‘I-COOL’ hubs power up, but improvements still needed

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By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The Iloilo City government on Wednesday officially opened two Iloilo City Cooling (I-Cool) Hubs in response to rising temperatures, though officials acknowledge that improvements are still needed to maximize their potential.

The new I-Cool Hubs are located at the Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Avenue (Diversion Road) in Mandurriao and at the Jalandoni pumping station in City Proper.

Each hub can accommodate up to 20 users at a time, with air conditioning and drinking water facilities provided.

The hubs operate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, with a maximum stay of one hour per user.

Personnel from the City Health Office and City Social Welfare and Development Office are on standby to assist and monitor the health of hub users.

Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu led the opening and inspection of the Diversion Road hub, which is made from a repurposed container van with equipment carried over from previous city projects.

The hub is solar-powered, running on an inverter and battery storage system sponsored by a private partner.

“This was repurposed from our [previous] projects. So you can see that it looks used, [like] the floor which we used during [the] Dinagyang [Festival]. […] We made sure that there would be minimal expense, mostly labor [like] repainting,” the mayor explained to media.

Treñas-Chu acknowledged that the hub’s cooling capacity still needs work, citing a slow rise in interior temperature.

“We will have to improve the temperature. […] There’s this new technology [where] paint can lower down the temperature [between] two to three degrees. Maybe when we paint, that can also decrease by one to two degrees,” she said.

“We will be reviewing the specs of the [air conditioning]. We will make sure that we have that upgraded,” she added.

The mayor said the cooling stations are intended to benefit residents with heat-aggravated medical conditions.

“When you walk at the Diversion Road, it gets hotter, [and when] your destination is a bit far, at least you can rest for a bit, and you can have an area to cool down,” she said.

“I have hypertension, and I can feel it when it gets hotter. Sometimes, I get nervous because my head hurts in hotter temperature, so I can really relate with [others] who have hypertension,” she shared.

A third I-Cool hub was being installed at Plazoleta Gay, also in City Proper, as of press time.

Treñas-Chu said the hubs will operate only during the warmer season, with materials to be repurposed for other city projects once the heat period ends.

The mayor also hinted at longer-term heat response projects, separate from the I-Cool Hubs.

These include additional green tunnels with funding from the Department of Transportation, end-of-trip facilities and additional parking racks for bicycles, and additional waiting sheds.

The city government is also in talks with local water distributors to monitor and assess readiness for water supply amid the dry season.