Pasig, San Juan, and Marikina emerged as the most bike-friendly cities in Metro Manila during the first Mobility Awards concluded on Thursday.
Of the 12 local governments in the National Capital Region (NCR) nominated for the award, Pasig City recorded the highest score of 83 percent and won the Gold award for the "Most bike-friendly cities" category.
Another Gold awardee recognized during the virtual announcement of winners was San Juan City which garnered a score of 76 percent, followed by Marikina City as a Silver awardee with 71 percent.
"I’m very honored that San Juan has been chosen for this, and it gives me a lot of added inspiration to continue making San Juan bike-friendly,” San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said during the online event on Thursday.
Zamora shared the local government has installed dedicated bike lanes and new LED lights on sidewalks, as well as passed bike safety ordinances even before the nominations opened. He added that a solar-powered bike stop is currently in works in the city.
Pasig City's Transport Office also bagged the Gold award for the most bike-friendly workplaces category, along with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) branch in Pasay City and The Medical City Ortigas which were also given Gold awards.
"This is just the beginning for Pasig City. Through this, we hope to inspire and collaborate with others to build more sustainable and inclusive cities," Robert Siy, head of Pasig Transport Office, said during the online event.
For the most bike-friendly commercial establishments category, SM Mall of Asia and SM Marikina won the Gold awards after placing first and second, respectively, followed by Bonifacio High Street in third place with a Silver award.
The winners for this year's Mobility Awards were assessed by judges from the environment and active mobility sector according to the presence of bike-friendly infrastructure; integration of policies; and implementation, or the proper use of infrastructure as well as enforcement of policies.
Apart from these three categories, also announced were the Padyak! Awards winners for outstanding bike delivery riders and couriers who were considered as frontliners amid the pandemic. These were Joy Habana of GrabFood, Maria Gepayo of Foodpanda, and Sebastian Cantero of Padyak Padala.
Meanwhile, Padyak! distinction awards were also given to Jonnel Tomlod of Foodpanda, Ernest Mediana of GrabFood, and Helbert Ariola of Gofer.
The Mobility Awards was launched in September by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, MNL Moves, The Climate Reality Project Philippines, and 350 Pilipinas to help prioritize the needs of the majority of Filipinos who do not have cars.
The inaugural round focused on cycling in Metro Manila in recognition of the 88 percent of households in the region and in the Greater Manila Area which do not own cars, according to a 2015 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
"The 88 percent should be the priority, not the 12 percent who have at least one car. Local leaders with the private sector should promote active mobility, or walking and cycling, and improve public transport for the majority," organizers said in a statement.