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Through the coordination of DOST-CALABARZON, the Local Government Unit (LGU) of the City of Santa Rosa hosted a successful benchmarking activity on December 3, 2025. The event was attended by officials and representatives from various DOST regional and provincial offices.
This activity is a key component of the project “Empowering Communities through SMART Roadmaps and Technologies,” spearheaded by DOST-CAR. Its primary goal is to benchmark progressive cities across the country, with the City of Santa Rosa in Laguna recognized as a leading example. The event served as a vital platform for sharing best practices in implementing smart and sustainable community initiatives, including programs on digital transformation and smart governance efforts.
Site Tour and Best Practice Sharing
The benchmarking delegation conducted a comprehensive site tour to observe Santa Rosa’s innovative projects firsthand:
1. Water Testing Laboratory and Pyrolysis Facility: The tour commenced here, where Engr. Maria Amor Salandanan, City Environment and Natural Resources Officer, provided an in-depth discussion on the city’s innovative waste management and circular economy projects.
2. Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO): Mr. Antonio Z. Lu, City DRRMO Operations Manager, guided the delegation, showcasing Santa Rosa’s advanced disaster preparedness and response capabilities. This included facilities, equipment, vehicles, the AI-powered traffic monitoring system, incident response mechanisms, and sophisticated weather monitoring approaches.
3. Santa Rosa City Hall and IT Room: The third stop focused on digital governance. Key information systems supporting internal business operations and health-related programs were presented, followed by a brief tour of the IT Room and the City Health Office.
The event concluded with a courtesy visit to the City Mayor’s Office, where the delegation was graciously received by Honorable Arlene Arcillas.
The City of Santa Rosa is one of the pioneer smart cities in the country and was recently recognized in various categories of DOST’s Smart and Sustainable Communities Award during the 2025 National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (NSTW) held in Laoag City last November 21, 2025. Among the seven distinguished awards received by the LGU are:
In the Human Well-Being Pillar
• Quick Response: Safer Santa Rosa (Level 2)
• Santa Rosa Book and Ride: Free Toyota Community Shuttle (Level 3)
Wealth Protection Pillar
• Increasing Santa Rosa City’s Resilience Through Disaster Preparedness (Level 2)
• Assistance of the Santa Rosa Manpower Training Center in the Employment of Graduate Students (Level 2)
• Santa Rosa e-Recruit: Digitalizing Local Employment Matching and Services (Level 3)
•Santa Rosa Central Command Center (SRCCC) (Level 3)
• Sustained Nourishment: A Collaborative Feeding Initiative with the City of Santa Rosa (Level 3)
Santa Rosa City, through the technical assistance of DOST-CALABARZON, continues to reinforce its commitment to serving as a model smart city—one that actively embraces and employs Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) to sustain and elevate its standard of public service.
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