MIGEDC avails P5M grant

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the GTZ, a German technical assistance group, will finance a P5 million pre-feasibility study to further liven up economic activities in the city’s commercial district especially the old Calle Real and the proposed construction of the P2 million Eco Port.

Mayor Jerry Treñas said the two funding agencies will make a feasibility study on the city’s central business district and the proposed eco-port near the Philippine Coast Guard. Also to be included in the P5 million grant is the capability training of members of the Metro Iloilo Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC).

The restoration of the old Calle Real (now JM Basa Street) including the old buildings and the proposed construction of the P2 million port are only few of the proposals of the Consultants for Comprehensive Environmental Planing, a group of consultants assisting the MIGEDC.

In the proposed construction of the P2 million new port, the Consultants for Comprehensive Environmental Planning said they should conduct a thorough study of the Iloilo-Guimaras ferry operations to define the market for the Eco Port and analyze the socioeconomic implications of the Eco Port on existing ferry terminals to identify necessary actions.

The construction of the Eco Port includes the construction of the terminal building.

Treñas said they included the capability building for MIGEDC members in the grant, as he wants them to learn on how to design and make proposals and other project preparations.

This is to let the MIGEDC members know how to draft and make proposals in the future, said Treñas.

Maricar Calubiran, The News Today