Makati City Mayor Abby Binay was again recognized as one of Asia's most influential personalities in 2022 by media entity Tatler for her commendable public service and initiatives at further improving the country's business hub and the lives of its residents.

In Tatler's list of Asia's Most Influential 2022, Binay was lauded for her programs which transformed Makati into a smart city as well as her climate change awareness efforts.

Under Binay’s leadership, the city was proclaimed as the first-ever Resilience Hub in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia by the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

She was also cited for being the Disaster Cluster leader of CityNet, the largest association of urban stakeholders aiming to promote sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.

During her speech at the Daring Cities 2022 global forum, she presented the city’s initiatives to address climate emergency and its investments in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

"She initiated a digital economy through cashless payments, and connected Makati citizens via free Wi-Fi. In 2020, Binay gained worldwide recognition for her efforts as the sole finalist in that year’s World Smart Cities Award. Plans up ahead include projects to make Makati a green city powered by renewable energy, and retrofitted with efficient and sustainable transportation systems," Tatler noted.

"I want my legacy to be one of positive change and transformation—not just for Makati but for the Philippines," Binay said.

"This keeps me going: the thought that my efforts today will make a difference not just for the present generation but also for future generations," she added.

The mayor was also included in Tatler's list of 32 Women of Impact 2022, which handpicked 32 women who have made great strides in changing the cultural spectrum—from business and finance to arts, public service, sports, education, technology and philanthropy.

It added that "these women are shining examples of women achievers who are serving with purpose and passion."

Tatler commended Binay’s service to the estimated 629,616 Makatizens for six years now. It also enumerated some of her administration’s pioneering projects aimed at effectively addressing the needs of the masses.

These include the “All-in-One Citizen ID” which Binay rolled out in 2017 to accelerate the city’s digital transformation into becoming a Smart City.

Makati is the first city in the country to implement the automated distribution of cash aid during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other projects that her administration pioneered also include the Bakuna Makati Covid-19 response program; priority infrastructure projects such as hospitals, sports complexes, and schools; distribution of school supplies and scholarships to its students; and various cash grants to the city’s senior citizens.

“When women succeed, it is often viewed as something so unexpected. But history will attest to the many times and countless ways women broke through stereotypes to do the impossible. The issue, therefore, is acceptance beyond mere recognition. A woman’s success must be treated as the norm and not the exception,” Binay said.

“Society needs to put women on equal footing with men because our success is no less significant than theirs. We have earned our stripes. We have paid our dues. Recognize, honor, and pay tribute to women not because we were ‘the first ever’ or ‘the only’ but because you recognize that we have the power to succeed,” she added.