Baguio most awarded LGU in Philippine Smart and Sustainable Communities awards
Baguio City emerged as the winningest local government unit in the Philippine Smart and Sustainable Communities (SSC) Awards bagging three of the four top honors in the awards program held during the closing ceremony of the 2025 National Science, Technology and Innovation Week (NSTW) last Nov. 21, 2025 in Laoag City.
The Dept. of Science and Technology (DOST) which organized the awards program for the first time said the city “emerged as a top performer, securing three championship distinctions across the four pillars of smart and sustainable development.”
The city copped the top honors in three key thematic areas: Wealth Creation, Wealth Protection, and Sustainability for its outstanding projects to wit:
- Champion of the Wealth Creation Award for its project entitled “WorkPass: A Digital Leap in Enabling Jobs and Regulating Workforce Mobility.”
- Champion of the Wealth Protection Award for its “RAIN-GUARD: A Smart Rainfall and Flood Resilience System for Real-Time;” and*Champion of the Sustainability Award for “TERRA: A System that Bridges Technology and Nature for Resilient Living.”
The city also placed second in the “Champion in Human Well-being” category for its project “BMRSys: Building a Health-Secure Baguio with Data, Dignity, and Digital Compassion.”
According to the DOST, the city also earned a Level 3 Maturity Rating highlighting “its steady progress toward becoming a fully smart, innovative, and sustainable community.”
Mayor Benjamin Magalong expressed elation over the recognition saying apart from the pride and honor it gives to the city, it serves as inspiration for it to tread on in its pursuit to become a full-fledged smart city side by side with the vision to become a livable, inclusive, creative, sustainable, innovative and resilient city.
City Administrator Vittorio Jerico Cawis and Management Information and Technology Division (MITD) Chief Francis Camarao received the awards for the coty government. They were joined by DOST-CAR Regional Director Nancy Bantog and Baguio-Benguet Provincial Science and Technology Director Dr. Sheila Marie Singa-Claver.
The DOST said the awards program aims to recognize LGUs that implement science, technology and innovation to build smarter, safer, and more sustainable communities.”
“This year’s SSC Awards (is dedicated to) outstanding LGUs that delivered transformative solutions anchored on data-driven governance, community resilience, digital innovation, and sustainability,” the DOST said. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
