Philippine Officials Attend World Cities Summit, Singapore – “The Davos of Cities”

● Fourth edition of World Cities Summit attracted record number of delegates from LGU, National government and industry sectors.

The Philippines sent the largest national delegation of local officials to the recently-held World Cities Summit (WCS) in Singapore.

The official municipal delegation, composed of representatives of 18 cities and provinces with Chairman Francis N Tolentino of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), is an indicator of the strong bilateral links between the Philippines and Singapore.

Over 130 mayors and city leaders attended WCS 2014, including the youngest – Mayor Lani Cayetano of Taguig.

Mayor Alfred B. Romualdez of Tacloban shared his city’s post-Yolanda recovery experience.

Besides Chairman Tolentino, Mayors Cayetano & Romualdez, other attendees were Mayor Edgardo D. Pamintuan of Angeles City; Governor Edgardo M. Chatto of Bohol; Mayor Arnan C. Panaligan of Calapan City; Mayor Oscar G. Malapitan of Caloocan City; Mayor Michael L. Rama of Cebu City; Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog of Iloilo City; Mayor Peter B. Miguel of Koronadal City; Mayor Del R. De Guzman of Marikina City; Mayor Jaime R. Fresnedi of Muntinlupa City; Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez of Parañaque; Mayor Jaime C. Medina of Pateros; Mayor Herbert M. Bautista of Quezon City; Mayor Arlene B. Arcillas-Nazareno of Santa Rosa; Governor Victor Areno Yap of Tarlac, Mayor Monico O. Puentevella of Bacolod City, and Mayor Rexlon Ting Gatchalian of Valenzuela.

They summit engaged in discussions on High Quality of Life: A Vibrant City Life; Sustainable Environment: Water & Waste Management; Competititve Economy: Driving Investments; Integrated Long-Term Planning: Balancing Stakeholder Interests; Dynamic Urban Governance: Fostering Good Governance, and Intelligent Cities.

Held every two years in Singapore and billed as the ‘Davos of Cities’, WCS is one of the world’s largest gathering of city mayors, municipal heads, and industry leaders.

“We are truly excited to have hosted such a large and impressive group of leaders from the Philippines”, said Khoo Teng Chye, executive director at the Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore, the government agency behind WCS.

“A delegation of this size reflects the depth and importance of relationships which exist between our two countries. The 2014 delegation continues the tradition of strong participation by government and municipal leaders from the Philippines to attend WCS,” he added.

“WCS is one of the world’s largest regular platforms for government leaders and industry experts to come together to address liveable and sustainable city challenges. The event is run on the basis that cities all around the world face common challenges, but through collaboration and knowledge sharing we can find shared solutions,” Mr. Khoo said.

Now on its fourth edition, WCS 2014 was the largest yet with a record number of stakeholders across government, industry, international organisations and academia.

Highlights of this year’s WCS included the inaugural WCS Young Leaders Symposium, the presentation of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize to Suzhou, China, and plenums plenaries focused on the next urban decade, liveable and sustainable cities and focused discussions forums on China and Southeast Asia.

The WCS, held every two years in Singapore & billed as the “Davos of Cities”, is the exclusive and premier platform for government leaders and industry experts to address liveable and sustainable city challenges, share integrated urban solutions and forge high-level partnerships.

Photo above: Some of the Philippine delegates to the recently-held World Cities Summit 2014 (R-L) Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Antonio Morales, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Koronadal City Mayor Peter Miguel, Angeles Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog and Gov. Edgardo Chatto of Bohol. (Photo from Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog of IloIlo City)