CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — Iligan City is positioning itself as a regional innovation hub as it prepares to host the 2025 Northern Mindanao Regional Innovation Program and Exhibit (NorMinRIPE), a move that highlights its growing investment in smart city infrastructure, digital industries, and policy-driven innovation.
The event, set for April 21–22, coincides with National Innovation Day and will bring together stakeholders from the public and private sectors, including startups and innovators. The hosting aligns with the city’s aim of becoming a “Smart Industropolis” in Southern Philippines.
“As part of the local governance operations, we make sure that innovation will reach even at the grassroots level and we have a lot of innovation programs in collaboration with national government agencies,” said Johnny Paul Lagura, Iligan’s consultant on innovation governance and executive director of its science, technology, and smart cities council.
A central feature of the event is the launch of the Smart Cities Command Center, a P45-million facility supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-10 and the UP Training Center for Physical Geodesy and Photogrammetry. The center uses AI and was benchmarked against the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s command center.
Lagura noted that the facility demonstrates Iligan’s focus on integrated, data-driven city management.
Also set for launch is the Digital Creative Innovation Hub, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-10. It will support sectors such as financial technology and digital content, aiming to promote entrepreneurship and job creation.
The hub includes CreatiVerse, a platform using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to showcase Iligan’s creative resources and link local talents to wider markets.
These efforts are backed by the city’s Digital Transformation Center, run with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), which continues to pilot new digital services.
To ensure long-term support for innovation, Iligan has institutionalized several ordinances. These include the Startup Council Ordinance, passed in December 2024, the Creative Industry Development Council Ordinance, and the upcoming Smart Cities, Science, Technology, and Innovation Council Ordinance, slated for May 2025.
“These ordinances reflect our policy-driven and research-based approach to innovation in local governance,” Lagura stated. “If we want people at the grassroots level to truly understand and benefit from innovation, we must ensure we have tangible programs that reach beyond Iligan—across Mindanao and even throughout the country.” (JAKA/PIA-10)
