IT SEEMS to be ages now that we have not seen the City of Iloilo because of the recent pandemic. So we decided to have a “tour” last Sunday without going down the car throughout our three-hour sight-seeing trip. Maybe, like us you have not gone around anymore and so we are sharing with you our experience.
Starting from NHA Village in Mandurriao at about 9 a.m., we passed the road behind Mandurriao Church and turned left towards the city via a street that passes in front of Mandurriao Elementary School. We noted the wide open lot cleared at the corner of Mejorada Street on the side across the road. There must be plans for development for this area as it appears to have been cleared of all structures and now looks like a football field.
We drove all the way to downtown Iloilo via Tanza and J. Rizal Street behind the supermarket and we turned left to Ortiz Street after the University of Iloilo campus and turned again left to J.M. Basa Street.
Passing the old Customs Building or the Aduana on J.M. Basa side, we noted that they have made a park in front facing J.M. Basa Street or Iloilo’s Calle Real. We turned right to Guanco Street to connect to Muele Loney, passing in front of the Iloilo City Freedom Grandstand now facing the Iloilo River on Muele Loney.
We saw the M/V Lacson, a training vessel owned by the John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University. We are told that the boat is currently utilized to temporarily host returning residents, especially those going home from abroad. An inter-island vessel can be seen anchored at the port terminal across the river because we understand that inter-island trips to Negros Occ. have not yet resumed.
We drove along Muelle Loney and saw the river port cleared, this time of boats that even cargo vessels are not found at the pier. Getting to the end of the pier near the mouth of the river, we saw on the other hand that inter-island trips by pump boat between Guimaras and Iloilo continues. A new multi-storey commercial building is under construction in this part of the pier across the boat terminal to Buenavista, Guimaras and that pump boat trips continue to serve Guimaras and Iloilo.
Crossing the bridge in Lapuz district, we drove slowly all the way to the city’s boundary with Leganes town to connect to the circumferential road. We stopped at a road crossing where there is Jollibee store, as it was already noon time. Without going down the car, we lined up for three packs of sandwiches and three bottles of Coke which we brought home as our lunch for the day for the three of us.
We feel privileged to share with you our sightseeing around the city without going down the car and not even opening our window throughout the whole trip for health and safety reasons. We realized that the city is not yet back to normal.
When will public transport be fully back on the road and restore once again our people to their usual life and livelihood?
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GEM OF THOUGHT
“Tie the knot.” – To get married.
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