(UPDATE) PASIG City, under Mayor Vico Sotto, has secured a $1 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies after its floating parks initiative was named one of the world’s top urban innovations. The Manila Times spoke with Bloomberg Philanthropies about Pasig’s win, on the heels of its global announcement of the winners. Pasig was among 24 global winners selected from more than 630 applicants worldwide in the 2025–2026 Mayors Challenge. Twenty-five cities from the Philippines joined the competition, with Pasig City emerging as one of the global winners. Naga City and Cauayan City were among the other Philippine cities that advanced to the global top 50 finalists. Bloomberg Philanthropies said winners were chosen based on the novelty of their ideas, potential impact, and strength of implementation plans, after 50 finalist cities tested live prototypes with residents. In a statement to The Manila Times, Aparna Ramanan, who leads the Mayors Challenge for the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, said Pasig’s community-driven approach distinguished the city. “Pasig isn’t just designing a solution for residents — it is building one with them,” Ramanan said. “By turning flood-prone waterways into floating parks, the city’s Mayors Challenge-winning program will, yes, reduce river overflow, but also create public spaces shaped by the people who live beside them,” she added. Ramanan said that the level of partnership helps local governments deliver results and build public trust, adding that Bloomberg Philanthropies looks forward to supporting the city and helping other municipalities learn from its model. Sotto told The Manila Times that the grant could help Pasig address the lack of open, usable spaces along flood-prone waterways while mobilizing residents to co-design solutions. “Through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge, Pasig will confront the lack of open, usable spaces along flood-prone waterways not just as a problem of design, but also as an opportunity to mobilize the residents to implement a solution,” Sotto said. “As a winner, we will have an engine of support to co-design floating parks with residents along our historical river. In doing so, we hope to reclaim green space and transform high-risk corridors into safe public places that foster civic engagement and reconnect with our heritage.” During the finalist phase, Pasig received $50,000 and technical support to pilot “Hope Floats,” a working prototype that allowed residents to board a retrofitted barge and help shape the design. Children sketched playground ideas while adults proposed karaoke, aesthetic lighting, exercise areas, and night markets. City officials, using the feedback, could test engineering, safety, and regulatory assumptions along the Pasig River. The winning plan will establish a network of floating parks totaling about 700 square meters, including modular circular platforms and a converted barge capable of carrying up to 250 people. The parks will integrate wetlands to help filter water, retention systems to reduce river overflow, and a resident-led Parks Governance Council that will co-manage operations and programming. As a winner, Pasig will receive not only $1 million but also operational support and additional funding for dedicated staff to scale the project and expand its tested innovation. Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P. and former mayor of New York City, said the challenge was launched to support bold, creative city governments in solving public service problems and scaling innovative ideas. In the coming months, Pasig will finalize the design and begin construction of the floating parks and riverside easements, continue consultations with communities to form a Governance Council for Parks, and coordinate with the private sector and national government agencies on regulatory and technical requirements. Other winners include As-Salt, Jordan; Barcelona, Spain; Beira, Mozambique; Belfast, United Kingdom; Benin City, Nigeria; Boise, United States; Budapest, Hungary; Cape Town, South Africa; Cartagena, Colombia; Fez, Morocco; Fukuoka, Japan; Ghaziabad, India; Ghent, Belgium; Kanifing, The Gambia; Lafayette, United States; Medellín, Colombia; Netanya, Israel; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; South Bend, United States; Surabaya, Indonesia; Toronto, Canada; Turku, Finland; and Visakhapatnam, India.