PLANNING offices are regular features of provinces, cities and municipalities in the Philippines. These offices are mandated to chart the growth of their respective local governments and at the same time provide contingencies during crisis. But there are development issues that straddle across boundaries, giving birth to regional planning to effectively address concerns that are not exclusive to one local government. Regional planning has thus become a venue for sharing ideas, resources and actions so common problems can be attended to collectively.

However, recent environmental phenomena caused by climate change – like the flood that hit Iloilo City and neighboring municipalities – showed that regional planning may not just be enough to manage growth. In this era where the environment directs what development path communities should take, there is a need to look beyond political regions and start acknowledging that we don’t just live in cities, municipalities and provinces but also in watersheds, ecosystems and ecoregions. Read more »

Presentation by Dr. Gary Davidson and Beate Bowron (Canadian Urban Institute) consultants.

CUI Urban and Regional Planning Program
Iloilo, September 7 – 16, 2008

Beate Bowron, FCIP, RPP, former Director of
Community Planning, City of Toronto

Dr. Gary Davidson, FCIP, RPP, former Director of
Planning and Development, County of Huron

Click link below to download
MIGEDC Focus For Action: Presentation by Gary and Beate (PDF)

ONE HUNDRED FORTY of the total 180 barangays in Iloilo City have virtually made the once beautiful and majestic Iloilo River as giant septic tank.

This is the reason why the river at the heart of the metropolis is dying, said City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) chief, Engr. Noel Hechanova.

Compounding the pollution problem is the wastewater from hospitals, hotels, commercial establishments, and households freely discharged to the river. Read more »

Traffic is expected in the city’s main streets this afternoon, particularly near the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand, as a parade of festivals will be held in connection with the 2008 Association of the Tourism Officers of the Philippine (ATOP) national convention being hosted by the city.

The participating festivals are: Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City, Kahilwayan Festival of the town of Sta. Barbara; Tinuom Festival (Cabatuan); Bana-ag Festival (Anilao); Tigkaralag Festival (Pavia); Kasag Festival (Banate); Saad Festival (Leganes); Pantat Festival (Zarraga) and Samba Regatta, also of Iloilo City. Read more »

A study is now being conducted on the possibility of having a direct flight from Hongkong to Iloilo. This was revealed by City Mayor Jerry Treñas in an interview with the Iloilo City Hall Press Corps.

A lot of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in Hongkong come from the city and province of Iloilo and also from other provinces in Western Visayas. Read more »

“Pretty Plaza, Banwa Gwapa” project of the Metro Iloilo-Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC).

Visit this link: http://www.ideasforthecity.com/pretty-plaza-banwa-gwapa/

Related entry: Pretty Plaza search is on

PROCESSING of business permits and related documents at the Iloilo City Hall improved a lot, according to the assessment report of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

The improvement was attributed to the implementation of the business permit and licensing system (BPLS) streamlining supported by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the GTZ, both of which are implementing partners of the Private Sector Promotion (SMEDSEP) program.

The initiative began in January 2007. It resulted to the increase in the number of renewed business permits by about 53 percent compared to last year. Read more »

THE evaluation of entries in this year’s “Pretty Plaza, Banwa Gwapa” project of the Metro Iloilo-Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC) has began.

The project, which was started last year, aims to recognize the cleanest and most beautiful plaza among seven local government units comprising the MIGEDC. Read more »