News & Updates from Cordillera
Startup ecosystem, innovation programs, and founder stories from the Cordillera Administrative Region.
The Cordillera Has Free ICT Training Centers Operating Across Its Provinces. DICT-CAR's Tech4ED Network Is Built to Reach Every Community the Market Cannot.
DICT-CAR operates Tech4ED and Digital Transformation Centers across the Cordillera Administrative Region, from the flagship Digital Transformation Center at Post Office Loop, Baguio City to centers in remote municipalities in Abra and Apayao, offering free ICT training, e-government services, MSME digitalization support, and AI-enabled programming to anyone who walks in.
Baguio's Water Problem Is No Longer Just About Supply. It Is About Whether the City Remains Livable.
The City Environment and Parks Management Office has flagged water security as one of Baguio City's most urgent long-term challenges, citing illegal wastewater discharge, degraded watersheds, aging sewage treatment infrastructure, and the compounding pressure of El Niño, while announcing feasibility studies completed for facility rehabilitation and a new partnership with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation under the BRIDGE project supported by Global Affairs Canada.
Lagayan, Abra Is Becoming a Tourism Capital. It Is Doing It With Filipino-Made Electric Vehicles and Smart Mobility Technology.
The Municipality of Lagayan, Abra, as the pilot LGU for DOST's Smart and Sustainable Community Program in the province, has begun preparing for the deployment of e-mobility technologies through a benchmarking visit to UP Diliman, CHRG Electric Vehicle Technologies, and Tojo Motors Corporation, with Mayor Edmarc Crisologo leading the initiative alongside DOST-Abra.
Baguio Just Held Its Biggest MSME Gathering of the Year. Here Is What the 2026 MSME Innovation Summit Delivered.
The 2026 MSME Innovation Summit, themed "NextGen MSMEs: Innovating for Impact," was held on May 29 and 30 at the University of the Cordilleras Theater, convening entrepreneurs, innovators, national government agencies, financing institutions, universities, and business solution partners from Alibaba to GCash in a two-day free summit designed to help Baguio and Benguet enterprises start, grow, and compete in the next economy.
Apayao Just Launched an Electric Mobility System Built by Filipino Scientists. MOVE Apayao Is the Cordillera's First Step Toward Smart, Clean Transport.
DOST-CAR formally launched the MOVE Apayao Project and its CHaRM-enabled charging station facility at Apayao State College on May 18, 2026, deploying a locally developed smart mobility system featuring electric jeepneys, a mobile application, and 30-minute fast charging technology developed by UP Diliman scientists, with plans for expansion across the Cordillera region.
Baguio Used to Be on the Global Startup Map. It Is Not Anymore. That Should Bother Us More Than It Does.
In 2021, Baguio City entered the StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index at 944th globally. By 2022, it had dropped off. The 2026 index just added two more Philippine cities, bringing the country's total to ten ranked cities. Baguio is still not one of them. That gap is not a data problem. It is a signal worth taking seriously.
Kalinga Is Getting a Rice Processing System and a Food Hub with Cold Storage. The DA Secretary Made the Commitment in Person.
DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. committed during a May 22, 2026 visit to Kalinga to build a Rice Processing System 3 and a food hub with cold storage facilities on a 50-hectare property in Rizal, Kalinga, with the rice processing system targeted to begin construction this year and the food hub aimed for completion by 2028.
Three Ifugao Enterprises Are Getting Technology Upgrades Through DOST. A Hollow Block Maker, a Food Processor, and a Cacao Producer Are Next in Line.
DOST Ifugao is extending SETUP assistance to three local enterprises in the province: JAXS Hollowblock Manufacturing, Processed Food Manufacturing, and Love Nature Farm Products Manufacturing, covering equipment acquisition, production capacity expansion, and technology upgrades designed to improve quality and grow market reach.
The 2026 MSME Innovation Summit Is Coming to Baguio City. Two Days, One Theater, and Every Resource an Enterprise Needs to Grow.
The 2026 MSME Innovation Summit and Expo is happening on May 29 and 30, 2026 at the University of the Cordilleras Theater in Baguio City, bringing together entrepreneurs, innovators, industry leaders, government agencies, and development partners for two days of breakout sessions, business matching, and MSME support programming. The event is free and open to all MSMEs.
Over 300 Participants Across the Region Joined a Free Webinar on UI/UX Design. Here Is What They Learned.
Product Designer and Startup Ecosystem Operator Leandro Rey Gepila led a three-hour free webinar on May 20, 2026, covering the fundamentals of UI/UX design, hands-on Figma use, career pathways in the design industry, and the effect of AI on UI/UX practice, drawing over 300 participants from across the region.
Sip & Scale Is Coming to Baguio. The City of Pines Is Getting Its Own Table for Founders, Builders, and Creatives.
Sip & Scale, a curated monthly dinner series built around meaningful startup conversations, is launching in Baguio City, creating a regular, low-pressure space for founders, students, operators, creatives, and community builders across Baguio and Benguet to meet and build together.
Baguio City Is One of 300 Cities Worldwide Chosen for Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund. Here Is What That Means for the City's Young People.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong announced on May 14, 2026 that Baguio City has been selected to join the Bloomberg Philanthropies Youth Climate Action Fund, a global program mobilizing young people ages 15 to 24 to design and implement locally grounded climate solutions backed by microgrants of $1,000 to $5,000.
The Women of Barangay Bineng Already Knew the Problems. A Design Thinking Workshop Gave Them the Tools to Build the Solutions.
The women's organization of Barangay Bineng, La Trinidad, Benguet participated in a Design Thinking Workshop and pitching session on May 7, 2026 under DICT-CAR's Project ACCESS — and walked away with five community-rooted innovation concepts covering waste, water, nutrition, cacao, and plastic repurposing.
Abra's Students Spent a Day Presenting Research and Programming Robots. This Is What the Region's Next Generation Looks Like.
The School Science Research Congress and Robotics Olympics 2026 brought together young researchers, innovators, and aspiring engineers at Abra High School — with DOST-Abra lending expertise as judges in what is now a defining annual event for the province's youth innovation culture.
Kalinga Is Turning Taro Into a Business. Here Is How 20 Residents in Lubuagan Learned to Do It.
DTI Kalinga's Negosyo Center Lubuagan held a hands-on livelihood training on April 30, 2026, showing participants how a locally grown root crop can become a packaged, market-ready product — with the costing and pricing knowledge to sustain it.
UP SikLab Convened Baguio's Innovators, Farmers, Technologists, and Government in One Room. They Left With More Than a Handshake.
The Innovation Cluster Caravan at Soto Grande Hotel on April 29, 2026 moved past dialogue and into commitments — with cacao, indigenous textiles, smart city technology, and youth innovation all on the table.
Mountain Province Is Reviving Bamboo Craftsmanship — and Turning It Into a Livelihood
A three-day training in Tadian brought together artisans and community members from across Mountain Province on April 29–May 1, 2026, with DOST-CAR, DTI, and the Provincial Government aligned behind a single goal: make bamboo craftsmanship economically viable again.
Cordinnovation 2026 Wraps in Baguio City With a Clear Message: The Cordillera's Innovation Ecosystem Is Being Built Together
DOST-CAR's regional innovation celebration concluded on April 30, 2026, with senior officials from CHED, DEPDev, and DOST underscoring AI, collaboration, and inclusive development as the pillars of the region's next chapter.
Google Developers Baguio Is Bringing a Full Day of AI Building to the University of the Cordilleras on May 9
Build with AI 2026 opens registration for developers, students, and tech enthusiasts in Baguio City — hands-on Gemini codelabs, intelligent agent sessions, and a room full of people who want to build.
Where Are the Baguio Startups?
I have been attending startup and innovation events in this region for years. And I keep seeing the same faces. That is not a criticism. But when the same fifty people show up to the same events, year after year, it tells you something about the reach of the ecosystem.
The 7th Mangan Taku Just Wrapped in Baguio City. Here Is Why Cordillera's Annual Heritage Food Fair Has Become Northern Luzon's Most Important Culinary Event.
The 7th Mangan Taku Cordillera Food Fair ran from April 23 to 27, 2026, at Burnham Park's Rose Garden, Baguio City, drawing 46 exhibitors from all six Cordilleran provinces and Regions I and II under the theme "Preserving traditions, sustaining flavors."
PLDT and Smart Brought AI-in-a-Box to Baguio City LGU. The City That Built a Smart Command Center Is Now Getting an AI Acceleration Programme.
The PLDT-Smart Foundation, Microsoft Philippines, and Lenovo Philippines delivered an AI access kit, connectivity, and an AI mentorship and acceleration programme to the Baguio City government, making Baguio one of the first LGUs in Northern Luzon to receive the full AI-in-a-Box package.
DOST-CAR Installed a VR-Equipped Disaster Preparedness Kiosk at the Mountain Province DRRMO. Here Is What It Does and Why Mountain Province Needs It.
The TARAKI Kiosk, a science-based Knowledge Management System with Virtual Reality, specialized DRR-CCA applications, and curated learning materials from DOST and partner agencies, was formally deployed to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Mountain Province on April 21, 2026.
Cordillera SMEs Just Got Access to a CAD$5 Million Canadian-Funded Export Programme. The Target Market Is Canada. The Focus Is Women-Led Businesses.
DTI-CAR and Catalyste+ met on April 16, 2026, to strategize for Project ELEVaTE, a Global Affairs Canada-funded initiative running from 2025 to 2031 that will support 400 Philippine SMEs in building export readiness for the Canadian market through fully funded trade missions, technical training, and agribusiness standards development.
DOST-Kalinga, DICT-Kalinga, and KSU Ran a One-Day AI and Digital Marketing Training for MSMEs and TBI Incubatees. Participants Left With AI-Built Marketing Materials.
The April 8, 2026 training at KSU Bulanao Campus combined AI prompt engineering in the morning and hands-on digital marketing application in the afternoon, with participants producing and presenting actual AI-assisted campaign concepts before the day ended.
Applications Are Open: Circle Works Is Offering Up to ₱1.6 Million in Seed Funding for Youth-Led Circular Economy Startups in Cordillera. Here Is Everything You Need to Know.
Vivita Philippines launched the Circle Works Youth Circular Economy Incubation Program on April 13, 2026, backed by the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership. The 18-month programme is open to youth aged 16–35 across Cordillera, with funding available for up to 26 teams.
DTI-CAR, DICT-CAR, and StartUp Village Launched "Certified Digital Negosyo," a Full-Stack Digital Training for Cordillera MSMEs That Goes From AI Tools to Tax Filing
The first batch of the Certified Digital Negosyo program, held at the DICT-CAR Digital Transformation Center in Baguio City, put the 2026 KMME mentee cohort through five expert-led modules covering AI prompting, e-commerce, backend digitalization, logistics, and bookkeeping in a single intensive session.
Two UC Senior High School Students From Baguio Won the 2026 National Robotics Championship. Now They Represent the Philippines in China.
Zyrus Whayne Naganag and John Victor Advincula of UC SHS defeated teams from 15 regions at the TechQuest National Robotics Challenge for Academia on April 16–17, 2026 in Makati, taking the champion title, the Best Robot Design Award, and a slot at an international robotics competition in China.
A €60M EU Programme Just Opened a Youth Startup Track for Cordillera Founders
Circle Works, backed by the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership's €60 million fund, opened its Baguio leg on April 13, 2026, at the University of Baguio, offering students a structured pathway from circular economy concept to funded green venture.
Baguio City Held a Two-Day Summit on March 30 to Rethink How Tourism Grows Without Breaking What Makes the City Worth Visiting
The Baguio Circular Tourism Summit, backed by UNDP, the EU, and the Government of Japan, brought together government, businesses, and communities to build a circular tourism economy, with action plans, policy reform, and a new sustainability framework at the center.
BFAR-CAR Brought Cordillera Fisherfolk Leaders to a Working Hatchery and a Crayfish Farm to Show What Aquaculture Innovation Looks Like in Practice
A two-day benchmarking and consultation workshop on April 7–8, 2026, put fisherfolk leaders from across Cordillera directly inside the MITH-i hatchery system and a regulated crayfish facility, pairing hands-on learning with policy clarity and a leadership election.
Six Agencies Trained Over 40 Young Entrepreneurs in Digital and AI Skills Across Cordillera
The Youth Digital Champions Workshop ran from April 7 to 9 at the Baguio Digital Transformation Center, Abra, Benguet, and Kalinga at the same time — part of a six-week Digital PINAS program teaching young entrepreneurs AI tools, digital marketing, and business digitalization skills.
UC InTTO Brought in a Benilde Startup Expert to Run a One-on-One Innovation Clinic for Its Incubatees — and the Framework Matters
The April 8 Startup Product Strategy and Innovation Clinic at the University of the Cordilleras InTTO gave prototype-stage founders structured coaching on Bill Aulet's disciplined entrepreneurship methodology — and individual consultations tailored to each team's specific challenges.
DOST-Kalinga and KSU Trained Farmers and Processors to Turn Calamansi and Peanuts Into Market-Ready Cookies and Bars
A hands-on product development training at the Kalinga State University Food Processing and Innovation Research Center on March 30 gave MSMEs, farmers, and processors practical skills to move local agricultural produce up the value chain — using ingredients sourced from their own backyards.
DICT-CAR Is Planning a ₱60 Million Upgrade of the Baguio Post Office Into a Digital Hub — Without Touching Its 1918 Heritage Character
The Department of Information and Communications Technology Cordillera has submitted a Conservation Management Plan for the rehabilitation of the Digital Transformation Center and the Baguio Post Office building — a project that has to balance a modern ICT hub with the preservation of one of Session Road's most historically significant structures.
A Baguio Couple Built a Free Carpooling App in One Night — Because the Community Needed It and No One Else Was Going to Do It
SakayTayo Baguio-Benguet launched on April 1, 2026, offering students, workers, and farmers a free, no-middleman ride-sharing platform built specifically for Baguio City and all 13 municipalities of Benguet — including a feature designed for farmers hauling vegetables to the Trading Post.
DTI-CARP and NIA Trained Farmers in Bugallon on Content Marketing and Copywriting — Because Growing Good Rice Is No Longer Enough
Members of the Bugallon Cabigaan and Porumba Irrigators Association in Pangasinan completed a seminar-workshop on effective content marketing and copywriting on March 24 — part of a growing push to give agrarian reform beneficiaries the digital skills to reach buyers on their own terms.
Pitch Perfect Brought Two Days of Entrepreneurship Training to the Strawberry Festival Trade Fair in La Trinidad
Students from Benguet State University and Cordillera Career Development College joined local residents at the March 23 to 24 training — a practical business planning session held inside one of Benguet's most attended annual events.
DOST-Kalinga Brought Locally Developed Products to Balawag's Kape Festival — and the Makers Include High School Students and Community Cooperatives
The DOST Smart and Sustainable Communities Program showcased processed coffee, bugnay wine, sugarcane wine, and camote bread from Balawag, Tabuk City on March 27 — products developed through DOST training and packaging support, now ready for wider markets.
The 7th Mangan Taku Cordillera Food Fair Is Coming to Burnham Park — and DOT-Accredited Enterprises Can Still Join
The Mangan Taku Inclusion Program is open for applications, offering DOT-accredited tourism enterprises a chance to participate in Cordillera's premier food fair at the Rose Garden, Burnham Park from April 23 to 27, 2026 — and earn a recognition sticker that signals their commitment to local culinary heritage.
Philippine Science High School Brought Student Research to the National Stage at the Higher Education Summit 2026 in Clark
PSHS campuses from Ilocos Sur, Baguio City, Davao, and Cebu showcased student research projects at HES 2026 on March 10 to 12 — giving young scientists from the country's premier science high school direct access to industry leaders and a platform to connect their work to real-world applications.
DTI-Apayao Brings Social Media and Content Creation Training to Conner — and Entrepreneurs Practiced With Real Products on the Same Day
A March 19 training in Malama, Conner brought together cooperatives, indigenous peoples associations, and small enterprise owners for a hands-on session on digital marketing — one of the most practical skill gaps facing rural entrepreneurs in the Cordillera today.
A Repair Café Is Coming to Tabuk City — and It's Connected to a Cordillera Program Funding Solutions Beyond Plastic
Vivita Philippines is bringing a free community repair event to Kalinga on March 21, paired with an introduction to Circle Works — a European Union-funded program supporting circular economy ventures across the Cordillera.
Baguio City Council Takes Up a Tax Holiday Proposal for Circular Economy Startups — With Real Incentives Tied to Real Impact
Councilor Paolo Raynor Salvosa's proposed ordinance offers graduated tax exemptions and rental discounts to Baguio-based startups built around waste reduction, reuse, and resource recovery — and the structure rewards founders who prevent waste at the source, not just those who recycle it.
DICT-CAR and DTI-Ifugao Bring Entrepreneurship Training to 151 Participants in Ifugao, With Women at the Center
A free online session on March 10 drew over 150 aspiring and existing entrepreneurs from Ifugao, part of a deliberate push to bring practical business mindset training to communities that rarely get it first.
UC InTTO Launches Cohort 9, Bringing a New Class of Startup Founders into Baguio's University Incubation Pipeline
The University of the Cordilleras' Innovation and Technology Transfer Office kicked off its ninth incubation cohort on March 6, with a session built around one idea: founders need the right mindset before they need anything else.
DOST-CAR and CHED-CAR Sign MOU to Launch Cordi INSPIRE, a New Startup Platform for Cordillera's Universities
The February 27 agreement at Saint Louis University formalizes a push to turn Cordillera's higher education institutions into active launchpads for technology-based startups.
Kalinga TBI Beneficiaries Win Regional Young Farmers Challenge — Validated by a Market, Not Just a Panel
Four ventures from Kalinga State University's Technology Business Incubator took home regional awards at the Young Farmers Challenge, the first real proof that a 2024 National Innovation Council grant is producing founders, not just graduates.