The cities of Manila and Butuan have been included in the top 50 champion cities among over 600 cities worldwide in the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2021 Mayors Challenge.  Manila and Butuan were among the eight selected cities in Asia-Pacific which made it to the global 50 and the only two cities in Southeast Asia.

Other Asia-Pacific cities in the top 50 included Auckland (New Zealand), Daegu (South Korea), Pune (India), Rourkela (India), Taipei (Taiwan), and Wellington (New Zealand).

“We offer our congratulations to both Manila and Butuan for making it to the global 50. Out of 631 applications received by Bloomberg Philanthropies, 52 Philippine cities and municipalities submitted their entries, signaling high interest to develop their cities,” according to Liveable Cities Challenge Chairman Guillermo Luz.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno expressed his gratitude yesterday for the recognition, saying the accolade belongs to every Manileño and every Filipino.

“We are hugely honored that Manila has been named as one of 50 select Champion Cities for the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2021 Global Mayor’s challenge,” he said. “On behalf of the more than two million residents of the city of Manila and indeed on behalf of every Filipino, wherever they are in the Philippines or around the world for whom their national capital occupies an outsize role in their hearts and minds, the city government is very much honored for the prestigious award.”

As the competition entering its second phase, Manila and Butuan will be granted the opportunity to enhance their proposals from this month until October to compete for the final round of 15 winners. The top 15 will be granted awards of $1 million each plus free consultancy services to implement their projects and make them a reality to better their city.

For the competition, city leaders from all over the world were invited to pitch ideas to address challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cities with more than 100,000 residents were encouraged to submit proposals based on four challenge themes: health and wellbeing, climate and environment, economic recovery and inclusive growth, and good governance and equality.

Since the launch of the 2021 Global Mayors Challenge, Liveable Cities Challenge Philippines, in partnership with the League of Cities of the Philippines, promoted the 2021 Mayors Challenge to Philippine cities nationwide through a series of virtual workshops. In partnership with Globe Telecom, Liveable Cities Challenge organized a virtual briefing with Bloomberg experts, Michael Odermatt and Eamon Nolan, and a Mentors’ Workshop with local multidisciplinary experts. Aside from the coaches that Bloomberg has provided, Liveable Cities Challenge also assembled a pool of mentors who volunteered to guide and help cities develop the best possible applications for submission to the competition.

According to Luz, “We will continue to provide mentor support for both Manila and Butuan to help them get into the top 15 cities eligible for the $1 million prize.”