Manila And Butuan Among Top 50 Global Champion Cities

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

As a Mayors Challenge finalists, Manila and Butuan now advance to the four-month Champion Phase of the competition. From June through October, the 50 finalist cities will refine their ideas with technical assistance from Bloomberg Philanthropies and its network of leading innovation experts. Fifteen of the 50 cities will ultimately win the grand prize, with each receiving $1 million and robust multi-year technical assistance to implement, scale their ideas and make these projects a reality. Grand prize winners will be announced in early 2022.

The 50 Champion Cities submitted ideas addressing four of the most significant challenges borne of the pandemic: economic recovery and inclusive growth; health and wellbeing; climate and environment; and good governance and equality.

The Bloomberg Mayors Challenge is a worldwide competition that aims to spur innovative ideas for the improvement of cities and their inhabitants. It encourages leaders “to think outside the box about how to confront their most difficult challenges.”