Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto represented the Philippines on the global stage at the Bloomberg CityLab 2026, held from April 27 to 29 in Madrid, Spain. The prestigious summit gathered over 100 mayors worldwide to discuss innovative solutions for modern urban governance.
During the event, Sotto participated in the “Innovation Studio” and a specialized breakout session titled “Reimagining Rivers.”
The summit served as the official recognition platform for the 24 winners of the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2025-2026 Mayors Challenge. Sotto was on hand to personally receive a $1 million grant awarded to Pasig City for its pioneering “Floating Parks” project.
The initiative aims to expand public open spaces and revitalize the community’s connection to the Pasig River by utilizing repurposed barges. The city began prototyping the concept in September 2025 using an initial $50,000 planning grant, and with the new funding, the local government intends to move toward full-scale implementation.
Pasig’s international achievement follows a trend of Philippine cities gaining global acclaim. Recently, UNESCO designated Quezon City as a Creative City of Film and Dumaguete City as a Creative City of Literature. Furthermore, Manila was previously ranked among Time Out’s “Best Cities in the World,” while Boracay earned a spot on Time’s “World’s Greatest Places” list.
The Bloomberg CityLab summit continues to highlight how local leaders are addressing environmental and social challenges through creative urban design.