Three city mayors from the Philippines are vying for the 2012 World Mayor Prize, an award given to outstanding mayors worldwide.
Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio were among the award's initial candidates, the City Mayors Foundation published last week.
“The prize is awarded to a mayor who has made outstanding contributions to his/her community and has developed a vision for urban living and working that is relevant to towns and cities across the world,” the international foundation said in its website.
As of this month, 88 mayors from all over the world were nominated for the award – 16 from North America, 13 from Latin America, 30 from Europe, 19 from Asia, three from Australasia and seven from Africa.
Online nominations will be accepted until mid-May while a shortlist of 25 nominees will be published in early June. Winners and other results of the World Mayor Project will be announced in December.
“When contemplating the shortlist for the 2012 World Mayor Prize, the City Mayors Foundation will take into account the number of nominations a mayor has received from separate individuals and organizations and, more importantly, the persuasiveness of supporting statements,” it said.
Previous winners of the award were Marcelo Ebrard of Mexico City in 2010, Helen Zille of Cape Town in 2008, John So of Melbourne in 2006, Dora Bakoyannis of Athens in 2005, and Edi Rama of Tirana in 2004.
Meanwhile, three Philippine city mayors have made it to the top 10 since its establishment in 2004: then Marikina City mayor Marides Fernando ranked 7th in 2008; former Makati mayor now vice president Jejomar Binay placed 4th in 2006; and still incumbent mayor of San Fernando, Pampanga, Oscar Rodriguez, bagged the 4th spot in 2005.
The City Mayors Foundation, an international think tank on urban affairs, said it organized the World Mayor Prize to “honor mayors with the vision, passion and skills to make their cities incredible places to live in, work in and visit.”
The winner will receive the artistically acclaimed World Mayor trophy, while the runner-up will be given the World Mayor Commendation, it added.
