The city government led by Mayor Benjamin Magalong has been recognized for its innovative use of data to address health and social inequities, receiving the “Data for Equity: Informing Action, Improving Health” award of the 2026 World Health Organization (WHO) Healthy Cities Recognition Awards.
City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit chief Donna Panes received the award on behalf of the city during the 11th Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities, on Sept. 1-3, 2026, in Sydney, Australia.
The Summer Capital won the same award in 2021 for its ongoing Smoke-Free Baguio campaign.
The award recognized Baguio for “its contribution to the health and well-being of its citizens and to the advancement of Healthy Cities goals in the Western Pacific”.
Cited was its barangay-level Livability Index, an initiative spearheaded by the City Planning, Development and Sustainability Office (CPDSO) headed by Donna Rillera Tabangin, which maps disparities in health, social conditions and access to basic services across the city’s barangays.
The Index provides a detailed picture of how residents experience their communities, generating data that can help city officials identify areas facing greater challenges and determine where interventions and investments are most urgently needed.
Rather than treating the city as a single unit, the initiative brings planning and decision-making down to the barangay level. By identifying differences in living conditions from one community to another, the Index enables the city government to develop more targeted responses and direct resources toward areas with the greatest needs.
The initiative was developed through extensive engagement with communities and the use of localized data. Its findings are now being integrated into city planning, budgeting and investment decisions, strengthening the role of evidence in determining development priorities.
Tabangin said the Livability Index serves not only as a measurement tool but also as a mechanism for translating data into concrete action as Baguio continues to strengthen its efforts toward becoming a healthier, more equitable and resilient city.
The Summer Capital’s recognition places it among communities demonstrating how data and local governance can be used to advance health equity and improve quality of life while highlighting the potential of its Livability Index as a model for other cities seeking to make development planning more responsive to the people and communities they serve, she added.-Gaby B. Keith
