ILOILO City – Over 2,000 colorful giant parols are now lighting up the city’s main thoroughfares.
A grand switch-on was held on Friday night at the SM City Iloilo Southpoint.
The annual “Christmas Parol of Hope” project is a partnership between the Iloilo City government and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI-Iloilo).
According to PCCI-Iloilo chairperson, Dr. Sandra Sarabia-Gomez, the sponsorships exceeded their expectations. From 1,700 parols in 2019, the number increased to over 2,000.
Now on its fourth year, the project gives hope to persons deprived of liberty (PDL) at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology that PCCI-Iloilo tapped to make this traditional Filipino Christmas decor.
“Every parol is the result of the hard work and dedication of our PDLs. T heir honorarium from this activity can provide food on the table and gifts for their families this Christmas,” said Sarabia-Gomez.
The PCCI chair, together with Mayor P. Jerry Treñas and first lady Rosalie Treñas, Rep. Julienne Baronda, Uswag Ilonggo Partylist’s Rep. Jojo Ang, PCCI regional governor Atty. Joebert Peñaflorida, SM Regional Marketing Manager Visayas 3 Kristine Yap, and other stakeholders led the switch-on ceremony.
According to Sarabia-Gomez, the parols will continue to light up the streets of the metropolis up to the Dinagyang Festival and Chinese New Year in January 2023.
She thanked all who took part in the realization of this project.
“We are still in the pandemic. But the unified spirit and the collective support of all Ilonggos give us the hope and the inspiration to dream of a better and brighter future for Iloilo,” she added.
Mayor Treñas, for his part, underscored that this “Parol of Hope” project is another manifestation of the strong partnership between the city government and the private sector.
“Ginahambal ta pirme nga diri sa syudad makusog ang PPP ukon public-private partnership. Paagi sa PPP, madamo ang maobra ta,” said Treñas.
For one, he cited the city government’s partnership with SM Prime Holdings Inc. for the redevelopment of the city’s two biggest public markets – the Iloilo Central and Terminal markets.
Aside from this, he also noted SM’s commitment to help the Dinagyang Festival 2023 with P10 million – the biggest assistance from the private sector for the annual cultural extravaganza, he said.
Baronda, meanwhile, underscored the strong support of the private sector even during the pandemic.
She added that Iloilo City under the leadership of Treñas has shown to the world how the Ilonggos hold on to each other and survive amid challenges like the pandemic./PN
