Sweden to Help Mandaue City Become a Smart City with Green Transportation and Waste Management

The Swedish government will be partnering with Mandaue City in Cebu for possible collaboration on transportation and waste management systems which are geared towards making the locality a sustainable smart city.

Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Annika Thunborg said there are a lot of ideas for partnership with the Mandaue City government and the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and these will be known soon after a series of meetings.

“We are very like-minded, the Mandaue as a city has won different awards as sustainability and smart city development. I have been in different events where I have spoken and Mandaue City often gets a prize or a winner, so that bodes very well for the future,” Thunborg said in an interview with reporters.

Thunborg was one of the speakers at the MCCI Business Summit 2023. She talked about sustainability in the circular economy or the ways to reduce of carbon footprint among industries just like in Sweden.

Thunborg said that the transportation system is one area that has been discussed for collaboration with Mandaue City.

“Another area is waste management and waste-to-energy and that we also discussed with (Cebu) Governor (Gwen) Garcia previously. Of course, as we know there is a lot of interest in moving towards a more sustainable waste management system in Cebu.”

Thunborg said that Sweden is known for a very efficient transportation system which includes Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, ferries, trains, and subway systems.

The ambassador said she was glad that Metro Cebu is now starting to build its own BRT system which she described as a first step to a sustainable transportation system.

“It is very important for Cebu to have a BRT system,” Thunborg said.

“Basically any city, regardless of anywhere it is in the world, needs a different combination of public transportation. The aim is for the whole population to use public transportation system and basically leave the car at home,” Thunborg explained.

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes welcomed the collaboration with the Swedish government saying it is the goal of his city to become a “Smart and Sustainable” city.

“I am confident that we are on the right track, Mandaue is doing good, with the good partnership with the business sector, and we do hope to take advantage of the momentum. The momentum is on our side,” Cortes added.

Whatever plans they have for Mandaue, Cortes said, would also need collaboration with neighboring Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu City.

“That is our goal. In fact, that is why we are establishing good relationships with our neighboring cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu. We have to go beyond borders because our neighbor’s problems sooner or later will be our problem so we need to pool our efforts together,” Cortes added.

The MCCI Business Summit 2023 is part of the Mandaue Business Month (MBM) whose theme is “empowering business for the new era.”

MCCI is a business support organization composed of close to 500 member companies ranging from micro to large corporations mostly based in Cebu.