The Department of Science and Technology Region 1, aiming to empower the region by harnessing Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI), initiated a three-day Participatory Planning and Roadmap Development Workshop for Smart and Sustainable Alaminos City at Don Leopoldo Sison Convention Center on February 5-7, 2024.
One of the highlights of the program is the official signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between DOST R1 led by Dr. Teresita Tabaog, Local Government Unit (LGU) Alaminos through Hon. Arth Bryan Celeste, City Mayor of Alaminos, and Pangasinan State University (PSU) President Elbert Galas as represented by Dr. Razeale Resultay. It is witnessed by Dr. Betchie Aguinaldo, Business Intelligence Research and Development Center (BIRD-C) Director, who also served as one of the resource speakers, Alaminos City Vice Mayor, Hon. Jan Marianne R. Fontalera, and DOST 1 – Provincial Science and Technology Office (PSTO) Pangasinan Provincial Director, Engr. Arnold Santos.
The three-day program is one of the first steps towards the goal of establishing Alaminos City as a smart city in Region 1. It is composed of workshops participated by the different sectors of the government of Alaminos, including the sectors of Environment, Social, Health, Institutional, Economic, and Infrastructure. The workshops are crafted to guide each sector in identifying priorities where DOST Region I and PSU can lend help through the integration of smart and sustainable cutting-edge technologies to drive innovation in the city. The workshop is composed of four modules: Module 1: Smart and Sustainable Community Fundamentals, Module 2: LGU Profiling and Assessment, Module 3: Smart and Sustainable Solutions Ideation, and Module 4: Smart and Sustainable Roadmap. The participants showcased their outputs applying the concepts in the modules presented by resource speakers, Dr. Betchie Aguinaldo, BIRD-C Director, Ms. Raquel Santos, DOST R2 Smart City Focal Person and Atty Reina Santos, Smart City Focal Person of Cauayan City. By presenting real scenario of community challenges, the participants were guided with the tools needed to create the initial steps in creating the roadmap for Smart and Sustainable Alaminos City.
The participatory planning workshop will serve as a guide and a testament to the power of collective action in creating roadmap for Smart and Sustainable Alaminos City. This program laid the groundwork for ensuring that the city collaboratively moves towards the goal to establish Alaminos as a smart, sustainable, and resilient city in Region I.
