ILOILO City – This southern city is thriving in beauty and vigor, thanks to the city government’s beautification program and infrastructure developments.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our sustainable beautification project,” said Mayor Jerry P. Treñas who has made it a goal to bring vitality to the city’s urban spaces.
The metro is literally blooming and locals and visitors are taking notice. Flowering Rosy Trumpet Trees, fire trees, bougainvilleas, and Golden Shower Trees (Balayong) are a feast for the eyes. They make vibrant the long stretch of Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue (Diversion Road) in Mandurriao district and the Commissioner Efrain Treñas Boulevard, among other major thoroughfares, and plazas and other public spaces.
The city also boasts of a landscaped flower garden in Barangay Nabitasan, La Paz district. The Instagram-mable “Iloilo City Garden of Love” is a showcase of blooms of various kinds and colors. Daily it attracts visitors seeking to relax, rethink and recharge.
An added magnet to the Garden of Love is the Rubber World: Children’s Playground for kids and the kids-at-heart.
“I am filled with pride. We are creating a better world for ourselves and for future generations,” said Treñas. He praised the Iloilo City Beautification Team for their dedication and creativity.
The beautification program also helps boost mental health and well-being. The city government’s Ginhawa 2.0 Mental Health Program will make use of public plazas and open spaces for mental health-related activities.
“We have a lot of very nice public plazas. Ginpanami ini ni Mayor Treñas. We would like to anchor (the Ginhawa program) on that,” said Executive Assistant Lady Julie Grace Baronda, a member of the Ginhawa technical working group.
The city government’s beautification program is part of the city mayor’s good governance roadmap called “W.H.E.E.L.S. for Inclusive Development under Environment and Sustainability”.
Meanwhile, infrastructure development projects such as the over nine-kilometer Iloilo River Esplanade, bike lanes and rehabilitated public plazas are now tourism come-ons.
The city government is also redeveloping all its public markets and propagating native trees.
The overall goal, according to Treñas, is to make Iloilo one of the country’s top livable city./PN
