Manila bags silver Smart City award

MANILA, Philippines — The city of Manila won the silver award in the tech-innova city category at the Seoul Smart City Prize 2026.

Recognized for its integrated geographic information systems (GIS), Manila tied with Buenos Aires in Argentina for the prize.

Madrid won gold, while Cuenca in Ecuador, Granada in Spain and Konya in Turkey garnered bronze.

The Manila Innovation Integrated GIS and Data Hub can be used in disaster risk reduction, public safety, sustainable environment management and inclusive economic growth.

“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. I could not be more proud of what they have built,” Mayor Isko Moreno said in a statement.

The award recognized how Manila used 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.

Ramon Jefferson Verano is officer-in-charge of the electronic data processing services under the Office of the Mayor and concurrent chief of the Manila Innovation and Integrated GIS and Data Hub.

The hub is under the special projects section of the Manila City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department led by director Arnel Eustacio Angeles.

“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,” Moreno said.