Makati City will be the second Philippine City handpicked by multinational firm IBM that receives a grant worth $400,000 for the Smarter Cities Initiative.
The huge amount which is equivalent to Php 16.4 Million based upon the recent exchange rate will be used in consulting services to turn Makati City into one of the world’s “smarter cities,” a campaign on the company’s broader “Smarter Planet” initiative.
The City of Cebu was the first city from the Philippines to received the same grant from IBM. The grand entails forming a six-member team composed of top IBM experts to be deployed to the city, giving Makati government access to expertise that could help “analyze and recommend ways for the city to become an even better place in which to live and work.
Aside from the City of Makati, there are thirty other cities have been handpicked by IBM to become part of the smarter cities challenge. According to IBM they will help in projects in such areas of economic and workforce development; social services; sustainability; capital budget and planning; and urban planning.
