Pasig City secured a 1 million dollar grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies after its floating parks initiative was named one of 24 global winners of the 2025 to 2026 Bloomberg Mayors Challenge, marking a major international win under Mayor Vico Sotto.
More than 630 cities applied. Twenty five Philippine cities joined the competition. Pasig emerged as a winner, while Naga City and Cauayan City advanced to the global top 50 finalists.
The Mayors Challenge recognizes innovative solutions to urgent urban problems. Finalists tested live prototypes with residents before being evaluated on originality, impact, and feasibility.
Aparna Ramanan, who leads the Mayors Challenge for the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, said Pasig stood out for its community driven model.
“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.
Sotto said the grant strengthens Pasig’s effort to address the lack of usable open 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.”
The project will establish a network of floating parks covering around 700 square meters. Plans include modular circular platforms and a converted barge that can carry up to 250 people. The parks will integrate wetlands for water filtration, retention systems to reduce overflow, and a resident led Parks Governance Council to co manage operations and programming.
During the finalist phase, Pasig received 50,000 dollars and technical support to pilot Hope Floats, a working prototype that allowed residents to board a retrofitted barge and shape the design. Children sketched playground concepts. Adults proposed karaoke areas, lighting, exercise spaces, and night markets. City officials used the feedback to test engineering, safety, and regulatory assumptions along the Pasig River.
Other winners came from cities across Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, and the Middle East.
As a winner, Pasig will receive the 1 million dollar grant along with operational support and additional funding for dedicated staff to scale the project.
