Bacolod mayor invited to Singapore conference

MANILA, Philippines - Bacolod City Mayor Monico Puentevella was invited to a conference of mayors of emerging cities from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore on March 31 to April 1.

Dubbed “Asia Development Dialogue: Building Resilience and Effective Governance of Emerging Cities in the ASEAN” the conference was organized by Oxfam International and LYK School of the National University of Singapore.

The LKY School of Public Policy will shoulder the travel and accommodations expenses for Puentevella’s trip.

Puentevella said the event would bring together ASEAN mayors to discuss the challenges facing emerging cities like Bacolod in building resilience capacities and effective governance.

He said the Oxfam and the LKY School of Public Policy recognize the role emerging cities play in basic issues such as governance and public service delivery.

“What makes the participation of Bacolod City in this conference significant is the presentation of a case study highlighting reflections on post-Typhoon Yolanda and how this experience changed the mindset of the Philippines and the rest of the world toward disaster preparedness and resiliency,” Puentevella said.

In a letter from Donald Low, LKYS-NUS senior fellow and associate dean for executive education, Puentevella was urged to share Bacolod City’s best practices, present and develop solutions related to resilience capacity building and effective governance.

At the end of the conference, Bacolod City will be part of an initiative that will strengthen a network of mayors from secondary cities in Southeast Asia.