ILOILO: HEART of the PHILIPPINES

Iloilo City and beyond by Felipe Uygongco Upon arrival at the Iloilo International Airport, you can already start exploring Iloilo's heritage, history and gastronomy. A perfect way to commence your journey is in the town of Santa Barbara . Santa Barbara church and convent Located just 10 minutes from the airport, you may opt to take the multicab vans then tricycle to the historic town. It is recommended that you first check the Santa Barbara Centennial Museum to register, visit and ask for an itinerary suggestion. Among the places of interest are the more than 150-year old Santa Barbara church, convent and gardens, the Flagpole Park (currently the tallest and biggest in the country), the town plaza with its historic monuments, the "burning"  water called poso , hand-made Belgian lace making at WUTHLE and the Iloilo Golf and Country Club (the oldest in Southeast Asia). For local delicacies, just  ask around for  bingka , baye-baye , bitso-bitso

Stretching more than a kilometer along the banks of the Iloilo River is the Iloilo River Esplanade . Designed by the architect Paulo Alcazaren , designer of the Singapore quay and river esplanade, the Iloilo River Esplanade is a park development on one of the riverbanks of Iloilo River in Mandurriao, Iloilo City. It serves as a recreation area and an attraction for the locals and visitors. It was opened to the public in 2012. Text credit - Wikipedia