Fil-Am deputy mayor of LA urges Manila City gov't to invest in technology

A Filipino-American US city official urged the Manila City government to invest more in science and technology to further boost the country's economy.

Deputy Mayor of Budget and Innovation of Los Angeles, California Miguel Sangalang on Monday said such investment is needed to establish linkages with other countries.

"Manila can adopt greater use of technology and that is fairly transformative in many different ways," he said in a forum at the Manila House Private Club in Bonifacio Global City.

"Let's create more connections in the places where we go. You can't have collaborations without connections and you can't have connections without conversations," said Sangalang, adding that "Building greater foundations will push greater representation."

According to Sangalang, there are three ways to innovate: 1)  ideate or create something new; 2) irritate or break it; and 3) imitate best practices from other countries.

As an example, Sangalang cited Los Angeles' "shake alert" or their earthquake warning system, a technology that "can help save lives."

"I think more of these aspects and trying to capitalize on what new things are emerging is probably the best thing to do," he said.

Sangalang also said investing in technology and innovation could improve the country's competitiveness in different fields.

Aside from technology, Sangalang urged Filipinos to explore how to improve the use of data.

He also stressed the need for public-private partnerships to make sure Filipinos have access to the amenities they need.

"It's in the best interest of developers to create a space where people want to be. What we see in LA is that creating open spaces to hang out actually drives commerce," he said.

Sangalang was born in Quezon City and had immigrated to California when he was 4 years old.

He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Japanese, minor in public policy.

Before becoming deputy mayor, Sangalang was first the director for innovation and performance management of the city.

Currently, Sangalang is the highest ranking Filipino-American in the Los Angeles government. — BAP, GMA News