The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), in partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has awarded winners of its smartphone application development challenge called “MMITS Bagong Gawi, Bagong Galaw Challenge.”
The competition which engaged innovators in creating digital applications that encourage positive behavioral changes among road users is under the Output 2 of the Project for Capacity Enhancement on Traffic Management with Improvement of Intelligent Transport Systems in Metro Manila (MMITS).
Aligned with the vision of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr’s administration of providing a more convenient, accessible, and comfortable transport system for every Filipino, the challenge aims to promote innovation in the application of intelligent transport systems and digital technologies that encourage behavioral change and support sustainable travel choices through people-centered and technology-driven mobility solutions.
MMDA Chairman Atty. Don Artes admitted to the costs of traffic congestion and that it requires more than traditional infrastructures to be solved.
“Traffic congestion costs us time, productivity, and quality of life.”
“We all know the reality: traffic congestion costs us time, productivity, and quality of life,” the Chairman said in a message read by Deputy Chairman and MMITS Project Director Usec. Frisco San Juan, Jr.
“For us in MMDA, solving this requires looking beyond traditional infrastructure. We must maximize data, technology, and intelligent transport systems to build a transport network that is safe, efficient, and genuinely responsive to the public,” Artes added.
The statement said that “MMITS Bagong Gawi, Bagong Galaw Challenge” brought together representatives of all sectors for it to be addressed.
San Juan, meanwhile, expressed his gratitude for the partnership with JICA, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Globe Telecom, and Globe at Home and said that the agency is fully committed to making more collaboration for the betterment of its services.
“We will continue to create platforms where all sectors can work together to turn promising ideas into practical and scalable solutions.”
“We will continue to create platforms where all sectors can work together to turn promising ideas into practical and scalable solutions,” San Juan stated.
Among hundreds of teams who responded to the challenge, only eight groups made it to the final round who presented their respective user-centered applications which supported promotion of travel demand management (TDM) and traffic management (TM) strategies enabling road users to make informed travel decisions.
LakbayPoints from Cagayan State University emerged as “MMITS Bagong Gawi, Bagong Galaw Challenge” winner with their mobile application that combines transportation, software, social media, artificial intelligence, and technical expertise to build a solution. They received P100,000 from MMDA and an exclusive development contract with JICA amounting to 5,000,000 Japan yen. Each team member also received Globe Telecom’s 5G Loop device–a portable home broadband hub designed for use both indoors and on-the-go which can function both as a hotspot and an entertainment device.
Team Apaka’s Komyunek bagged the second place while Abotdun was announced as the third placer. They received from the MMDA P75,000 and P50,000 cash prize, respectively.
The five finalists composed of the Gulaneskorps, Smooth Operators, Vulppy, Inovva, and Ethian Triple T Juan Combo received a total of P20,000 per team as a reward for their effort in contributing better traffic management and travel demand management in Metropolitan Manila.
Each of the innovators were assessed by representatives from JICA and MMDA as well as its public and private partners who served as judges, namely: MMDA Metropolitan Development Planning Service Director Shiela Gail Satura-Quingco, JICA Philippines Sector Chief Leah Peñarroyo, MMITS Project Team Leader Takeshi Matsunuma, Department of Science and Technology (Advanced Science and Technology Institute) Pejman Rivera, SCALE NCR President Cristina Ibañez, Grab Philippines Map Operations Manager Aaron Francisco, Globe Telecoms Vice President and Head of Brand Management Abigail Cardino, and University of Asia and the Pacific Associate Professor Varsolo Sunio.
Further, Peñarroyo commended MMDA for its leadership and strength of hearts in improving the ITS in Metropolitan Manila stating that it is imperative to strengthen the traffic management and promote efficient, convenient, and safe movement of the people in the National Capital Region (NCR).
She also emphasized that the smartphone application development challenge is one of the two pilot projects under the MMITS together with the Smart Pole for Traffic Management Innovation that aims to enhance the capacity of MMDA to implement the intelligent transport system.
The MMITS is a technical cooperation project between MMDA and JICA seeking to strengthen urban traffic management in the NCR through institutional capacity building and the advancement of ITS development.
