On the Rise: Iloilo City's new CBD

Flocked with big developments from the likes of Megaworld, Ayala, SM and Gaisano, among others, the former salt beds in Mandurriao cut through by the Jaro West Diversion Road is fast becoming the new heart of business and development in city. With combined development worth of around PhP70 billion, this is Iloilo City's new CBD - on the rise!

Plazuela de Iloilo (left) will add an annex building while SM City Iloilo aside from its on-going Northwing expansion mall, will also build a hotel (Park Inn by Radisson), entertainment/dining (Southpoint)strip and a BPO tower rumored to be 24 storeys beside Injap Tower.

Viewed from the current tallest building in the region, the 21-storey Injap Tower Hotel, the Iloilo Diversion Road (Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr Avenue is currently undergoing massive road widening and beautification that stretches all the way to the Iloilo International Airport - 20kms away!

Megaworld's PhP35B Iloilo Business Park, in the backgrund rises from the old Iloilo Airport. Under construction are Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, Iloilo Convention Center, Richmonde Hotel Iloilo, The Megaworld Grand Central Mall, the kilometer long Festive walk, and around 5 BPO buildings. Also to be constructed are 5 premium condominium towers.

Ayala Land Inc on the other hand is developing the PhP20 billion Atria Park District. Under construction are Seda Hotel Iloilo. The Shops, Avida Towers and Storeys condominiums. Operating now is Qualimed Medical Center. A full pledged Ayala Mall is in the pipeline (rumors).

With road networks almost complete, the PhP12 billion Gaisano Iloilo City Center will create a city within the city with its mixed complex of residential, commercial, educational and government developments. It also includes a man-made river cutting across the complex and crowning this development is the 40-storey Gaisano tower at the entrance.

Indeed, Iloilo City is on the rise!

Photo credits Mafe Barcelo and Doris Monggaya

Travelers guide to Iloilo transport terminals (Airport, Jeepneys, Buses, RORO. etc)

Being the biggest city on Panay Island and the center of Western Visayas region, Iloilo City is a transportation hub whether by land, sea or air. These numerous transportation terminals facilitate day to day commerce, light & heavy industries, and tourism, among others. As this is a travel blog, this guide is aimed to tourists who want to experience and explore Iloilo and perhaps even beyond. Iloilo International Airport A little more than five years old, the Iloilo International Airpor t is among the most modern and beautiful in the country today. It is situated around 20 kilometers from Iloilo City , straddling the towns of Cabatuan, San Miguel and Sta. Barbara . It has direct links to Manila, Cebu, Clark, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Puerto Princesa plus international destinations Hong Kong and Singapore . Among the first hurdles tourists will have to contend is the distance that translates to expensive fare when traveling to and from this airport.

Connie Carillo Diversified Farm in Bingawan: Helping Sustaining a Healthy Community Through Farm Schools

The area around the town of Bingawan, the edge of the central portion of the province is where it ends and the town of Tapaz, Capiz province begins and is very much another unsung corner of Iloilo with warm, friendly, welcoming people. Bingawan has some rich farming land and farming is at the heart of its village life. The landscapes are gorgeous here; with gentle pastures, to the high mountains. The area offers some beautiful hikes and bike trails across its lovely rolling meadows, woodland and a few working farms. The town would be less touristic than its neighboring towns but is well worth exploring. If you are concerned about how organic can contribute to benefit our shared environment, promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved, then a trip to Connie Carillo Diversified Farm is for you. With the governments’ efforts to improve the knowledge and technical skills of the farmers, the Connie Carillo Diversified Fa

Iloilo Ancestral Houses: The Lizares Mansion in Jaro

One the most elegant reminders of Iloilo's rich and noble past is the imposing Lizares Mansion in Tabuc Suba, Jaro. Situated in an almost 2-hectare lot, this mansion was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife Conchita Gamboa. The mansion has three floors, a basement and an attic. It has a winding wooden staircase and big bedrooms with floor and doors made of hardwood. It has 59 doors which indicate the intricacy of its layout. When World War II broke out, the family left for a safe hiding place in Pototan, Iloilo. The mansion was then used as headquarters of the Japanese army. It was believed that the basement became a dumping ground for tortured Filipinos. After the war, the family went back to live in the mansion, but life was never the same. In 1950, Don Emiliano Lizares died and his widow left for Manila, leasing the mansion to a businessman who turned it into a casino. The city mayor later ordered that the casino be closed, claimi

ILOILO: HEART of the PHILIPPINES

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