ILOILO: HEART of the PHILIPPINES

Gov. Arthur Defensor, Jr. graced the groundbreaking ceremony of the two-storey, PhP30 Million municipal building in the municipality of Calinog. The project is funded by Third District Congressman Lorenz Defensor with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Second District Engineering Office as implementing office. "The new municipal hall should serve as inspiration and should motivate our local government employees to better serve their constituents," Cong. Defensor said. He also said that Calinog is a growing town and it is high time that it should have a new municipal building that the Calinognons could be proud of. For his part, Gov. Defensor Jr. assured continued support to the Calinog LGU particularly in projects benefitting the barangays. Mayor Francisco Calvo thanked Cong. Defensor, Gov. Defensor, and former Governor Arthur Defensor, Sr. for their help in making their dream of having a new municipal building a reality. Defensor, Sr. noted that during his ti

SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has partnered to raise awareness about sustainability and disaster resilience through an exhibit which which comes to  Iloilo City last March 29, 2022  The installation, which showcases the initiatives of the two organizations, especially those related to addressing climate change, will be at SM City Iloilo until April 24, 2022 at the Northpoint Event Center. Climate change is the biggest environmental problem the world is facing today, with drastic increases in global temperatures recorded in recent years. According to the 2020 Annual Climate Report by the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the combined land and ocean temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.8°C per decade since 1880. The average rate of increase, however, has been more than twice that rate since 1981, at 0.18°C.  This phenomenon has been affecting our planet's natural systems in many wa

The Iloilo City Goverment will implement the four-day work week starting next week Monday March 28 to help the employees cope with increasing prices of fuels and conserve energy as cost-saving measures as recommended by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Weekly flag ceremony at the Iloilo City Hall complex “We need to adjust because of rising costs of fuel. This will mean savings on electricity and less traffic. As an added value, this will also allow our officials and employees to have quality time with their families for three days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” stressed Mayor Jerry Treñas. The City Hall targets to open at 7am-6pm Monday-Thursday to cover the required 40-hour work week. Treñas said district health centers, personnel of Public Safety and Transportation Management Office and project monitoring of City Engineer’s Office, among other offices providing essential services, will continue with the five-day schedule. City-owned modern jeepneys and buses

Globe, together with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Philippines, joined forces with a local fisherfolk association in Brgy. Pedada, Ajuy, Iloilo to further science-based mangrove conservation efforts in the area.  About 40 volunteers from Globe, ZSL Philippines, and the Brgy. Pedada Fisherfolk Association (BPFA) recently helped in the planting of more than 800 seedlings of Sonneratia alba (locally known as Pagatpat) and Avicennia marina (locally known as Bungalon, Apiapi, or Miapi) in the 3,000 sqm coastal area of Brgy. Pedada. These seeds and seedlings were collected from nearby mother trees and propagated in the local community’s nurseries. “We want to share the value of doing a #GlobeOfGood through environmental stewardship. Globe believes that through nature-based solutions, technology and innovation, we can protect, sustainably manage, and help restore natural ecosystems to create a sustainable future for Filipinos,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainabilit

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, Senator Franklin Drilon, Congresswoman Julienne Baronda and officials of National Housing Authority (NHA) led the groundbreaking of Uswag Residential Building Complex in Brgy. San Isidro in Jaro district last month. Treñas thanked Drilon for facilitating the funding for four units low-rise buildings to be built by NHA in the next months.  The Iloilo City Government acquired this land in July 2021 and promises to build 3 units more units while the office of the Congressman pledges funding for 6 units. The 24-sqm 240-unit condominium will rise in a portion of three-hectare area. The housing project will benefit Informal Settlers Families (ISF) affected by the infrastructure projects in the metropolis.  The site can accommodate 18 buildings of 60 units each.  The 14 other buildings will be constructed as the funds are allocated.  These will be prioritized for relocatees displaced by government projects. Meanwhile, SM Development Corporation is set to start

The first church constructed in Iloilo City in the early 1600s to serve the needs of the Spanish military. What one sees today is the San Jose Church built in the 1870s completed with two towers built with a clock and a barometer.  Pillars dominate the church interiors with tasteful renovations made throughout the years making it a grand "medium size church" inside out. Religious art is everywhere but most striking at the altar and at the transcepts (sides of a church esp those shaped like a cross). Plaza Libertad just across the church

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas proposes the establishment of shrines in different parts of the city honoring of heroic Ilonggos. The Iloilo City Public Library (ICPL) is now housed at Dr. Graciano Lopez Jaena Learning Resource Center and Museum, named after the noble son of Jaro, situated in his former home in Fajardo Street.  Lopez Jaena was an editor and orator whose writings and literary works rallied against Spanish invaders. "After this, we will have an Avanceña shrine and library in Arevalo. We will allow the younger generation to know more about the important persons in their districts who contributed a lot to our lives today. We are what we are because of what they did for us during their time," Treñas stressed. This will pay tribute to Arevalo's pride Ramon Avanceña, the former chief justice of Supreme Court. With the redevelopment of the La Paz plaza in the works, Mayor Treñas revealed that it will also host a library. City Librarian Marion Aguirre said they hav

In observance of the 2022 National Women's Month, the Department of Agriculture (DA) Western Visayas features the outstanding rural women farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, and women prime movers in the agri-fishery sector in a week-long exhibit dubbed as "Babaye, Ka-Agri" at SM City Iloilo. DA Western Visayas Regional Executive Director Remelyn Recoter said the celebration seeks to recognize the efforts and contributions of rural women in the agriculture and fishery sector, which comprises 45.92 percent of the 831,921 encoded farmers and fishers in the government's registry system.  "In the OneDA Reform Agenda of the agency, there is one strategy which focuses on women engagement under the pillar of professionalization. Women's role in agriculture and fisheries is huge in terms of employment generation. The majority of the women who came here today are entrepreneurs wherein they generate employment within their community and contribute to the economic development,

The Iloilo City Government has started the construction of a state-of-the-art 8-storey Legislative Building that would be at par with others or even become the best in the country. Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said the state-of-the-art multi-purpose facility and parking space would cost about P400-million. It will be beside the Ker and Co. heritage building behind City Hall. “What we want is to benchmark at the session hall of Makati so that we will also have a beautiful session hall here. Something that we will be proud of – we will have the best Legislative Building in the whole Philippines,” Treñas stressed. “The walls of this building that will house our legislators will be the witness of the hard work and perseverance of our local government leaders as they craft ordinances and resolutions for the betterment of the city, and generate resources and revenues for the city’s development plans, program objectives, and priorities,” he added. Mayor Treñas suggested that the structure should als