The World Bank has cited Taguig City as the country’s Most Business Friendly City because of the initiatives of the city government to develop infrastructure and ensure that investors enjoy the most conducive climate to develop and expand their businesses.

Taguig Mayor Sigfrido Tinga yesterday said it is another achievement for his administration and the people of the city, for which he was invited and seated as one of the key panelists in the “World Bank-Singapore Infrastructure Finance Summit” in Singapore recently.

The event was held in association with the Financial Times and the World Bank-ASEAN Infrastructure Finance Network.

Tinga, who was introduced by Financial Times’ South Asia Bureau Chief James Lamont as "one of the most innovative mayors in the world", was invited to the financial forum after the city was cited as the Philippines' Most Business Friendly City by the World Bank.

He was the Philippines’ lone representative as he joined local chief executives of elite cities from all over the world.

Among the key officials who attended the forum were Governor Fauzi Bowo of Jakarta, Indonesia; Lord Mayor Robert Doyle of Melbourne, Australia; Mayor Omar Maani of Amman, Jordan; and Keshav Varma, Head of the Global Urban Program of the World Bank Institute.

"This is a great honor for the city to share the stage with such distinguished local executives from premiere cities across the world. I hope we represented the city and the country well," Tinga said.

Drawing from his experience in developing Taguig as one of the Philippines’ most progressive cities, Tinga discussed the initiatives of the city government to develop infrastructure, the challenges they had to overcome, and the tasks that lie ahead.

The summit included panel discussions by the APEC Finance Ministers on the challenges faced by Asian countries in infrastructure as well as the latest innovations in financing urban development.

Notwithstanding the caliber of the participating panelists, the audience said it was Tinga from the Philippine city "which they had difficulty to pronounce" that they found very insightful and who impressed them the most.

The comment by the attendees was "there was still hope for the Philippines, if they can produce local officials such as Tinga."