ILOILO City – The new look of the Arroyo Fountain on Bonifacio Drive in this city in front of Casa Real de Iloilo has been unveiled.
The provincial government has allotted P1,801,928.44 for its rehabilitation.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. said it is one of the provincial government’s contributions to Mayor Jerry Treñas’ efforts in beautifying Iloilo City.
“That is our contribution to the beauty of Iloilo City and the province. That is why we restored it to its full functions and nagdugang pa kita,” he said.
With unveiling the rehabilitated Arroyo fountain, Defensor said the provincial government will also ensure its maintenance and prohibit children from bathing or swimming in it.
Based on the project program prepared by the Provincial Engineering Office, the rehabilitation included steel works like panel grills, plumbing and electrical works, and repainting.
The Arroyo Fountain was declared an Important Cultural Property (ICP) 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.
It also stands as “Kilometer Zero”, the benchmark used to measure distances from Iloilo City to other points in Panay Island.
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./PN
