Baguio City’s efforts to promote and adopt low carbon urban transport solutions towards sustainability earned recognition in a conference that brought together pilot cities of the Low Carbon Urban Transport Systems (LCT) Project in the country.
During the culminating activity of the Capacity Building of National Government Agencies and Local Government Units on Low Carbon Transport (CAB-LCT) Knowledge Sharing Forum held Aug. 29-31 in Quezon City, the city received four awards including the best presentation award for its Re-Entry Action Plan (REAP).
The city’s REAP entitled, “Driving towards a sustainable future: Developing a re-entry action plan for low carbon transport in Baguio City” was presented by Engr. Thea Camiring of the City Engineering Office.
The city’s pursuit of sustainability was also recognized through three other awards – the Just Transition/Gender Equity, Disability, and Social Inclusion Award for the city’s commitment to equitable and inclusive low-carbon transport initiatives; the Data-driven Climate Action Award for the use of data to inform climate mitigation efforts; and the Comprehensive Action Plan Award recognizing the holistic approach taken by the city in developing sustainable transport solutions.
Camiring said it was emphasized that there was no competition or ranking of the pilot cities in the event and instead, the pilot cities which included Iloilo, Pasig, and Sta. Rosa were recognized according to the strengths of the REAP they prepared.
The CAB-LCT Project’s culminating activity proved the “collaborative efforts of national and local government units in driving forward the adoption of low-carbon transport solutions and fostering a sustainable future for all.”
The LCT is being implemented by the Department of Transportation and the United Nations Development Programme through funding support from the Global Environment Facility.
The project aims to create an enabling environment for the commercialization of low-carbon urban transport systems and provides policy support to four pilot cities in the Philippines, namely, Baguio, Iloilo, Pasig, and Sta. Rosa and develop their institutional capacity and increase private sector participation and investment.
Baguio was included as a pilot city for the project in 2019. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
