ILOILO – The rehabilitation of the Arroyo Fountain on Bonifacio Drive, Iloilo City in front of Casa Real de Iloilo (old provincial capitol) may be completed by July 29.
“The fountain will be restored to its original form…sa original nga manami sia,” said Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
The Arroyo Fountain has been declared an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP). It was named after Sen. Jose Maria Arroyo, the grandfather of former First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo and author of Republic Act 3222 which established the Iloilo Metropolitan Waterworks in 1925.
The fountain rehabilitation contractor is MJ Barcelona Construction and Supply.
The fountain is a sculpture composed of four originally naked Grecian muses holding overhead a large basin that is overflowing with water gushing from a spout at the top and flowing down to gather in a larger collective basin. However, in 1929, at the insistence of the Roman Catholic Church, the naked muses were “clothed” in flowing garments and underwent re-sculpting to appear as they do today.
The rehabilitation will not “undress” the Grecian muses. But chipped portions of the nearly a century-old fountain will be resurfaced then repainted white. Its lighting will be improved, too.
Work, which also includes plumbing to ensure uninterrupted flow of fountain water, started on May 10. The provincial government allotted P1.9 million for this.
The Arroyo Fountain also serves as “Kilometer Zero”, the benchmark used to measure distances from Iloilo City to other points in Panay Island./PN
