DPWH to fund eight Iloilo City projects in 2026

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

At least eight infrastructure projects are set for implementation in Iloilo City in 2026 after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allocated PHP 187 million for multipurpose buildings and service facilities under Republic Act No. 12314, or the 2026 General Appropriations Act.

The funding, coursed through the DPWH-Iloilo City District Engineering Office, includes PHP 12 million for the construction of the Iloilo Medical Arts Building beside the city’s new hospital in Barangay San Pedro, Molo district.

“This project will help accelerate and bring quality health care closer to our people,” Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu said.

“We know that proper and accessible medical care means a more secure life for every family, because they know they have somewhere to turn to in times of need,” she added.

Other major projects include PHP 50 million for the completion of multipurpose buildings in Barangays Katilingban, Tanza, Hibao-an Sur, and San Isidro.

The DPWH allocation also provides PHP 30 million for the construction or completion of a multipurpose building at the University of the Philippines Visayas main campus and another PHP 30 million for a similar facility in Barangay Sta. Filomena, Arevalo.

Additional projects include PHP 10 million for the construction or completion of a multipurpose building and evacuation center in Barangay Concepcion, City Proper; PHP 25 million for the construction of a covered gymnasium at Mandurriao Elementary School in Barangay Onate De Leon; and PHP 20 million for the construction of a multipurpose building at Jaro National High School.

Rounding out the list is a PHP 10 million allocation for the construction or completion of a multipurpose building in Barangay Javellana.

The city government also announced that the Delfin J. Jaranilla Learning Center in La Paz is set for inauguration on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

The facility, named after Justice Delfin J. Jaranilla, is expected to house the district library, the Association of Barangay Captains–La Paz district office, and a youth center.

Born in La Paz, Jaranilla earned a civil law degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and began his legal career as a law clerk at the Iloilo Court of First Instance before advancing to higher government posts.

He survived the Battle of Bataan as a prisoner of war, endured the Bataan Death March, and later served in the Tokyo trials before retiring.

Jaranilla died on June 4, 1980, at age 96.