Iloilo, Guimaras officials attend international watershed gab

ILOILO CITY – Government officials here and in Guimaras are attending a conference on watershed management in Toronto, Canada from June 13, 2012 until the end of the month.

Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor are among the local officials. The travel expenses of the 15 officials are fully shouldered by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI).

The Iloilo and Guimaras officials will be exposed to Canada’s watersheds best practices and climate change adaptation.

Fred Eisenberger, CUI president and chief executive officer, will moderate the discussions on watershed and disaster risk management.

Mabilog said Eisenberger was one of the speakers of the first Philippine International River Summit held in this city recently.

The conference in Canada is dubbed “Under the Weather: Stewardship and Climate-Proofing for Urban Watersheds in Ontario and the Philippines.”

The situation in Toronto when Hurricane Hazel hit in 1954 and the Typhoon Frank devastation in Iloilo in 2008 are parts of the discussion.

Typhoon Frank destroyed lives, homes, livelihoods and infrastructure after rivers spilled their banks. The Metro-Iloilo Guimaras Bioregion Project was realized and it is working on to improve watershed management and disaster risk reduction across the region.

The bioregion project is part of CUI’s international partnership program and receives financial contribution from the Canadian government provided through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Aside from Mabilog and Defensor, among the delegates are Guimaras Governor Felipe Hilan Nava, Department of Interior and Local Government Regional Director Evelyn Trompeta, Department of Environment and Natural Resources assistant regional director Alicia Lustica, Iloilo mayors Mariano Malones of Maasin, Juanito Alipao of Alimodian, Rolito Cajilig, Robert Maroma of Cabatuan and Dennis Superficial of Sta. Barbara and Soledad Sucaldito of Penro-Iloilo. Also joining the group are Benjamin Luz and Jerry Pacheco of CUI Iloilo.