Baguio - La Trinidad - Itogon - Sablan - Tuba - Tublay convene to advance circular economy in Cordillera

June 30, 2026

Group of professionals with lanyards posing in front of a Partnership Assembly banner.

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — More local governments in the Cordillera are joining the transition to a circular economy as the European Union-Philippines Green Economy Partnership convened its first Partnership Assembly with the six local government units under the Metropolitan Baguio–La Trinidad–Itogon–Sablan–Tuba–Tublay Development Authority (MBLISTTDA).

Local governments, along with national agencies, civil society, private sector partners, innovators, academe, youth, and community groups, convened to explore how circular economy solutions can move beyond individual city or municipal initiatives and strengthen cooperation on shared waste management and resource challenges.

The Partnership Assembly forms part of the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership, a €60 million European Union-funded programme through the Global Gateway investment strategy, implemented until 2028 in partnership with the Government of the Philippines, led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Its Green LGUs component, co-led by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), supports local governments in strengthening leadership, cooperation, and practical action for the transition to a circular economy.

With the Partnership in its second phase of implementation, the municipalities of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, and Tublay have been identified as collaborators under the inter-local cooperation framework, with Baguio City willing to share their ongoing experience. The assembly served as a key platform for mainstreaming a circular economy into the newly onboarded municipalities’ development plans, and promoting capacity building, peer learning, and partnership-building among local chief executives, national government agencies, development partners, and local stakeholders.

Local chief executives Mayor Alfredo B. Dacumos, Jr. of the Municipality of Sablan, Benguet, Mayor Bernard S. Waclin of the Municipality of Itogon, Benguet, and Mayor Clarita P. Sal-ongan of the Municipality of Tuba, Benguet were present during the assembly.

“In our pursuit to empower our LGUs to embrace these sustainable practices, this assembly is about more than just sharing ideas—it is about forging solid, lasting partnerships. We firmly believe that when local governments come together, learn from one another, and work toward a common vision, transformative change becomes possible,” said Assistant Secretary Lillian De Leon of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Attendees with badges stand and mingle in a conference room.

Five people indoors, one raising a hand, wearing red scarves, with banners in the background.

The partnership expansion builds on the early experience of its first partner cities, including Baguio City, where circular economy action has taken shape through local planning, education, waste avoidance, resource recovery, and community participation.

“In Baguio City, this has taken shape through Pansa-nopen Tayo, which has shown how circular economy can move beyond a technical framework and become part of how a city defines its priorities, engages its people, and builds a shared vision for sustainability,” remarked Floradema Eleazar, Lead for Climate Action Programme of UNDP Philippines.

For Metro BLISTT, circular economy cooperation is especially important in an upland setting where communities share watersheds, roads, markets, tourism pressures, and waste management systems. The assembly underscored that solutions cannot stop at administrative boundaries, as resource use, pollution, and environmental risks move across connected communities.

“Our municipalities are interconnected not just by geography, but by shared resources, shared challenges, and a shared future. What happens in one area echoes into another; the environmental health of one directly impactsthe other,” said MBLISTTDA Assistant Secretary Maria Monica Costales.

“A circular economy calls us to use resources wisely, minimize waste, regenerate natural systems, and ensure that development benefits both present and future generations. It reminds us that what we take from the Earth must be balanced by what we return, restore, and renew,” said Sablan Mayor Alfredo B. Dacumos, Jr., Vice Chairperson of MBLISTTDA.

The addition of new LGUs is part of the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership’s work to provide targeted assistance to 60 cities and municipalities, accelerating the adoption and scaling of circular economy solutions across the Philippines.