ILOILO: HEART of the PHILIPPINES

  As one of Mayor Jerry Treñas’ priorities to bring improved public health service to the Ilonggos, t he city government of Iloilo initiated the establishment of Iloilo City Hospital aka USWAG Hospital. The 100-bed hospital will be constructed in Brgy. San Pedro, Molo district on a lot overlooking Esplanade 2 and is foreseen help decongest the private hospitals of patients coming from the city. The medical facility will be a Level 2 hospital and  like most existing private and public hospitals, it will house OB-Gyne, surgery, pedia, and internal medicine. It is also located near the molecular laboratory "The permit to construct the medical facility was already approved by Department of Health, and other documents were being arranged for bidding; then the construction of the structure will follow", Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna. “We have already met with our human resource concerning the number of personnel needed including doctors, nurses, and also utility workers. The proposed Il...

Festive Walk Iloilo together with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) unveiled a mural project featuring the works of Ilonggo artists in time for the National Arts Month Celebration this February. “Walk of Art: NCCA Mural Unveiling at Festive Walk Iloilo” was held on Sunday, February 27. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by NCCA Head for Subcommission on Cultural Dissemination Vicente C. Handa, PhD; Lead Artist Mia Reyes; Megaworld Corporation Vice President of Sales and Marketing Jennifer P. Fong; Festive Walk Iloilo General Manager Karmela Jesena; and Township Director Jogie Viceo. The exhibition aims to support local artists and give them a platform to showcase their world-class talents. The mural display was led by multi-disciplinary artist Mia Reyes who has expertise in various mediums such as film, photography and visual arts. She was a faculty member at the University of San Agustin Fine Arts Department from 2014-2019 where she taught Photogra...

The construction of 120-unit low-rise condominium for Iloilo City Government low-salaried employees is expected to start in March in Brgy. San Isidro in Jaro district.  Mayor Jerry Treñas thanked SM Development Corporation (SMDC) for building low-cost housing units for City Hall workers they can avail on affordable terms during the ground breaking ceremony. “As of last week, SMDC’s in-house contractor has started delivering aggregate materials that followed after the partial closure of the property, only front side vacant lot left for the delivery of materials; signaling that the construction proper will start in about a week’s period,” said Roy Firmeza, head of Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (Icupao).  Expected to be completed after one year and a half, the 30-sqm condo unit in two twin four-story back-to-back Uswag Low Rise Residential Building will rise in 2,741-sqm area. “This is in partnership with SM Prime Holdings and its construction division SM Development Corp...

Answering the Ilonggos need of bringing public welfare service faster, reliable and always readily available, the Iloilo City Government under Mayor Jerry P. Treñas has put up (and will be putting up) several ICARE centers across the city. The Iloilo City Action and Response (ICARE) centers cater to calls for assistance such as trauma cases, vehicular accidents, medical emergencies, and even transport of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients. Each center will be located in strategic locations across the city and will be connected to a main command for dispatch to the closest ICARE center or they can directly call to the nearest center using available hotlines. Perspective of ICARE Center in Ungka, Jaro also broke ground recently in a property owned by Jamora family under a usufruct agreement.  ICARE Centers will  ensure the help coming from concerned offices are readily available. This includes City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), Iloil...

From one of the directors of Imortal, Bagani and La Luna Sangre comes a story of love, friendship and betrayal and how freedom comes with a price. "A Love to Kill" is a  gangster action series that will surely keep viewers at the edge of their seats this 2022. Produced by Studio 360, this will be shown on the popular streaming service/website, Netflix. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas just shared on his social media page the courtesy call of the producers and directors of the mini-series. Capturing the beauty of Iloilo's duality  with its booming nightlife scene and developed city center while still keeping the refreshing feeling of the countryside and scenic roads that showcase nature's gift at the same time, the series is great opportunity to not only tell a compelling story but to also captivate the world of Iloilo's grandeur. In the shortlist of sites to be featured are the  Iloilo River Esplanade, Festive Walk Iloilo, Ja...

A new year brings new beginnings. It is a good time to take concrete steps toward fulfilling long-held dreams and living a new life—a perfect time to invest in one’s dream home, where one can live an idyllic, sustainable lifestyle.  With Iloilo having elevated itself as one of the most dynamic growth centers in the country, SM Development Corporation (SMDC) welcomed the New Year with Glade Residences, an innovative master-planned residential project that is poised to take the Ilonggo way of life to the next level.  This is in line with the company’s commitment to continuing its legacy of redefining the landscape of urban dwellings with game-changing projects that perfectly strike a balance between luxury and accessibility. The Ideal Complete Garden Community Strategically located in Jaro, Iloilo City, Glade Residences is the perfect home for successful and driven individuals who seek a modern lifestyle surrounded by a lush environment. This mid-rise residential gated community...

The National Museum of the Philippines has recently recognized two landmarks in Iloilo for exceptional and outstanding historical, cultural and artistic significance to the Philippines. These are the 1854 Taytay Boni bridge in Miagao, Iloilo and the Old Iloilo Provincial Capitol, also known as the Casa Real, with the 1927 Arroyo Fountain in Iloilo City. Taytay Boni was declared “as an intrinsic part of the declaration of National Cultural Treasure pertaining to the Santo Tomas de Villanueva Parish Church Complex,” said NM director general Jeremy Barns. The Santo Tomás de Villanueva Parish Church of Miagao was declared a national shrine in 1973 under Presidential Decree No. 260 and as a national cultural treasure in December 2014. It also one of the four Spanish-period Baroque churches in the Philippines that were inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993. The inclusion of Taytay Boni as an NCT being an intrinsic part of the Miagao Church complex was made under Museum Declarat...