A TOTAL of 26 cities and 12 municipalities will be competing for The Manila Times (TMT) Philippine Model Cities and Municipalities 2024 Awards, co-presented by Punongbayan & Araullo (P&A) Grant Thornton and Megaworld Corp.
The awards and forum will be held at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria on September 19, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with the theme “Reinventing, reinvigorating urban living.”
As the co-presenter of this year’s TMT Philippine Model Cities and Municipalities, P&A Grant Thornton, represented by Vice Chairman and Deputy Managing Partner Olivier Aznar, signed a memorandum of agreement with TMT, represented by President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Blanca Calilung-Mercado.
ALLIES IN PROMOTING NATION-BUILDING The judges, sponsors and partners for The Manila Times Philippine Model Cities and Municipalities 2024 awards and forum gathered on Sept. 11, 2024. Seated from left are Lobien Realty Group Chief Executive Officer Sheila Lobien, Wilcon Depot Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rosemarie Bosch-Ong, Palafox Associates founder Felino ‘Jun’ Palafox Jr., The Manila Times President and COO Blanca Calilung-Mercado, Punongbayan & Araullo Grant Thornton Vice Chairman and Deputy Managing Partner Olivier Aznar, and Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria General Manager Maria Patria ‘Pat’ Alodia Puyat. Standing at the back are (from left) TMT Marketing Communications and Services Director Denise Calnea; Elijah Daguio, representing Loren Sales, executive vice president and COO of PHirst; TMT Vice President for Sales and Marketing Roda Alonzo-Zabat, and Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria and Holiday Inn Manila Galleria Sales and Marketing Director Jane Paulino. (Inset) From left are Mai Sigue-Bisnar, Advisory Services partner, and Brand and Communications and Business Development Groups leader at Grant Thornton; Calilung-Mercado, and Romualdo Murcia 3rd, Grant Thornton chairman and managing partner. PHOTO BY ISMAEL DE JUAN
“P&A Grant Thornton is proud to stand with The Manila Times in recognizing the cities and municipalities [that] are driving transformative change with their sustainability initiatives and digital transformation,” Anzar said.
“With this, our participation goes beyond financial management, but rather, we are also advocates of sustainable financial practices. We ensure that cities and municipalities have the financial resilience to thrive, to improve their sustainable fiscal policies and to continuously create a balanced community in their areas,” he added.
This year’s panel of judges is composed of Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr., Palafox Associates founder and managing partner; Mai Sigue-Bisnar, P&A Grant Thornton Advisory Services partner, and Brand and Communications and Business Development Groups leader; Loren Sales, PHirst executive vice president and COO; Rosemarie Bosch-Ong, Wilcon Depot senior executive vice president and COO; and Sheila Lobien, Lobien Realty Group chief executive officer.
The participating cities and municipalities were assessed across 15 categories, covering areas such as peace and security, sustainability, infrastructure, education, community empowerment, social development, economic growth, emergency and disaster management, tourism, technological advancement, livelihood and food security.
A model city and municipality
In an interview before the deliberation of winners, Palafox defined a model city or a municipality as one with environmentally friendly, master planned and thoughtfully designed buildings.
As seen through the lens of this distinguished architect and urban planner, a model city or a municipality should be smart, sustainable and resilient, providing livable and walkable spaces, including safe public and mass transit. It should have mixed-income households and mixed-use developments that integrate areas for living, working, dining, learning and worship. Palafox said the model city or municipality should also have education and health care facilities, wellness centers and 24-hour activity centers.
For Lobien, a model city or municipality meant having a thriving economy, being efficient in delivering social services — particularly in public health — maintaining a strong peace and order situation with a low crime rate, demonstrating resilience during calamities and developing the necessary infrastructure to support its businesses.
Meanwhile, P&A Grant Thornton’s Sigue-Bisnar underlined inclusivity as a core principle of a model city or municipality.
Sigue-Bisnar noted that a model city and municipality would have the capacity to establish and maintain sustainable and inclusive communities. She said having “innovative and sensible” LGUs would be critical to make a city or municipality a model one.
PHirst’s Sales echoed the latter’s statement on inclusivity, stating: “[A model city and municipality] ensures that all stakeholders — children, youth, the elderly [and] business entities — are part of its growth plans.
As a home improvement and construction supplies retailer, Wilcon Depot’s Bosch-Ong characterized a model city or municipality as a champion of people’s well-being while also consistently advancing innovation and adaptability.
“It balances progress with sustainability, making sure that both economic growth and environmental care are priorities. Good governance, smart infrastructure and a commitment to improving the quality of life for its residents are vital markers of success,” Bosch-Ong said.
This year’s TMT Philippine Model Cities and Municipalities awards and forum speakers will feature Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, United Nations Sasakawa laureate Glenn Banaguas, P&A Grant Thornton Chief Sustainability Officer and Partner for Advisory Services Christopher Ferareza, Palafox Associates founder Felino Palafox Jr., Angkas CEO George Royeca, and International Workplace Group Country Manager for the Philippines and Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific North Lars Wittig.
The event’s category sponsors included PHirst, Wilcon Depot and InfiniVAN Inc. with Lazada listed as event partner, Watsons named as special partner, and IBC 13 and The Manila Times TV as media partners.
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