Bacolod taps Clean Air Asia, GIZ for climate planning

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The city government has formally sealed partnerships with Clean Air Asia and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, or GIZ, to advance climate-sensitive and resilient urban development.

Mayor Greg Gasataya welcomed delegates as the city hosted the Urban-Act Knowledge Handover from Sept. 1 to 2 at Roy’s Hotel and Convention Center, marking 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, or Urban-Act, project.

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 Comprehensive Land Use Plan, Comprehensive Development Plan, and Local Public Transport Route Plan.

Gasataya, together with members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod led by Vice Mayor Claudio Jesus Puentevella, 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 to future planning and development initiatives.

Gasataya and Clean Air Asia Deputy Executive Director Glynda Bathan-Baterina also signed a memorandum of understanding covering cooperation in sustainable urban development, transportation, clean energy, and air quality management.

This was followed by the signing of a memorandum of agreement for the deployment of AirGradient air quality monitoring equipment, which will enable the city to track environmental indicators such as PM2.5, carbon dioxide, and temperature.

Urban-Act supports low-carbon and climate-resilient urban development in the Philippines, China, India, Indonesia, and Thailand and is scheduled to run through 2027.

In the Philippines, Bacolod is one of three pilot cities, along with Antipolo and Tagbilaran, where the project supports the integration of climate considerations, sustainable mobility, and inclusive planning into local development frameworks.

The city government said the partnerships strengthen its capacity to use science, data, and international cooperation in building a more resilient, sustainable, and climate-responsive city.