ILOILO: HEART of the PHILIPPINES

Highlighting a major milestone for local art and creative industries, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Chairman Dr. Eric B. Zerrudo joined Ilonggo artists as Guest of Honor for "HÁNAG: Emergent Perspectives - Works by Ilonggo Artists and Designers." Originally launched as part of the 89th Iloilo City Charter Day festivities, the exhibition at the SM City Iloilo North Point Event Center has been extended through August 30, 2026, due to strong public interest. The August 21 reception marked an important breakthrough: TAOHAY NCCA’s very first off-site exhibition, expanding exemplary arts programming directly to broader audiences. The event built upon the exhibit’s August 17 launch, where Ms. Leny Ledesma represented Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas. Welcoming Dr. Zerrudo alongside the featured creators, Ms. Kristine Joyce Yap, SM City Iloilo Regional Marketing Manager for Visayas, emphasized the mall chain’s pride in partnering with the NCCA and the City Governm...

PAVIA, ILOILO — Two major businesses in Pavia, Iloilo - Vitarich Corporation and Visayas Coco Development Incorporated, have recently chosen MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) as their electric distribution partner. Vitarich Corporation, a leading feed mill company, completed its migration to MORE Power on June 2, 2026. Meanwhile, Visayas Coco Development Incorporated, a coconut oil manufacturer, joined the distribution utility on July 8, 2026. The Vitarich migration ceremony was attended by company engineers and officials of the Local Government Unit of Pavia, alongside MORE Power Executive Chief Operating Officer Engr. Ronald Torres and Vice President for Marketing, Corporate Affairs and Customer Care Maricris Cabalhin. For Visayas Coco Development Incorporated, Chief Operating Officer Christian Yu joined MORE Power officials during the company’s migration ceremony. “We are looking forward to a lifetime partnership with MORE Power. We want to make sure that we are getti...

A cheerful Mrs. Emma Caballero greets us at the gates of Tagbac Elementary School in Oton, Iloilo. She excitedly announced they got a funding from Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. for a new computer facility, on top of the new classrooms being built. So how can a small school from (an almost far-flung) barangay was able to receive such big grants from the government and private donors? Ma’am Emma tells her story…  When she became part of the school back in 2003, it was the most dilapidated in Oton. “ We have no electricity, we had poor water facilities and a non-functioning toilet. ” she recalls. “ But our worst problem was most of our students were slow readers - some even non readers. ” she laments. Despite the remedial classes she offered, the problem persisted. She then found out that most are children of poor farmers that go to school without breakfast on top of having poor nutrition. “ Malnutrition seemed to be the root cause, so I decided to cure the st...

Sta. Barbara is a colorful, romantic town with rich history and culture. Visitors should check out its historic center , the town’s most eye-catching architecture , the  Baroque-Renaissance architectural style of  the Sta. Barbara Parish Church and Convent. Constructed in 1849 and finished in 1878. The convent was built the same time as the church. Materials used in the construction of the church and convent were of adobe and coral stones quarried from Alimodian and red bricks used for the flooring, walls and posts. Materials were transported to the town through carts drawn by carabaos.  Connected to the side door of the church is its L-shaped convent of Antillan architectural style. The church served as the headquarters for the Ilonggo Revolutionary Forces in Western Visayas under General Martin Delgado in 1898. It was untouched during World War II and had withstood the 1948 earthquake. It was declared as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Inst...

The Iloilo City Police Office gathered its stakeholders, partners and police personnel as the city’s top cop recognized the agency’s outstanding police stations and community partners. Among its esteemed guests and speakers is MORE Electric and Power Corporation President and CEO Mr. Roel Z. Castro.  In his message, Castro recognized the significant achievement of the PNP and its collaboration with its stakeholders which resulted in the steady decline of index and non-index crimes.  According to Castro, both index and non-index crimes in Iloilo City declined between 2024 and 2025. Records from the Iloilo City Police Office show a 31% decline for index crimes and 10% for non-index crimes.  “This may not happen if it is not because of the relationship that police officers have with their stakeholders. It is just fitting that the ceremony that we celebrated is the culmination of the Police Community Relations Month that really highlights the effectiveness of the programs tha...

The biggest fire in Iloilo City’s history erupted on February 7, 1966.  I was in my third grade at San Agustin and as we were bundled out of school I could see the plumes of black smoke beyond the school’s walls.  Fire engines wailed and people rushed about.  News reports say it started somewhere along Iznart, rapidly engulfing Ledesma, Quezon, Valeria, Delgado and Mabini streets, devouring 12 blocks of the city’s stores, theaters, schools, and hundreds of houses.  Photos from that time have an apocalyptic feel. It should have been a major blow, since Iloilo city was slowly recovering from the damage of WW2, had labor troubles at the port and was mired in petty local politics. Its “Queen City of the South” title was relinquished to Cebu.  However, in the conflagration’s aftermath, the city arose, phoenix-like, from the ashes.   Shanties and hovels that used to be in Delgado were relocated; small businesses arose, movie houses rebuilt—some ...