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

Another iconic heritage structure along Calle Real breathes new life to Iloilo City's royal street is the CELSO-LEDESMA building. It is among the very few that has a facade not only along JM Basa Street but also on the adjacent Iznart Street.  Ilonggos familiarity of the building is more on the shops hosted by this facade - The Commoner and Seven-Seven Trading, among others. But now with its "new lease on life" it stands among the classic colonial architecture found on the city's street of grandeur. Photo by Robbie Robles from the  Iloilo City Gallery  Facebook Page

Richmonde Hotel Iloilo recently opened it's pool deck located at the 7th level of the Richmonde Tower. An infinity pool overlooking the Iloilo Business Park is the centerpiece of the palm fringed level set to recreate an oasis in the urban jungle. The pool has a "built-in" jacuzzi for a relxed swim as well as a tiled lounge. Lounge chairs dot the deck and to compliment the the hot summer days, a mini-bar serves drinks to the guests. It is among the many come-ons Richmonde Hotel Iloilo has for its guests aside from its well-appointed guest rooms and hotel interiors  and its main restaurant - The Granary . And for a limited this this summer, Richmonde Hotel Iloilo opens the pool for walk-in guests as a special treat for the sun worshipers in Iloilo city!  For an entrance fee of PhP 500 nett, one can enjoy a refreshing swim and lounge under the sun - both with a relaxing view. Price includes towel and use of the shower area.  But be sure to ca...

There's a new playground for the Ilonggos as the popular Iloilo Riverside Esplanade appears to be extended to the district of Lapuz specifically beside the Ferry Terminal. This photo from Iloilo Constructions Facebook Page shows how this portion of the Esplanade creates a perfect viewpoint for the Iloilo City Hall and Custom's House.  It is also also beside the proposed park/plaza to be built by Iloilo City's Sister City of Stockton, California. This Esplanade is connected to downtown Iloilo via the new bridge that forms part of Arroyo Street. It serves as a breather for this once choked portion of the Iloilo River and now part of the tourism strip the Iloilo River is fast becoming to be. NIGHTTIME VIEW by  Christian Evren Gimotea Lozañes

Winning a whopping PhP1,000,000 as prize, Iloilo City's Dinagyang Festival was declared the 2017 Aliwan Fiesta champion! It is Dinagyang Festival's 6th championship crown since the Aliwan Fiesta's inception 15 years ago. The Iloilo contingent also garnered special awards namely Best in Costume and Best  Musical Accompaniment. Manggahan Festival of Guimaras took second place and last years champ Manaragat Festival of Catbalogan City placed third. Marla Alforque representing Cebu's Sinulog Festival was crowned Reyna Ng Aliwan giving Cebu its 8th crown. Here's the complete result of the Aliwan  2017 Streetdance Competition MAJOR AWARDS Champion DINAGYANG FESTIVAL Iloilo City 1st Runner Up MANGGAHAN Festival Guimaras 2nd Runner Up MANARAGAT Festival Catbalogan 3rd Runner Up ANTIPOLO MAYTIME Festival 4th Runner Up MEGUYAYA Festival Maguindanao Runners up BALITOK TI ALICIA Festival Isabela PANAGBENGA FLOWER Festival Baguio CINCO DE NOVIEMBRE ...

On its annual list of The Best and The Worst, web portal SleepingInAirports , released its 2016 honor and horror roll. It ranked the Best Airports in the World and in several other regions/ continents including Asia.  For its Best Airport in Asia list, Iloilo International Airport ranked #12 among the 30 listed airports. It is one of the four Philippine airports that made it to the list, the other three Mactan-Cebu International Airport ranked at #14, Clark International Airport at #15 and new to the list is Davao's Francisco Bangoy International Airport at #26.

 Finally, Iloilo City has now a "Street View" on Google Maps! One can now actually see Iloilo on "virtual reality" as Google's Street View provides a navigable map which can be moved in all directions to get a you want to see. Calle Real on virtual reality Around one year ago, Ilonggos have seen the Google Car roaming around Iloilo City and some towns to get some visuals that need to be on this map. With this interactive map, one can now see areas not only on top view but as if one is walking down the street! For this launch, only a selected number of cities have been mapped. Here are samples of Iloilo City via Google Maps Street View.  ( Click here on Google Maps Street View Tutorials ) Restored buildings along Calle Real Bonifacio Drive with The Atrium mall and Iloilo Capitol Complex on the left In Arevalo, Iloilo at Camiña Balay nga Bato

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) will fund the restoration of the KER & CO. LTD. Building located at the back Iloilo City Hall. Ker and Co. was built by the British in 1850’s and once employed Nicolas Loney before he was made British vice consul. The company had offices in Manila and Singapore and is credited for bringing sugar cane cuttings to Iloilo from their straits colonies. The company is headed by William Ker who held office in Escolta. Loney is credited for improving the sugar industry of Iloilo by bringing machinery (imported by his former employer Ker & cia) that aided mass sugar production. The Ilongos honor his contribution to their economy by naming their port, Muelle Loney, after him. The British would have not been able to do much business in Iloilo if it were not for this Spanish speaking businessman. The simple looking building of classic Filipino style architecture (stone first floor, wooden upper space) is a testamen...