Continued from December 30-31, 2023
ILOILO City – This 2023 was a year of challenges, triumphs and of course, hope, for Western Visayas.
Here’s a roundup of some of the top newsmakers in the region for this year that we hope we could find the lessons from which to build a better 2024.
Buhang and Hibao-an flyovers
Two more flyovers in Iloilo City opened to the public in 2023.
The P315-million flyover at the intersection of the Iloilo Circumferential Road and Iloilo-Capiz Road (new route) in Barangay Buhang, Jaro district opened to traffic on May 15.
The two-lane Buhang flyover has a length of 340 linear meters and a width of 10.34 meters. It helped ease traffic congestion at the intersection, especially during rush hours.
On Dec. 12, the P405-million Hibao-an flyover in Barangay Hibao-an, Mandurriao district, opened.
It is intended to improve access to the southern part of Iloilo and the neighboring province of Antique, while alleviating traffic in the Iloilo provincial towns of Pavia and San Miguel, and Mandurriao.
First ASF Cases in Negros Occ.
Negros Occidental recorded its first confirmed African Swine Fever (ASF) case in Pulupandan town on May 30.
A week prior, Bacolod City first reported two ASF cases in Barangay Taculing.
The hog disease placed the province’s P6-billion swine industry in jeopardy.
Gov. Cadiao’s Warrant of Arrest, Suspension
On June 7, an arrest warrant against Antique governor Rhodora Cadiao was issued by Sandiganbayan’s Seventh Division but she was able to post a P90,000 bail in Kidapawan City, Cotabato.
Cadiao was accused of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act before the anti-graft court.
The case stemmed from her 2016 order reassigning Provincial General Services Office head Antonio Dela Vega to their Culasi satellite office some 100 kilometers away from the provincial capitol in the capital town of San Jose.
Believing that his reassignment was tantamount to constructive dismissal, Dela Vega questioned the validity of the transfer order before the Civil Service Commission.
In September, the Sandiganbayan’s Seventh Division has slapped Cadiao with a 90-day preventive suspension.
In a resolution dated Sept. 21, 2023 but was released publicly on Sept. 26, the anti-graft court said the suspension order was a preventive measure as the trial is ongoing and will be lifted upon expiration of the 90-day period.
Iloilo City Hall Coop’s Financial Woes
In August, a news broke out that financial issues hounding the Iloilo City Government Employees Multipurpose Cooperative may lead to the filing of charges.
The ICGEMPC faced financial setbacks stemming from dubious loan transactions, which totaled to over P31 million.
Mayor Jerry Treñas, lamenting Cooperative Development Authority’s (CDA) inaction on the ICGMPC’s problems, declared its regional director, Nora Patron, “persona non grata” in September and called for her removal.
The CDA is a government agency in charge of the registration and regulation of cooperatives.
In December, Patron was removed as CDA Region 6 director.
Ilongga OFW Abducted, Killed in Israel
Ilongga overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Grace Prodigo-Cabrera chose to be taken away by the Hamas terrorists to save the 80-year-old Israeli woman under her care. She was the fourth Filipino casualty in the Israel-Hamas conflict, meeting her untimely end on Oct. 7.
The 45-year-old Grace, a native of Barangay Burak, Maasin, Iloilo, had been employed as a caregiver in Kibbutz Be’eri, Israel, for over five years.
Gastronomic Glory for Iloilo City
This city was officially designated as a Creative City of Gastronomy and joined the prestigious UNESCO Creative Cities Network (CCN), a list that encompasses hundreds of cities around the world recognized for their cultural contributions.
Iloilo is the first city in the Philippines to be recognized in the gastronomy category and is the country’s sole official entry this year.
Its culinary scene, with its rich array of native ingredients and time-honored cooking techniques, now stands alongside other global gastronomic giants, promising a new era for the Philippines on the world gastronomy stage.
W. Visayas Wage Hike
A P30 increase in the daily minimum wage of private workers in Western Visayas took effect on Nov. 16 through Wage Order No. RBVI-27 issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board.
According to the Department of Labor and Employment, the increase covers the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental, including the component cities and highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod.
Nat’l Scout Jamboree
Over 40,000 scouts and scoutmasters from different parts of the country gathered for the 18th National Scout Jamboree on Dec. 11 to 17 in Passi City, Iloilo.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the opening of the weeklong national scout jamboree of the Boys Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) on Dec. 11.
The Passi City Government allocated P30 million, on top of outside contributions, to support the event.
Mayor Stephen Palmares, camp chief of the 80-hectare Pintados de Passi Camp, said the local government laid down a 5,000-kilometer water line, established 1,120 toilets and baths, developed the road network, and installed about 350 street lights in the entire camp./PN
