Foreign experts share best practices with city mayors

MANILA, Philippines - A group of technical experts and economic managers from Japan, North America and Europe are in Manila today to share their best practices with the country’s 122 city mayors reeling from the impact of the global economic slowdown.

The foreign experts were invited as speakers for the 3rd Philippine Cities Global Convention and Exposition at the Resorts World Manila, which drew some 700 delegates from the ranks of city mayors, councilors, department heads and barangay executives from various parts of the country.

“We have decided to hold this international convention here to provide our local executives with a window for new knowledge needed to ensure more effective governance,” said League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) president Oscar Rodriguez, mayor of San Fernando, Pampanga.

Rodriguez explained that the country’s 122 cities were left with no choice but to seek new initiatives on how to improve the lives of their constituents.

League chairman Enrico Echiverri, mayor of Caloocan City, noted that the present economic turmoil spurred the city mayors to act more “pro-actively” and seek innovative ways to rationally allocate resources for city development.

“As cities are often the centers of their region, not only must cities generate resources to enhance the quality of life of their constituents, they must also act as an economic engine for surrounding local governments that sometimes depend on them for access to specialized services,” Echiverri pointed out.

LCP secretary-general Hernani Braganza, mayor of Alaminos, Pangasinan, said city leaders from the Philippines and abroad have agreed to share knowledge and best practices in order to address a multitude of concerns such as shelter, local economic development, climate change and disaster resiliency.

“The recent images of floods in Bangkok clearly illustrate and drive home the fact that climate change adaptation and disaster resiliency are serious issues that must be addressed by cities and other local governments,” Braganza added.

During the convention, Shiro Hamano of Yokohama City’s International Policy Bureau shared the initiatives of his city to enhance its resiliency with regard to earthquakes.

The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster reduction (UNISDR), on the other hand, presented its new campaign entitled, “Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready.”

Presented by UNISR Deputy Director Helena Molin Valdes, the campaign aims to generate the commitment of cities to enhance disaster resiliency.

Speaking on the issue of strengthening local economies were Kayuzuki Tsurumi, Philippine Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization; Jaume Baro of the Business Growth Programs, Barcelona Activa; and Roger Macisaac, Director of Community and Economic Development, Amherst, Canada.

Other foreign speakers include Nancy Hales of the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies, Portland State University; Shizuo Iwata, Almec Corp.; Michael Lindfield of the Regional and Sustainable Development Department, Asian Development Bank; Paul Chamniern Vorratanchaiphan, Senior Director of Thailand Environment Institute; and Nathaniel Von Einsiedel, trustee, Heritage Conservation Society.