Baguio City’s tact for good governance impresses EU envoy

BAGUIO CITY (January 29, 2025) -- European Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro profusely admired the Baguio City government’s tact for good governance, digitalization and environmental sustainability, as well academic excellence and encouragement of a vibrant and creative civil society.

Santoro, who with the 17 Ambassadors of the EU member-States, visiting the city since Monday, was acquainted with the highland tourism enclave and sought opportunities for further collaboration.

The envoys visiting the city include Dr. Titanilla Tóth, Hungary; Michel Parys, Belgium; Raduta Dana Matache, Romania; Ioannis Pediotis, Greece; Dr. Johann Brieger, Austria; Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin, Denmark; Dr. Andreas Pfaffernoschke, Germany; Marie Fontanel, France; Ričardas Šlepavičius, Lithuania; Karel Hejč, Czechnya; Davide Giglio, Italy; Emma Hickey, Ireland; Saija Nurminen, Finland; Nicholas Panayiotou, Cyprus; Ambassador-designate Anna Ferry, Sweden; Chargés d'affaires ad interim Ms Anna Krzak-Danel, Poland; and Mr. Dragan Barbutovski, Slovenia.

It is important, the Ambassadors said, to visit places outside of Metro Manila and get first-hand information about the situation in other parts of the country.  "And we knew about Baguio being a city that emphasizes good governance, digitalization and environmental sustainability, as well as a seat for academic excellence and for a vibrant and creative civil society," Santoro said. Their visit, he added, confirmed their assumptions.

Santoro added they saw the good policies of the City Government on good governance when they visited the Command Center of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Green Projects.  "We were happy to see that Baguio City’s priorities very much reflect the priorities of the EU in those two critical areas, he pointed out.

Baguio City has been selected as one of the first ten cities in the country for the implementation of the Green Economy Program (GEP). 

GEP is a project of the EU in support of the Philippines’ transition towards a green economy and green growth, including circular economy, reducing waste, renewable energy and research with an allocation of P3.6 billion.

The program will be extended to up to 60 other Local Government Units in the coming months, Santoro bared.

"However, together with several of our Member States and financial institutions, we expect to mobilize another 28 billion pesos under what we call a “Team Europe” approach.  This is part of the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy to boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world," Santoro detailed.

EU’s partnership with the country has evolved and intensified during the last 60 years, from development cooperation and humanitarian aid, to a wide range of areas nowadays, including green economy, space, security, and education. 

The EU-Philippines’ bilateral relationship is growing even stronger under an all-encompassing Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation concluded in 2018 that provides an enhanced legal framework that enables both the EU and the Philippines to strengthen the bilateral relation on political, social, economic, and security matters, based on common interests. 

Such relations is also anchored on shared principles and values, such as our common commitment to multilateralism and adherence to the international rule of law, all the more important in the context of the current geopolitical challenges, Santoro emphasized.