Dinagyang wows New York in PIDCI Parade

Iloilo City's Dinagyang winner  in New York

NEW YORK - “Sensational! New York has never seen anything like it!” Those were only some of the hooray and hurrah comments Sunday when the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. unleashed its annual commemoration of the Declaration of Philippine Independence on Madison Avenue highlighting the performances of the Philippines’ awards-winning “Queen of Festivals,” the Dinagyang Festival.

As the 32-strong Dinagyang Festival dancers and drummers made their thumping and weaving choreography down the avenue to the shrieks and screams of onlookers running along and on the sidewalks, Dinagyang drums kept the pace booming up and down the concrete canyons of the greatest city in the world.

“It’s an infectious experience I’ve never felt before,” was another spectator’s comment as she tried to keep pace following at the heels of the costumed Dinagyang drummers and dancers.

And the merriment continued later in the day as the Dinagyang Festival put in another rousing performance during PIDCI’s afternoon Cultural Festival on the open stage just north of 23rd Street on Madison Avenue. Once again the shrieks and screams reverberated at the downtown end of the avenue and west through Madison Square Park all the way through the intersecting Fifth Avenue and Broadway.

If you ask Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog of Iloilo City, who heads the delegation, he’ll tell you that the Dinagyang Festival has become some sort of an international phenomenon, especially after winning the Grand Slam Award of the “Aliwan” Festival in Manila. Aliwan is likened to the Carnaval of Rio de Janeiro. It is held annually in Manila, Philippines with winning festivals from the outlying provinces and cities invited to compete for the Grand Slam prize.

And as the day wore on, the crowd on Madison Avenue, enjoying the upper 70’s-degree weather, savored the other major events of PIDCI’s Philippine Independence Day—the all-day Street Fair, from 24th Street to 26th Street—a block-long Food Festival and another block-long Mini-Expo; and the afternoon Cultural Festival that also showcased the Independence Day Parade Guest of Honor, Philippine Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, who was accompanied by Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. and Philippine consul General in New York, Ambassador Mario L. de Leon, Jr. and invited celebrities from the Philippines Jericho and Karyll who sang a few songs on the stage to wind up the day’s festivities.

PIDCI President Joji Jalandoni announced and invited everyone to the next and culminating event of the 113th Anniversary Commemoration of Philippine Independence – the annual Philippine Independence Ball, at the New York Hilton Hotel at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019, on Saturday, June 11 from 7pm to 1am of the following day – Philippine Independence Day.

“Get ready to be thrilled by more Dinagyang Festival dances,” she promised.

source:

http://www.asianjournal.com/fil-am-news/3-filamnews/10744-dinagyang-wows-new-york-in-pidci-parade.html

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Iloilo to pilot cultural integration of Fil-Am youths

By Lydia C. Pendon

Friday, June 10, 2011

MAYOR Jed Patrick Mabilog and Philippine Ambassador Joey Cuisia based in New York City are planning a joint project to make Iloilo City as a pilot area to reintegrate the Filipino-American (Fil-Am) youths on Filipino culture and tradition.

Mabilog, fresh from his 12-day trip to the United States, said an agreement was forged with the Philippine Ambassador to send about 30 to 40 Fil-Am youths in the Philippines and stay for at least one month to absorb Filipino culture and tradition.

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The meeting was held recently when Mabilog led an Ilonggo contingent in New York in a grand Philippine Independence Day celebration and parade last June 5, 2011.

Dinagyang Tribu Pan-ay was the celebration centerpiece along Madison Avenue, Manhattan that captured more than 150,000 crowd and considered as the biggest celebration of Philippine Independence Day in northeastern area of the United States.

Mabilog said the reintegration project seeks to inculcate Philippine tradition and culture among the Fil-Ams who were mostly born and raised in the United States and absorbed the American way of life.

The city mayor said there is a need to teach the youths on Philippine tradition and culture by staying with Ilonggo families who will teach and remind them of their origin.

The city mayor said that several parents of these youths are willing to send back their children to Iloilo during school break from July to August as school opens in September in the United States.

source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/iloilo/local-news/2011/06/10/iloilo-pilot-cultural-integration-fil-am-youths-160426

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Iloilo Welcomes CNS e-Lamp

CNS e-Lamp Office

Iloilo is privilege to be chosen by CNS e-Lamp to be one of their expansion sites. CNS e-Lamp is a Business Processing Outsourcing service company that provide quality English education through web conferencing technology.

E-lamp’s operation started in 2006 at the East Tower Philippine Stock Exchange Center, Exchange Road, Pasig City and in 2009, a new branch opened at the IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City. This April 2011, e-Lamp will start its operation in the heart of Iloilo City.

The Iloilo Federation for Information Technology (I FIT) assisted CNS e-Lamp in looking for sites for their expansion. There were a couple of sites visited including a visit for courtesy call to our beloved city Mayor, Hon. Jed Patrick Mabilog last December. Today IFIT officially welcomes CNS e-Lamp in Iloilo.

Currently, CNS e-Lamp is looking for applicants as ENGLISH COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST (online English Tutors for Koreans). Interested applicants may visit CNS e-Lamp at their office at the 2nd floor, Unit 2A at TTW Corporate Center, JM Bas St., Iloilo City. Phone 0915-6925095, 0999-5160904, 0922-9337332.

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History of Barotac Nuevo

Barotac Nuevo is Known as the Footbal Capital of the Philippines

Barotac Nuevo is a small town in the province of Iloilo. It is 34 kilometers from Iloilo City going to the North and was founded in 1811 by Don Simon Raymundo Protacio, a known leader of the place during the Spanish era. It is bounded on the north by Anilao, south by Dumangas, west by Pototan and east by the Iloilo Strait. Today, about 34,367 inhabitants enjoy the fruit of Don Simon Raymundo's shrewdness. It has a total land area of 9,787.6 hectares.

SPANISH REGIME

The town was found in 1811 by the recognized leader of the place during the Spanish era, Don Simon Raymundo Protacio. Tha name Barotac was derived from the acronym of the Sapnish word "baro" meaning mud and "tac" the last syllable of the vernacular term "lutac" which has the same meaning as mud. The word "Nuevo" which means new was added to identify it from a town some 30 kilometers up north called Barotac Viejo.

According to the native lore, Barotac Nuevo during the 15th century was known far and wide with its pure breed horses. And Tamasak, a white stallion was the strongest, fastest and handsomest horse in the locality. Tamasak was destined to be Barotac Nuevo's symbol. How and why is an interesting story. At that time, the Governor-General of the country was Manuel Gonzales de Aguilar. One time, de Aguilar was given a handsome horse that came from India. But there was no horse around Manila which could be used as its pair to draw the Governor-General's carromata. De Aguilar's men went around the islands looking for another horse until they reached the town of Dumangas in Iloilo. Malutac then was only an arrabal of Dumangas. They found Tamasak and wanted to buy the horse at any price but Don Simon would not sell it although he was willing to give it for free provided Malutac be made a pueblo.

The men went back to Manila and informed the Governor-General of Don Simon's request. The Governer-General agreed and immediately ordered the Gobernadorcillo of Iloilo to separate Barrio Malutac from the town of Dumangas and proclaim its townhood identity.

SPANISH ERA

Education during the period was purely religious. The Christian Doctrine was the subject matter and the purpose was to spread Christianity all over the island. Seven corporal punishments were imposed on those who guilty. People were forced to go to school and those who disobeyed were caught by the guardia civil. Severe punishments like "Palmita" "San Sebastian" and "pinasong" or twenty - five lashes were suffered by the people if they were found guilty or if they could not memorize the required prayers. The priest who was esteemed and respected very much, recommend the teachers. The first teachers were Maetras Gregoria Celez, Rufina Siaotong and Nieves Batayola. The method of teaching was purely memory work.

AMERICAN REGIME

During the first part of the American regime, robbery and looting were rampant causing the loss of many lives and the burning of houses. From 1889 to 1901, the destruction suffered by the municipality of Barotac Nuevo was the burning of house in Barrio Guintas, Talisay and Lanas.

Later, the Americans came to occupy the town. They were very friendly to the people. Since the people and the Americans could not understand each other, interpreters were employed. Lorenzo Mararejo an intelligent man, who has command of the Spanish language, became one, after he learned a little of the English language. They organized classes although the people were reluctant. However, the encouragement and kind attention shown by the Americans lulled many to attend school. They supplied the people with books, papers, slates and other school needs.

In 1901, a dreaded cholera epidemic broke out. Many suffered and died. Everyday, cartloads of dead were taken to the cemetery. This was the most horrible year for only one or two in a family survived. In some cases all members of the family died.

In 1911, the town was plagued by an intense heat ot drought called "panglaya". Plants withered and died and production was practically nil and did not meet the needs and appease the hunger of the people. Corn, the only crop that survived was the people's salvation.

The year 1912 was a period of development. Many improvements were made in the town, such as the building of roads, ridges, and the public market. Further improvements were also made during the administration of Bernardo Siaotong from 1926 - 1934. Among them are the moment of Dr.

In giving due honors and acknowledgement to Don Simon and his bejeweled Tamasak, a statue was erected at the heart of the municipality by the Late Mayor Bernardo Siaotong as a symbol of gratitude of the Barotacnons.

The radio house was constructed under the administration on Mayor Ramon A. Juarez.

In 1928, the Central Santos - Lopez Co., Inc. sugar mill was created at Barrio Salihid, two and a half kilometers away from the poblacion. This booted the economy of the town and employed a big number of residents in the place. However, due to the collapse of the sugar mill has stopped operating since 1985.

The constructions of the Jalaur bridge in 1931 - 1932 paved the way for an easy means of transportation and contact between the north and south of the Jalaur River. The former bridge was made of wood and was built so low it was often destroyed by floods. Transportation therefore at times was inaccessible, and a raft was usually used to ferry people and produce from one side to the other.

In 1931, a new steel bridge was built. This greatly helped commuters. In 1981, a concrete bridge was constructed beside the steel bridge, which had been demolished.

WORLD WAR 11

On April 16, 1942, the Japanese imperial forces landed in Iloilo. Matias Ray who came from the City of Iloilo on that day relayed and alarming news to the residents in the poblacion. Three days later truckloads of Japanese soldiers went to central - Santos - Lopez but left later in the day. A series of thirty - five truckloads of the invaders returned to Barotac Nuevo a week later and literally ransacked and plundered every house on their way. Thus began miserable existence of the town population. May 1942, a Japanese contingent garrisoned themselves at the Roman Catholic Church. The began courting the residents by appointing an influential man in the person of Jose. P. S. Bretana as their first Occupation Mayor, Monico Nicolo as Treasurer and Numeriano Bayona as Chief of Police.

Meanwhile, the civil resistance for Panay and Romblon which was headed by the late Senator Tomas Confesor was organized in Barrio Jalaud with Romulo Golez as first Deputy Governor for the Administrative District comprising the towns as Barotac Nuevo, Dumangas, Pototan, Dingle, Lambunao and Calinog as his area of responsibility. Golez in turn appointed Pedro Paranpan as Resistence Movement Mayor of Barotac Nuevo, Jesus Reyes as judge, Salvador Tuble as Treasurer and Ramon Bayona as food admininstrator, with Barrio Jalaud as the seat of the resistance civil government and later transferred to Barrio Talisay.

ETHNIC ORIGIN OF THE PEOPLE

Aside from the legend and folklores transmitted from generation to generation, nobody among the Baratocnons bothered to record the events that transpired in Baratoc Nuevo. Existing records if any, during the Spanish and American regime were lost during the last war. It can be safely assumed however, that the aetas were the origins of the place, although only a few of them can be found presently.

POLITICAL SUBDIVISION AND LAND AREA

The municipality of Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo is 30 kilometers away from the city of Iloilo. Located in the northeastern part of the provines, it has 29 baranggays including Ilaud Poblicoan and Ilaya Poblacion. Its land area is 9,787,6887 hectares representing about 1.84% of the total area of the Province of Iloilo. It is a 5th class municipality with an annual income of P4,512,853.62 (1988 financial statement).

source: http://www.friendster.com/group-discussion/index.php?t=msg&th=191851&start=0&

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The future of the call center industry in the Philippines

SPI - Iloilo: One of the Oldest Contact Center in Iloilo

The call center industry in the Philippines has been developing rapidly since 2000. Call center professionals amounting to only a few hundred were already being employed in several contact centers in the country in 2000. Some of the established BPO firms then included Accenture, SYKES, eTelecare and PeopleSupport. (PeopleSupport had moved all of its operations in Los Angeles to the Philippines in 2000 and 2001.) The total revenues from the BPO and call center Philippines industries reached up to $24 million at the end of the said year. During the succeeding years, the call center Philippines industry’s revenue had grown along with the number of call center professionals working in different business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.

According to reports, the call center Philippines industry has been growing at a rate of 100% annually since 2001 in terms of employment and revenues. Offshore outsourcing services offered by Philippine call centers were ranked as number one in the Asian region in 2003. The number of call center Philippines professionals rose to 112,000 in 2005 while the total revenues of the industry correspondingly increased. Total revenues amounted to $1 billion in 2005. Currently, the entire BPO and call center Philippines industry holds between 7 to 8% of the global outsourcing market. In 2009 alone, the BPO, KPO, call center and ICT sectors contributed to the entire industry’s total revenues of $7.3 billion.

Many professionals have begun to realize the advantages of working in the call center Philippines industry. Most BPO firms are paying above the country’s standard wages and there is enough room for growth in call center Philippines companies. Some call center Philippines employees even perceive working in call centers as a valuable experience as they learn new and different skills which they can use later on if they choose to change career paths. Foreign investors and clients alike have also seen the advantages of outsourcing in the Philippines. The country has a large talent pool that is highly skilled and speaks English fluently. Filipinos are also known to be adaptable and have a close cultural affinity to the American culture which gives them an edge over other countries in the field of business process outsourcing.

Offshore outsourcing has made it possible for a lot of small- and medium-sized companies as well as large corporations worldwide to survive the global financial crisis in 2009. Many foreign firms chose to move many of its back-office operations – including customer support and technical support – to offshore sites that offer certain services. The Philippine call center industry felt the financial crisis both ways. Some client companies pulled out accounts in outsourcing companies, resulting to a significant number of call center agents loosing their jobs. Other foreign firms chose to outsource many back-office services in offshore locations such as the Philippines, leaving only their core services in their main offices. As a result, the call center industry in the Philippines employed many professionals to fulfill vacancies in many of the Philippine BPO firms.

Philippine economists, businessmen, analysts and the Philippine government realize that the BPO industry of the country still has aspects that can be improved on to make the Philippines the best BPO destination worldwide. The call center Philippines along with other sectors is targeting to get a bigger chunk of the global outsourcing market in the following years. Analysts realize that fierce competitors like India, China, Brazil and South African countries can either stimulate or get in the way of the Philippine call center industry’s growth. India plans to take 71% of the global outsourcing market in 2010, while China and several South African countries have emerging BPO industries.

Many business associations like BPAP and the Philippine government realize that several steps must be taken to ensure that the country’s call center, BPO and KPO sectors take 10% of the global outsourcing market. The industry is also targeting to outdo its 20% revenue growth in 2009 and up its growth to 26% in 2010. Over the last few years, many locations outside of Metro Manila’s business districts that cater to BPO firms have been established. Major cities such as Baguio City, Cebu City, Davao City, Laguna and Angeles City house offshore outsourcing companies. Advances in technology – specifically Internet technology – have allowed other cities to become BPO destinations. As these locations house more call centers, next wave cities like Iloilo City are being developed to provide more room for new BPO companies and businesses.

Aside from developing next wave cities in locations outside of Metro Manila, businesses and government alike should focus on sustaining and strengthening the current business environment. Presently, legislation in the country offers non-fiscal and fiscal incentives to IT service exporters, export producers and developers of economic zones. This particular legislation can fuel the steadily growing BPO sector by attracting more foreign investors and multinational firms. The call center Philippines sector as well as the KPO, ICT, game development and animation sectors will find it favorable if more and more investments enter the country and stimulate the growth of the Philippine economy.

http://www.callcenterphilippines.org/articles/the-future-of-the-call-center-industry-in-the-philippines.html

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Phl seen as next 'dragon' in BPO industry

By Danny B. Dangcalan (The Philippine Star) 

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines  – The information technology – business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry in the Philippines is growing by about 25 percent a year, and investors see the country as the “next Asian dragon,” Commissioner Ivan John Enrile Uy of the Commission on ICT (information and communications technology) said last week.

Uy said many of the world’s largest companies operate the biggest services centers in the Philippines, which is why the IT-BPO industry here continues to grow.

As of last year, the industry employed about 525,000 people and had generated more than $9.1 billion in export revenues, he added.

Uy, who was in Bacolod for the Negros Occidental First ICT Summit last Thursday, lauded Bacolod for being cited as the 3rd Next Wave City in the Philippines and Tholons International’s top 100th city in the world for outsourcing.

“That is a very, very good accomplishment for Bacolod to be ranked among the top 100th out of thousands of cities around the world,” he said.

Uy foresees that with the support of local officials the growth of the IT-BPO industry in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City will progress very fast.

Uy said it is the goal of CICT to strengthen the readiness of cities and regions outside Metro Manila to become preferred destinations for IT-BPO investors.

 “With this strategy, we will decongest Metro Manila, spread economic growth opportunities to other parts of the country, and capitalize on the abundant and globally competitive workforce available in many parts of the country,” he said.

Approximately 20 percent of the IT-BPO industry is now located outside the main metropolitan areas of Manila and Cebu and this trend is expected to continue, he said.

The country is now witnessing the impact of the IT-BPO industry on rural communities, as other cities outside Metro Manila emerge as new IT-BPO hubs or the Next Wave Cities, he said.

Uy pointed out that Tholons, a renowned international research firm, in its 2010 Top 100 Cities in the World for Outsourcing ranked Manila as No. 4 and Cebu as No. 9.

The country’s Next Wave Cities that also made it on the list, are Davao - No. 69, Sta. Rosa (Laguna) - No. 88, Iloilo - No. 98 and Bacolod - No. 100.

Meanwhile, Gov. Alfredo Marañon said the construction of IT buildings on lot properties owned by the Negros Occidental provincial government is expected to create about 41,000 new BPO jobs here.

SM Prime Holdings has proposed to put up 10 buildings for BPO companies on a provincial government property along Gatuslao St. that will provide 40,000 jobs, he said, adding that the buildings will surround a convention center that SM plans to build in the area along with two hotels.

The provincial government is also establishing the Negros First CyberPark, a mixed-used complex consisting of more than 12,000 square meters of space for BPO services at a three-story building to be built at the Paglaum Sports Complex, which will provide more than 1,000 jobs, he added.

Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg Occ., 3rd District), who was also at the summit, said he will help tap government resources for infrastructure and academic support for the IT-BPO industry.

Benitez also said he is supporting the efforts to create a Department of ICT, and the passage of bills to ensure data privacy and to curb cyber crime.

source:

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=66&articleId=693354#comments

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Philippine Independence Parade-NYC

iReport —

With Summer fast approaching, in NYC almost every weekend there is a parade happening. As it happened this weekend there were two. The Israeli on 5th Ave and this one on Madison Ave.

The Philippine parade was lead by Grand Marshall Mr and Mrs Libramonte with guest Philippine's Vice President and Ambassador to the US.

The parade started on Madison Ave and 38th St. and ended with  a street fair and cultural show which featured the talent of the dance group Dinagyang of Iloilo as well as several bands, singers young and old. The crowd started to sing along with the Philippine's grand dame of Pinoy Jazz  Ms. Annie Brazil who is 78 years old and still performs in NYC.

source:

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http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-618388

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Ideas in the Hotel Business

WE have counted 23 good hotels in Iloilo City, with a new one added on Gen. Hughes St. near Sagrado College and expected to open for business soon, with its beautiful building finished.

As it is now, there are two hotels on M.H. del Pilar St., Molo; three at Smallville, B. Aquino Avenue, Mandurriao; three on Gen. Luna St.; two on Fuentes St.; two on Jalandoni Street; one on J. de Leon St. (near Aglipayan Church); one on Quezon St; three on Iznart St.; one on Yulo St.; one on Aldeguer St.; one on J. Rizal St.; one in La Paz, Iloilo City; one in Brgy. Tabuc Suba, Jaro; and now, the newest, one on Gen. Hughes St. which is walking distance from Plaza Libertad.

With the 22 others already established with regular patrons, this new hotel has to do some creative “inviting” to get a good share of the business.

We have our experience working with a hotel that hosted the national convention event of a large group during the heydays of the sugar industry. Perhaps because of the big volume of food handled, a complaint of food served as allegedly not fresh was received from a group of guests during one function. While the particular item was immediately withdrawn and replaced, negative news spread in town after the event, possibly fueled by competitors. Later, we felt its negative effect on the declining patronage of our restaurant outlets. We needed to think fast of ideas to bring back business.

What we did was to hire a new chef, a German national from a small hotel in Ermita, Manila. It was a good decision because Ilonggos were generally curious but friendly to foreigners. One thing more, this man had good PR and came out every time to personally greet important guests in the restaurants or at functions.

We held a campaign to show his culinary talents by lining up for lunch invitation in the hotel a list of leading Ilonggos in government, business, industry and the academe, including those in the civic and social clubs. When a guest came, we met him at the door of the restaurant and introduced our new hotel chef. We saw to it, too, that we had a good team of waiters serving. Sometimes our President in the hotel would join us at the table and meet the guest, too.

After lunch, we invited the guest for a hotel tour, continuing our friendly conversation as we walked around. In the end, we thanked him for honoring our invitation and, finally, the clincher question that we asked towards the door:

“We hope that you enjoyed our food and service. If you did, will you please tell others? However, if not, we will appreciate very much your advising us where we need improvement.”

We noted that the customer was greatly complimented by our asking his advice. We listened.

The strategy was a good moral booster to us and the result of the campaign was terrific. In less than six months, we were able to introduce to our patrons our new chef, the various food menus that we served, and our dining and accommodation facilities.

Our chef was also able to concoct and discover new menus for the hotel, with an increase in the number of guests that later came to dine with us.

Ilonggo customers were generally a grateful lot and came back to bring along someone or his group to eat again at the hotel.

At one time, our guest was the President of the local Bankers’ Club and, pleased with our food and service, asked us to reserve for the club to transfer their coming week’s meeting with us!

You will note that 80 percent of hotel revenues come from food and beverage, and guest room facilities usually contribute no more than 20 percent. It is therefore very important that the restaurants, cocktail lounges and bars which are usually the first contact points of the hotel with the general public, should be given good attention by the management.

The patronage of the guest and function rooms for large groups would just follow.

source:

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Panay News
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Iloilo Ready for Sunrise Industries

Iloilo is ready to host sunrise industries but need promotions in the national level to prop up the city and province as investment havens

This was pointed out by former Tourism Secretary Narzalina Lim during the general assembly meeting of the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation (ILEDF) held in Iloilo City recently.

Lim, an Ilongga from Antique, is currently the president of ILEDF and a recognized champion of tourism promotions.

The former tourism official said that Iloilo can be an important site for of the multi-million-peso sunrise industries such as tourism and business process outsourcing (BPO). Iloilo has a pool of qualified human resources as the city is the educational center of Western Visayas hosting several universities and colleges.

Similarly, Iloilo and Guimaras Island if promoted well, can host several investments in eco-tourism as well as high end tourism needs comparable to other countries in Asia, Lim said.

ILEDF and other non-government organizations are strongly making efforts to make the city and province as a priority destination of BPOs. So far, Iloilo City is ranked as a next wave city by hosting seven BPO call centers here.*PNA

source:

http://www.iloilonewstoday.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2010:iloilo-ready-for-sunrise-industries&catid=108:business-pna-pia

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Iloilo’s old rehabilitation jail to be converted into a regional museum

ILOILO CITY, May 31 (PNA) – The provincial government is eyeing the conversion of its old rehabilitation center into a regional museum.

This was disclosed recently by Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. before members of the Iloilo Economic Development (ILED) Foundation even as he urged their support in the endeavor recently.

The old rehab center is situated at the back of the regional office of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and adjacent to the new provincial capitol.

“We will retain its original façade but we want it to be a museum. We want it to be a regional museum that will house all the artifacts, treasures and works of art not only of the city and province of Iloilo but for those willing to participate from provinces like Aklan and Antique and hopefully of Negros Occidental,” he said.

Defensor also asked the support of former tourism Secretary Narzalina Lim, Ilonggo Senator Franklin Drilon and affluent Ilonggos who believe in art and history to extend support to the endeavor.

Meantime, Defensor announced that the restoration of the old provincial capitol to its original design which is expected to boost the tourism industry in this city, is set to commence next month.

“We want to restore it to its original. We want it to be a proud symbol of the glorious past of the province and city of Iloilo,” he said, as he urged the business and private sector support especially on logistical needs.

The old building was already declared as a historical site by the National Historical Institute (NHI). The structure was built during the Spanish era and was the official house of the provincial government since April 11, 1901.

To complement the restoration of the old provincial capitol, Defensor said that he is asking a master planner to prepare a master plan covering the entire capitol area from the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) area towards the Arroyo Fountain.

“It turned out to be a beautiful place and will become part of the tourist attraction not of the province but of the city of Iloilo,” he said. (PNA)

source & related story(s):

http://www.pna.gov.ph

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