Iloilo City: Where the past and present meet for the future Alvin I. Dacanay | Business Mirror First part: FOR first-time visitors, Iloilo City may seem like a place where the classic, the colonial and the contemporary not only co-exist, but also complement one another. True, this could also be said of other cities established during the Spanish colonial period that continue to flourish in the 21st century, but the co-existence of features of this vibrant Western Visayan city’s past and present never really feels awkward or forced. In fact, it feels rather natural. This co-existence can be seen with a quick tour of downtown Iloilo City. From Casa Real—also known as the Old Iloilo Provincial Capitol building—and the Arroyo Fountain on the corner of General Luna and Iznart streets to the recently built Iloilo City Hall and Plaza Libertad on De la Rama Street, near what is called Calle Real, visitors may feel as if they are being pulled into the past and then pushed back into the present with every structure they pass by—year-old bank branches, decades-old offices, postwar shops, prewar buildings. It is no surprise, then, that local-government and private-sector players—the Iloilo provincial and city governments, the Department of Tourism in Region 6 (Western Visayas), the Iloilo City Tourism and Development Office, the Metro Iloilo-Guimaras Economic Development Council, the Canadian government-supported Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED), and the Iloilo Business Club (IBC), among others—are taking advantage of the dynamic relationship between the city’s past and present to spur development. These players envision this development to include the transformation of Iloilo City into a top destination for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions/events(MICE) in the country and the Asia-Pacific region. According to IBC Executive Director Maria Lea Victoria E. Lara, the efforts to make this transformation a reality began in earnest with Iloilo City’s inclusion in the short list of possible venues for the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Conference Summit, which the Philippines will host. She said several structures and facilities are being built in preparation for this event and to enhance the city’s status as an emerging MICE center. These include the P500-million, two-story Iloilo Convention Center inside Megaworld’s Iloilo Business Park in the city’s Mandurriao district, which will have eight function rooms and can accommodate up to 3,700 people; and at least four hotels, which are projected to boost the number of hotel rooms in the city to between 3,200 and 3,500 by next year. These construction projects, however, only tell half of Iloilo City’s continuing tale of transformation, only offer an encouraging glimpse into its future. The other half offers a sliding capiz window-framed view of the city’s past through the culinary and cultural-heritage tourism programs that local officials and their partners in the private sector are already implementing and improving to complement MICE events. Initiatives supporting these programs, according to Lara and Iloilo City Tourism Officer Benito T. Jimena, include the heritage bill filed by Rep. Jerry P. Treñas of the Lone District of Iloilo City to maintain and preserve the city’s six Spanish-era plazas; the city heritage tours that the city government designed and has been offering since 2010, when current Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog became its chief executive; and the training of tourism frontliners on various protocols, the funds for which are provided by the LGSP-LED. For a city rich in culture, history and potential, visitors may ask: Which sites are worth seeing? Which destinations deserve to be experienced? For Jimena, the answer is simple. According to him, such sites meet three basic criteria: accessibility, historical worth and “narrative” value. He said what makes Iloilo City’s tourist attractions, well, more attractive are the stories they tell. Jimena is right. The tourist spots—and the significant structures—in Iloilo City and the towns surrounding it tell many stories: of immense wealth generated from sugar and textile production; of the high regard Ilonggos have for education (some of the nation’s most important colleges and universities are found in the city); of their constant striving to improve themselves and their way of life, as well as their need to maintain a healthy balance between work and play; and, of course, their faith, which continues to burn as steady as the perpetually lit candle carried by the image of Nuestra Señora de Candelaria (Our Lady of Candles), the patroness of the entire Western Visayas, at her shrine in the city’s Jaro district. To be continued Photos by AGBoi
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 14:06:42 +0000
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