City of Santa Rosa

City of Santa Rosa

City of Santa Rosa, Laguna, Philippines – Voluntary Local Review

Insights of the Report

Santa Rosa’s first Voluntary Local Review (VLR) reflects the city’s commitment to balancing rapid industrial growth with sustainable development. Centred on the Triple VLR model—framework, process and tool—the report focuses on ten priority SDGs across five pillars: People (SDGs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), Prosperity (SDGs 11 and 12), Planet (SDG 13), Peace (SDG 16) and Partnership (SDG 17). Drawing on administrative data and robust stakeholder engagement, including barangay-level consultations, the VLR highlights achievements in social protection, public health, education, climate resilience and inclusive governance. It also identifies challenges such as infrastructure demands and data limitations, particularly for monitoring SDGs 16 and 17. By embedding SDG localisation into local plans and multi-stakeholder processes, Santa Rosa positions itself as a replicable model for other cities navigating sustainable urban development.

City Profile

Santa Rosa is a dynamic, first-class component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. Comprising 18 barangays, it is fully urbanised and strategically positioned as a major economic and residential hub south of Metro Manila. Once an agricultural municipality, Santa Rosa has rapidly transformed into an industrial centre, attracting local and international investors, with a thriving business sector anchored by manufacturing and real estate. The city balances rapid urbanisation with efforts to preserve its cultural heritage and protect its environmental assets, including its lakeshore and watershed areas.

The Report and more

The VLR report is available here:
City of Santa Rosa, Laguna, Philippines – Voluntary Local Review