Makati among top six in World Smart City Awards

MANILA, Philippines — Makati City was among six out of 450 cities all over the world, and the only Southeast Asian city, to receive recognition for utilizing technology in delivering local government services.

Makati’s presentation on how it used technology to prepare for disasters and improve communication between the local government and city residents was cited during the World Smart City Awards 2019, the city government said in a statement yesterday.

Barcelona (Spain), Bonn (Germany), Pretoria (South Africa), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Bishkek (Kyrgyztan) and Vadodara (India) were also given the same recognition.

Mayor Abby Binay presented the “Makatizen App,” which residents can use as a tool to call for assistance.

Since the app was launched in 2017, the city’s central command center has received an average of 400 incidents a day, higher than the previous average of 150, she prided.

She also showed the plan for the city’s subway, a 10-kilometer underground train system in the city that would be funded by private firms through a partnership with the city government and expected to be finished by 2025. The project is expected to ease traffic congestion and pollution and increase mobility for residents, she said.

Binay also attended the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, the only representative from a Philippine city.