06/10/2026
CONGRATULATIONS! 🏆👏🎉
NEWS ALERT: Manila bags Silver at Seoul Smart City Prize 2026 for using GIS technology in disaster management and urban governance
The City of Manila won the Silver award in the Tech-Innova City category at the Seoul Smart City Prize 2026, recognized for its Manila Innovation Integrated GIS and Data Hub's integration of geographic information systems in disaster risk reduction, public safety, sustainable environment management, and inclusive economic growth.
Manila placed second overall, behind Gold awardee Madrid, Spain, and tied with Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Cuenca, Granada and Konya, Turkey taking the Bronze awards.
In a statement, Mayor Francisco "Isko" Moreno Domagoso said the recognition is a testament to years of hard work by the city's GIS team and disaster risk reduction personnel.
"This is proof that Manila belongs on the world stage. Years of hard work by our GIS team and our disaster risk reduction personnel brought us here, and I could not be more proud of what they have built," Domagoso said.
The award recognized how Manila developed and integrated its GIS systems from the ground up, using digital mapping, spatial analysis, and real-time data monitoring to strengthen the city's management of floods, fires, and other emergencies across its six districts.
The hub is headed by Mr. Ramon Jefferson P. Verano, Officer-in-Charge of the Electronic Data Processing Services under the Office of the Mayor and the concurrent Chief of the Manila Innovation and Integrated GIS and Data Hub under the Special Projects Section of the Manila City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (MCDRRMD), led by Director Arnel Eustacio M. Angeles.
"This award belongs to every single person in our GIS team and in the Manila DRRM Department. They built this system from the ground up, with limited resources but unlimited dedication. This is for them," the Mayor said.
Manila is the only Philippine awardee among the participating cities, underscoring its standing as a competitive and innovative local government unit in the global smart city community.
"When we invest in technology like GIS, we are investing in the safety of every Manileño. Every peso we put into this system is a peso that goes toward making sure our people are protected when disasters strike," Domagoso said.
