Php 248-M AI, robotics hub in Baguio to train scholars, boost digital skills

Baguio City is set to establish a Php 248-million Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics training center and innovation hub designed to strengthen technology education and equip locals with digital skills.

Once the innovation hub opens, it will offer programs in AI integration, robotics automation, and data literacy, accommodating 100 to 150 scholars in a three-year diploma program.

“We are building Baguio’s strategic defense against technological disruption while positioning our city as the innovation hub for the entire Cordillera region,” said Daisy Bungallon, Executive Director of the Cordillera State Institute for Technology Education (CSITE) under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority-Cordillera (TESDA-CAR).

The hub will be implemented through the Supporting Innovation in the Philippine Technical and Vocational Education and Training System (SIPTVETS) of TESDA-CSITE.

“Ang layunin nito i-modernize yung mga TESDA training centers kasi nakita nila sa study…hindi tayo nakakasabay sa ibang mga bansa. Old yung mga equipment ni TESDA, old yung pamamaraan ng training ng TESDA, old yung curriculum ng TESDA,” said TESDA Project Focal Noriel Ramos, stressing that the upgrade is crucial in helping the country adopt AI across different sectors.

TESDA Supervising Administrative Officer Ronaldo Dela Cruz added that the project is a privilege for Baguio City and the entire Cordillera region, noting that it will help nurture the brilliant minds of the future.

They are seeking city approval to use a 500-square-meter lot adjacent to its main campus for expansion, although the planned AI hub requires at least 2,500 square meters to fully operate.

“We hope to get the city government’s nod for the use of a 500 square-meter land adjacent to the CSITE main campus, which was the approved site when the proposal was submitted,” Bungallon added.

The proposed site, however, is currently an open space used by Quezon Elementary School pupils and serves as an evacuation area for nearby barangays.

The planned expansion is now being coordinated with the Baguio local government and other stakeholders.