Capitol highlights development programs in Iloilo’s 122nd anniv

By John Noel E. Herrera

The Iloilo Provincial Capitol highlights its development programs, particularly in the field of agriculture, social welfare, and culture and arts, during the celebration of Iloilo province’s 122nd founding anniversary on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.

Anchored on the theme, “122 Years of Championing Progress”, the provincial government prepared different activities which are centered on the Defensor administration’s development agenda dubbed “MoRProGRes Iloilo” or the “Movement for a Robust, Progressive, Globally Competitive, and Resilient Province of Iloilo”.

“This is our movement, this is not only the Iloilo Provincial Government, but this is also us and the whole province of Iloilo in a whole-of-province approach to realize our social justice agenda so that we can wheel the direction of the province,” Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. said during the program.

Earlier this year, Defensor laid down the province’s development thrust for 2023, which is anchored by the provincial government’s MoRProGRes campaign, especially on agricultural production and other innovations.

Aside from the agricultural industry, the governor emphasized that they want to “develop growth center areas that shall serve as investment centers for the information and communications technology and light industries.”

Having development programs and more growth center areas in Iloilo will create job opportunities for the Ilonggos, which will lead the province to create a strong middle class, according to Defensor.

Meanwhile, some of the events during the Semana sang Iloilo celebration include the unveiling of the Cultural Property Marker of the Casa Real de Iloilo and Arroyo Fountain; the launching of “MoRProGRes Iloilo”; the MoRProGRes Garden Show; Bloodletting Activity; 1st Iloilo Seaweed Summit, and Agri/Aqua Trade Fair.

Defensor noted that the week-long celebration (April 11 to 14) will allow employees to enjoy and for Ilonggos to appreciate the historical value of the province, especially the younger generation, as the event is a fusion of history, culture, sports, and other banner programs of the provincial government.

“We want to enjoy this, have a good time to take a break and rebound from the pandemic. Our last year’s celebration of the Semana sang Iloilo was different as we were still emerging out of the pandemic,” he said.

“We have history, culture, sports, and we have our programs in environment, agriculture, social welfare, arts and we have you,” he added.

UNVEILING OF IMPORTANT CULTURAL PROPERTY MARKER

As one of the significant events during the celebration, Defensor, together with Dr. Jurgenne Primavera, board of trustees of the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) led the unveiling of the marker at the Casa Real on Tuesday, April 11, after the site was declared as an Important Cultural Property (ICP) by the NMP in December 2022.

Casa Real de Iloilo, also known as the old Iloilo Provincial Capitol, was built at the start of the sugar boom after the opening of Iloilo port to international trade in 1855 and was completed in 1873.

While the Arroyo Fountain, also known as “kilometer zero” of Panay Island, across the old Iloilo Provincial Capitol was built in 1927 and named after Senator Jose Maria Arroyo, who authored the law that established the then Iloilo Metropolitan Waterworks in 1925.

Aside from the ICP declaration, the National Historical Commission also declared the old Iloilo Provincial Capitol as a historical landmark in 2010.