Markets, landfill, sports: Iloilo City OKs PHP 148-M top-up

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

ILOILO CITY – The Iloilo City Council on Aug. 12 approved a PHP 148.1 million Supplemental Annual Investment Program for 2026, adding funding for personnel, public services, sports, health programs, market operations, and disaster risk reduction.

City Planning and Development Coordinator Ronald Cartagena said the supplemental investment plan covers a total of PHP 148,147,853.

He broke the amount down into PHP 44 million for general public services, PHP 37 million for social services, PHP 64 million for economic services, and PHP 2 million for other services.

A major portion of the supplemental AIP will go to the operations and management of the city’s public markets and other economic enterprises.

The allocations include funding for personnel and administrative operations at the Iloilo Terminal Market, Iloilo Central Market, La Paz Public Market, Jaro Big Market, Jaro Small Market, Arevalo Public Market, and Mandurriao Public Market, as well as the Iloilo City Slaughterhouse.

More than PHP 44 million is allocated for the seven public markets, while the slaughterhouse received a PHP 20 million budget.

The budget also includes an allocation of PHP 40 million under the General Services Office for the continued cover and closure of the 3.5-hectare Calajunan landfill.

The landfill is scheduled to end its 10-year operational lifespan in 2026.

The GSO said it will continue operating the site beyond that period while awaiting the completion of the PHP 2.3 billion Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility in Barangay Ingore, La Paz.

▸ The landfill sits in Barangay Calajunan, Mandurriao district, and opened in August 2016 on a 3.3-hectare portion of the wider 23-hectare Calajunan dumpsite area, built to comply with Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

▸ GSO head Neil Ravena said in June that the facility will not shut down in December 2026 because the city is still in a transition period and intends to file a closure plan with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The site takes about 400 to 500 tons of waste a day, including garbage from Oton and Pavia.

Under social services, the supplemental AIP includes PHP 2.5 million for the city’s participation in and hosting of the Philippine Youth Games, Batang Pinoy, and other leagues sanctioned by the Philippine Sports Commission.

The city also allocated funds for a comprehensive anti-smoking program, including barangay orientations, the implementation of smoke-free initiatives, and the production of citation tickets.

Additional allocations were also proposed for the health sector, including the general operations of the city’s Clinical Laboratory and Diagnostic Center.

The supplemental AIP also provides a PHP 3 million fund for the creation of plantilla positions in the Office of the City Mayor, including positions for an assistant department head and a supervisory administrative officer.

“The mayor instructed that offices that can comply with the reorganization and restructuring are eligible to this opening of request for additional plantilla positions. Most offices undergo organizational review before they can propose,” Cartagena said.

The city also allocated PHP 907,500 for information and communications technology service enhancement, including the enhancement and development of its website and online systems.

The Local Development Council, chaired by Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu, said the supplemental plan was necessary because some programs, projects, and activities already identified in the 2026 AIP require additional funding.

It added that new allocations were needed to address more recent requirements of city government departments and offices.

The first 2026 AIP was approved by the LDC in May 2025.

The AIP is the annual slice of a local government’s development plan and serves as the basis for its yearly budget, a requirement under the Local Government Code.

Iloilo City is operating on a PHP 4.5 billion budget for 2026, up 8.62 percent from the PHP 4,143,175,216 approved for 2025. The supplemental plan is equivalent to roughly 3.3 percent of that total.