Makati City, Philippines – Makati is known as the Wall Street of the Philippines , a financial hub where towering offices, hotels and condos dwarf the squatter shanties just a stone’s throw away. It is also known for its feisty mayor Junjun Binay, son of the incumbent vice president and brother to two other Binays, a senator and a congresswoman.

Mayor Binay was recently embroiled in a controversy where he tried to bully his way into a private upscale residential village because he wanted a shorter, traffic- free route to his destination. When the village security guards refused passage to the mayor’s convoy, he made sure the security guards were “invited” to the local police precint for questioning.

But that controversy is gone now and the mayor is buoyed up by news that Makati has achieved a prestigious world record – the number one spot in fact – which he attributes to his administration. Makati has just been named top ‘selfie capital’ of the world, according to Instagram records. Makati topped the list with 258 selfie takers per 100,000 people. Makati has a population of 500,000.

To celebrate this great honor, Mayor Binay has declared March 14 as a city-wide holiday with a ticker tape parade scheduled at 11 am. Binay is urging all Makati residents to take to the streets that day and not to leave their homes without their smart phones. According to Binay’s brilliant plan, at exactly 12 noon, all parade participants and spectators will be asked to take a selfie with their smart phones. Apparently, Binay is aiming for another world record, the most number of selfies taken at the exact same time.

Pasig, a Metro Manila suburb was named top selfie capital, along with Makati, but Pasig residents don’t think it is such a big deal. The same sentiment has been expressed by Cebu City in Central Philippines which was ranked number 9 in the world. So no ticker tape parade or holidays in either Pasig or Cebu.