The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is setting its sights on transforming every town and city in the Philippines into a “smart and sustainable” community, harnessing technology, innovation, and resource management to boost local governance and safeguard the environment for future generations.
“Ultimately, our dream for all towns and cities in the Philippines is to be smart and sustainable,” Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr., told the BusinessMirror on the sidelines of the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week in this city.
Solidum explained that being “smart” involves the use of technology to enhance governance, beginning with addressing the specific needs identified by local chief executives.
He said the DOST will also assist in crafting roadmaps to guide towns and cities toward achieving smart and sustainable status.
A “sustainable” community, he noted, is one that manages its resources in a way that allows future generations to continue benefiting from them.
This includes sourcing goods locally, practicing efficient resource management, and adopting a circular economy framework—where waste is properly managed and repurposed into products that can generate income.
“Most often, many cities would just vie to be smart, meaning digital, internet-intensive technology,” Solidum added.
He explained that while the department is working toward interconnecting towns and cities, there are smart technologies that can be implemented without relying heavily on connectivity.
These innovations, he said, can be applied across various sectors such as agriculture, aquaculture, mobility, and governance.
As part of the smart and sustainable initiative, he emphasized the need to also prioritize environmental management.
Citing the impact of continuous rains—not only in Metro Manila but also in other towns—Solidum noted that flooding has repeatedly disrupted the operations of both the private sector and government offices.
To address this, he underscored the importance of community involvement, envisioning the application of smart technologies to foster open, data-driven collaboration among the public sector, private businesses, and local communities.
“[With] citizen-centric and digitally transformed governance, we can start with small things and build upon it,” Solidum said.
Cauayan City in Isabela, declared the country’s first smart city by the DOST in 2015, serves as a model for the program.
Solidum said Cauayan has implemented not only information, communication and technology solutions, but also a semi-automated materials recycling facility developed by a local inventor. The facility allows the city to eliminate the use of landfills and generate income from waste, with pyrolysis as an option for those unable to afford the technology.
“So Cauyan is a standard that we’re now looking at, but they still need to be improved,” Solidum said.
The DOST currently has 93 pilot areas nationwide, up from the initial 80 when the program began.
“Many would want to join. We can’t do it all at once. But we hope that the pilot [areas] will now connect with the surrounding towns and cities for them to also help,” Solidum said.
Four pilot areas are located in Metro Manila—Quezon City, Caloocan, Pasig, and Muntinlupa.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): John Eiron R. Francisco
Dieser Artikel ist neu veröffentlicht von / This article is republished from: Business Mirror, 10.08.2025
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