AS PUBLISHED in the newspapers last week, the city of Iloilo was recognized and declared as “Most Improved Highly Urbanized City” in the country during the 6th Regional Summit for Cities held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Metro Manila, with Mayor Jose Espinosa III personally receiving the award for the city.
Iloilo City was ranked as Most Improved Local Government Unit under the Highly Urbanized City Category, for the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index or the CMCI Awards for 2018. This Regional Summit for Cities is a government program that has the participation of 1,500 LGUs nationwide.
We have written two articles lately in our column that highlighted:
1) Iloilo’s desirability as headquarters for business that moves out from crowded Metro Manila (July 31), and
2) as a major tourist destination in the country (Aug. 7)
This week the officers and members of the Automobile Association of the Philippines will be in town from Aug. 23 to Aug. 26 (Thursday to Sunday) on a Fly-Drive Caravan to Iloilo and Guimaras, as mentioned in our column of Aug. 7.
We wish that our City Tourism Office will have a chance to schedule at least a “meet and greet” opportunity with them when they pass by the city. This idea of a “meet and greet” affair with group visitors that come to visit with us will make them feel welcome especially if this happens to be their first visit. Having been called recently as a “booming metro” by one research firm, the good news about Iloilo must have started to spread out fast.
The increased visits to our city by various sectors from other parts of the country and abroad are clear indications of our development as a good business and tourist destination.
Now, another good accomplishment of the Ilonggos is having an active press with the Iloilo Press Club (IPC) as the first provincial media group in the country to put up its own club building. This is located at M.H. del Pilar Street, Molo, Iloilo City near the bus terminal to southern Iloilo and Antique province.
But it is sad that the building has long been finished but cannot be occupied by IPC because city hall has not released its occupancy permit, even if it was long applied for.
Now you will understand why we were previously proud of our city, but now not anymore!
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Historical Quote of the Week
“The first Filipino soldier to win a Congressional Medal of Honor from the US during World War II – Captain Jose Calugas of Leon, Iloilo.” (For comments or re-actions, please e-mail to jnoveracompany@yahoo.com)/PN
