Iloilo, UPV team up for Calle Real preservation

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The Iloilo City government and the University of the Philippines Visayas on Monday, May 4, formalized a new collaboration to strengthen the preservation and promotion of the historic Calle Real district in the city’s downtown.

Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu and UPV Chancellor Clement Castigador Camposano signed a memorandum of agreement for “Project 3: Heritage as Public Policy: Preserving and Promoting Iloilo Calle Real Buildings.”

The project is a research and policy initiative under the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies’ Local Regional Studies Network and the UP Visayas Center for West Visayan Studies’ Panay Weaving and Culinary Heritage Program.

It aims to examine local heritage policies, institutional arrangements, and stakeholder roles affecting conservation efforts along Calle Real, with the goal of identifying policy gaps and governance challenges.

The agreement outlines the responsibilities of both parties.

UPV will conduct process documentation, review existing policies, assess stakeholder involvement, and produce policy briefs to guide heritage governance.

The city government will facilitate access to building owners, provide logistical support, coordinate venues for interviews and forums, and promote stakeholder participation without incurring financial obligations.

The project calendar runs from March to December 2026.

It covers staffing, coordination, field research, stakeholder meetings, data analysis, writing, and the submission of final outputs.

Treñas-Chu said the partnership is timely as the city advances development in the City Proper district, where Calle Real is located.

She emphasized the need to balance economic growth with cultural preservation.

She noted that three Calle Real buildings have been submitted to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for redevelopment and repainting, with work expected to begin this year.

“This collaboration is very timely as we advance development in the City Proper District, where Calle Real is located, ensuring that heritage preservation goes hand in hand with sustainable economic growth,” the mayor said in a post on her Facebook page.

“This partnership will help strengthen policy direction, stakeholder engagement, and long-term planning for better maintenance of our built heritage,” she added.

Treñas-Chu said this is the city’s third partnership with UP Visayas.

She expressed gratitude for the university’s continued support in strengthening local initiatives.

In a city government press release, Camposano stressed that heritage conservation must be pursued within a governance and stakeholder framework.

He said preservation efforts should serve communities rather than merely “beautifying” the past.

Camposano also highlighted forward-looking initiatives, including halal culinary offerings to expand Iloilo’s tourism market.

He also cited a proposal to develop the Iloilo River as an ecotourism “living classroom.”

UP CIDS Executive Director Dr. Rosalie Arcala Hall, project leader Dr. Mary Rose Rebueno, Iloilo City Cultural Heritage Conservation Council representative Emmanuel Gemora, and ICCHCC member Arch. Alfredo Sy Jr. signed the agreement as witnesses.

ICCHCC members and the City Planning and Development Office secretariat were also present during the signing.

Calle Real, also known as J.M. Basa Street, is in the city’s downtown and forms a significant part of the Iloilo City Central Business District.

The district is a declared heritage zone under Resolution No. 3, series of 2014, of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

The area is also part of the city’s Cultural Tourism Heritage Zones under Republic Act 10555, enacted in 2012.

Calle Real has 21 heritage structures, the most among the 32 structures in the city’s Heritage Core Zone.