Mayor Greg Gasataya reaffirmed Bacolod City’s commitment to evidence-based and climate-sensitive urban development as the city hosted the Urban-Act Knowledge Handover at Roy’s Hotel and Convention Center on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 1–2.
The two-day event marked the formal turnover of planning toolkits, policy briefs, and climate risk assessment reports developed under the Integrated Urban Climate Action for Low Carbon and Resilient Cities (Urban-Act) project, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office said.
The technical outputs, developed through the collaboration of Clean Air Asia, GIZ Philippines, the University of Stuttgart, and TU Dortmund University, are intended to strengthen the city’s key planning frameworks, including the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP), and Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP).
Gasataya, together with Vice Mayor Claudio Jesus Puentevella and members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, received the knowledge products and emphasized that the partnership should serve as a foundation for continued collaboration.
“We don’t consider this as an end to the partnership but we are looking at this as a jumping board for more and bigger partnerships for Bacolod City,” Gasataya said, expressing gratitude for the expertise, resources, and time invested in strengthening the city’s planning capacity.
He added that the collaboration has equipped city officials and employees with knowledge and skills that can be applied in future planning and development initiatives.
The event also highlighted the city’s strengthened partnership with Clean Air Asia, as Gasataya and Clean Air Asia Deputy Executive Director Glynda Bathan-Baterina signed a Memorandum of Understanding covering cooperation in sustainable urban development, transportation, clean energy, and air quality management.
A Memorandum of Agreement was likewise signed for the deployment of AirGradient air quality monitoring equipment, enabling the city to monitor environmental indicators such as PM2.5, CO2, and temperature.
Also attending the knowledge handover were Councilors Caesar Distrito, Thaddy Sayson, Celia Flor, and Dana Barzo, along with barangay officials, city government representatives, civic organizations, national government agencies, and project partners.
These collaborative efforts strengthen Bacolod’s capacity to harness science, data, and international partnerships in building a more resilient, sustainable, and climate-responsive city, the press release said.*
[sibwp_form id=1]