The booming Iloilo City will vie for the biennial Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize 2016, a prestigious international award that honors the outstanding contribution of cities towards the creation of livable, vibrant and sustainable urban communities worldwide.
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| Iloilo Esplanade by Neil Alvin Cuenca. |
Launched in 2009, the World City Prize was a fitting tribute to the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore who was instrumental in the transformation and rapid growth of the Lion City.
Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog said the nomination came from CITYNET, a regional network of cities and organizations geared towards sustainable urban development, of which Iloilo City is a member.
“I am pleased with the nomination and thankful to CITYNET for recognizing that our city deserves to be nominated in the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize; this means a lot to us as Iloilo City realizes its vision as a premier city this year with so many developments happening at a fast-paced,” he said.
“The Prize is awarded to cities and recognizes key leaders and organizations for displaying foresight, good governance and innovation in tackling the many urban challenges faced, to bring about social, economic and environmental benefits in a holistic way to their communities,” organizers said.
The Prize Laureate will receive an award certificate, a gold medallion and a cash prize of S$300,000, sponsored by Keppel Corporation.
Bilbao City Hall was awarded the inaugural Prize in 2010; followed by the New York City in 2012; and Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China in 2014.
