. Prior to the implementation of local emissions reduction efforts, Forbes proposed to first conduct a local emissions accounting. This would provide the needed data LGUs need to create a robust, concrete, and data-driven plan, local declarations, and local ordinances for GHG emission reduction. Moreover, it would attract stakeholders and grant-giving bodies to provide help in the reduction of local emissions, concomitantly increasing the revenue of the LGU.
To increase more revenue and attract more stakeholders, Angelo Tan, the Country Lead of Green and Resilient Buildings Climate Business Department of the International Finance Co., World Bank Group, presented the programs and grants his agency provides. He mentioned that they already have an on-going partnership with Quezon City on creating a local ordinance for sustainability. They also partner with other real-estate corporations like Ayala Lands in creating transforming their infrastructures into green buildings. He clarified that his department works closely on the financial side of sustainable energy and resilience. He even offered to give a consultation with the participants at their earliest convenience.
Alluding to Tan’s point on the need to study the financial feasibility of sustainability, Forbes stated that “policy is about people”. People need to be on the center of the solution’s framework.
Though the workshop only discussed the fundamentals of each key element and how it works to establish a smart city, the participants took much interest in collaborating with the various agencies the resource speakers represented. During open forums the participants engaged deeply in the discussion. And during breaks and meal times, both participants and speakers exchanged notes, numbers, and calling cards. They all looked at how they could collaborate and create future policies and programs in their various localities together.
CLD now looks to expand its smart cities efforts in 2023. CLD is mainly interested in assisting LGUs craft ordinances, conducting smart city needs-assessments, and provide capacity building efforts. It plans to bring the introductory workshop to other cities and municipalities. After which, it can hopefully touch on other elements of smart cities like the integration of indigenous knowledge to solve local issues, cultural heritage conservation and promotion, as well as the strengthening of creative industries. Hopefully, in the near future, the Philippines becomes not just a country with smart cities rather a smart country.
