Baguio, Ormoc top circular economy assessment among Green LGUs

BAGUIO CITY – The cities of Baguio in the Cordillera and Ormoc in Leyte were named flagship local governments and top-performing project partners in circular economy initiatives under the European Union-Philippines Partnership for Green Economy’s Green LGUs Project, according to information shared by the Baguio City Public Information Office on Wednesday (October 21).

The mid-term evaluation, commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines and conducted by independent consulting firm Artival Research & Evaluation, covered 20 city and municipal grantees from March 1, 2024, to May 31, 2026.

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Baguio was recognized for contributing to all six circular economy ‘outcome indicators’ through its reduced consumption and waste reuse program called Pansa-nopen Tayo (Ibaloy for gather and unite). The evaluation report describes the city’s approach to sustainable consumption as the “most institutionalized” among the project’s other local government partners.

Baguio has been enforcing waste diversion (or waste sorting) initiatives in seven pilot barangays and has allocated ₱570 million secured through the city’s Annual Investment Plan, and has access to a US$250,000 Korean grant and 8.22 million euros in circular economy funding.

The report also cited two circular economy ordinances and an executive order establishing an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) readiness mechanism. Baguio was the only government in the assessment to have introduced such a mechanism.

Other Baguio initiatives included a real-time waste diversion dashboard, a furniture repair hub and tourism activities incorporating circular economy practices, complementing the Pansa-nopen Tayo zero-waste event model.

The evaluation took note of the city’s partnership with Newtown Plaza Hotel, which provides a stable market for coffee products from Barangay Happy Hollow by purchasing produce from local farmers at fixed prices to help reduce food waste from unharvested crops.

Ormoc was recognized for its waste diversion initiatives, seven source-separation systems and ₱145 million secured from the People’s Survival Fund for circular economy programs. It also developed a circular economy resolution and a barangay circular economy ordinance.

Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, Del Carmen municipality in Surigao del Norte and Maasin City in Leyte were identified as strong performers, while the cities of Davao, Samal in Davao del Norte, San Carlos in Pangasinan, Metro Manila’s Pasig and Quezon cities and Iloilo City were classified as progressing.

The Green LGUs Project supports the Philippines’ transition to a green, circular and climate-resilient economy through local policies, sustainable resource management, waste reduction and livelihood generation. Maureen Matayew, contributor /jpv