Cebu Solutionsfest 2026 Launched to Tackle City Problems
The Cebu City Government and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) are calling on local innovators and students to develop practical solutions to long-standing problems such as flooding, waste management, and traffic congestion through the newly launched "Cebu Solutionsfest 2026."
Through Cebu Business Month 2026, the CCCI officially introduced Cebu Solutionsfest 2026, an open-innovation competition that invites students, startups, freelancers, MSMEs, and independent innovators to create practical solutions for real problems identified by the city government and other sectors.
Councilor Edgardo "Jaypee" Labella, chairman of the Cebu City Council committee on information and communications technology (ICT), said this initiative aims to encourage ordinary Cebuanos to actively participate in solving the city's long-standing concerns rather than just discussing them online.
"I really want citizens, students, and residents of the city to be involved in finding solutions to our problems," Labella said during a press conference on Friday.
Labella noted that the organizers have coordinated with several departments of the Cebu City Government to identify urgent issues that participants can address through technology or community-based solutions.
Among the identified issues are flooding, waste management, governance and civic technology, traffic and urban mobility, disaster recovery, tourism, education, and MSME development.
"So, they will be given a specific problem regarding the city, whether it's flooding or waste, and they will find ways to provide a solution that can help," he said.
The councilor added that the city needs fresh and new ideas from young innovators and various sectors, noting that many useful inventions have failed due to lack of support and opportunities.
He cited a previous hackathon sponsored by the city that was won by students from the University of the Philippines, who developed an application that could show the history of buildings in Cebu City through image recognition technology.
Unlike typical hackathons that revolve around open concepts, Solutionsfest uses "Problem Briefs"—prepared descriptions of real issues sourced from government offices, civil society groups, and academic institutions.
The competition is divided into two categories: the Student Track and the Open Track for startups, freelancers, employed innovators, out-of-school youth, and independent creators.
Each track has a separate prize pool of PHP 100,000.
- 1st Place: PHP 50,000
- 2nd Place: PHP 30,000
- 3rd Place: PHP 20,000
Labella explained that solutions developed in the competition may be adopted and used by the city government if proven effective.
The winning teams will also enter a 90-day adoption pipeline where organizers will facilitate possible discussions for pilot testing with local governments, endorsement from national agencies, and potential industry partnerships through the chamber's network.
