At last year’s Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the city of Makati was chosen as one of the six finalists for the World Smart Cities Awards.
The award, which acknowledges leading urban innovation projects from around the world, was won by Curitiba in Brazil. Despite the loss, it was a proud moment for Makati since being the lone finalist from the Asia-Pacific region was already like winning the prestigious award.
The other finalists were Sunderland in the United Kingdom; Cascais in Portugal; Barranquilla in Colombia; and Izmir in Turkey.
What was also remarkable was the fact that these finalists were chosen from a record-breaking 411 entries sent in by 63 countries.
For Makati, its inclusion among the finalists was a culmination of undertakings that date back to 2016, when Mayor Mar-len Abigail “Abby” Binay vowed to turn Makati into a model city built upon sustainable and resilient communities.
Several initiatives and partnerships in support of this have been formed since then, including that with Cisco, to accelerate and support digitization, and with the Korea International Cooperation Agency Philippines to establish and construct a public transport information and communications technology system and bus service.
When Makati needed to update its public safety fleet, it was no longer surprising that it chose to acquire Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 pure electric SUV, which was voted by distinguished automotive journalists from around the world as the 2022 World Car of the Year, 2022 World Electric Vehicle of the Year, and 2022 World Car Design of the Year.
MAKATI Mayor Abby Binay tries charging the Ioniq 5. Joining her were (from left) Makati Second District Rep. Luis Campos, Korean Ambassador Sang Hwa Lee, Makati Vice Mayor Nik Lagdameo, HMPH president Dong Wook Lee, Makati First District Rep. Kid Peña, and Hyundai Motor Group EVP of Strategy Planning Division Dong Wook Kim.
“As a resilience hub, we recognize our critical role in addressing environmental concerns. By introducing Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 electric vehicles into our public safety fleet, we not only enhance our emergency response capabilities but also contribute to reducing air pollution and our overall carbon footprint. This move not only bolsters our emergency services but also sets an example for other cities to follow in the pursuit of sustainable urban living,” said Mayor Binay.
The city chose five standard range Ioniq 5 in Phantom Black Pearl color, which were handed over by Hyundai Motor Philippines Inc. in a ceremony held at the Makati City Hall’s open grounds on 18 January 2024.
Joining the mayor in the ceremony were fellow city officials Vice Mayor Monique Yazmin María “Nik” Lagdameo; Rep. Romulo “Kid” Peña of Makati’s First District; Rep. Luis Campos of Makati’s Second District; and Atty. Michael Camiña, head of Makati’s Law and Public Safety Departments.
Other guests include director Patrick Aquino of the Energy Utilization Management Bureau of the Department of Energy, and Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines’ president Edmund Araga.
Among the Hyundai executives present during the turnover were Hyundai Motor Group’s Dong Wook Kim, EVP of Strategy Planning Division as well as Yongtae Kim, Policy Coordination Office VP for Hydrogen and EV Business; HMPH president Dong Wook Lee; HMPH managing director Cecil Capacete; HMPH Directing Coordinator for Sales and Dealer Development Jae Ha Ryu; and HMPH Directing Coordinator for Aftersales Young Uk Ko.
“Hyundai Motor Company was founded in 1967, and with partners like the Philippines, we are now one of the world’s largest automotive groups. Our journey has been an exciting one so far. We are proud and very grateful for the successes we had. However, we are always striving to do better,” said Dong Wook Kim.
Korean Ambassador Lee Sang Hwa also shared a special message: “The Philippines is one of the nations most vulnerable to climate change because of its geographical location and composition. So the electric vehicles for public use revealed today by Makati City is commendable. Makati’s future-oriented approach aligns with the national government’s plan to increase the number of EVs in the country.”
