DILG showcases Cebu City's BRT project at ASEAN Smart Cities meet

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Police Office will be going after criminal gangs who might take advantage of the violence-free elections the city had in the past years.

The Philippine government has committed during the 4th ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) annual meeting to finish all six smart city projects in the country, including the long overdue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Cebu City, despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Marlo Iringan, who represented the Philippine government in the meeting held recently, said the smart city initiatives will be pursued albeit the implementation will be stalled because of the health crisis.

“Despite these obstacles, we will fulfill our commitment to complete the smart city projects as they will improve the delivery of government services and make things more convenient for the public,” said Iringan.

Iringan showcased during the meeting Cebu City’s BRT project and the digital traffic system. He presented the BRT line plan which is seen to improve the overall performance of the city’s urban passenger transport system.

Earlier, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade said the Cebu BRT package 1 is expected to be partially operational by December of this year.

The 2.38-kilometer CBRT package 1 comprises of four bus stations from the Cebu South Bus Terminal up to the Capitol area through the Osmen~a Boulevard route. The CBRT project is composed of 17 stations.

Another Cebu City project which Iringan presented during the meeting was the digital traffic system. He said that 85 road intersections in the city will be covered, 18 of which have already been installed with sensors and high-resolution surveillance cameras for vehicle detection, licensed plate recognition and speed dome for general surveillance.

The other smart city projects are the Command Center Upgrade and E-government Services in the City of Manila and Converged Command and Control Center and Intelligent Transportation and Traffic Systems with Security in Davao City.

Established in 2018 during the 32nd ASEAN Summit, the ASCN is a collaborative platform where cities from the 10 ASEAN member countries work towards the common goal of smart and sustainable urban development.

It aims to facilitate cooperation on smart cities development, catalyze bankable projects with the private sector, and secure funding and support from ASEAN’s external partners.

During the meeting, Iringan also said that the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for local economies to shift to information and communication technology-based solutions to minimize health risks and to increase coping capacities.

Iringan said the smart cities have realized that forging partnerships are necessary to overcome the challenges and to move forward.

“The Philippine Government expresses its appreciation for the opportunities for partnerships extended through this platform. However, we would like to seek the ASCN’s support for the completion of the smart city projects needing digital infrastructure and applications support,” he added.

He said the configuration of said projects are focused on the need for an efficient emergency and crisis response center that provides real time information for the safety, protection of constituencies, and increased resilience considering the country’s location in the pacific ring of fire.

Iringan said the improvement of the traffic management and transportation systems as well as the provision of e-services in government transactions are being pushed to lessen travel trips and provide for efficient mass transportation systems to address the longstanding problem of mobility and traffic congestion in urban cities. — FPL (FREEMAN)