Foreign diplomats to visit Iloilo City this week

MEMBERS of the diplomatic corps in the Philippines are starting to reconsider Iloilo City as important part of their familiarization tour in the country.

Acting city mayor Jose Espinosa III said the ambassadors are including Iloilo City now as a learning laboratory of their proposed projects and assistance to the Philippines.

Ambassador Majeda Rafiqunnessa of the Republic of Bangladesh is set to arrive on Thursday, to see and study the river development initiatives implemented by City Government at the Iloilo and Batiano rivers.

Rafiqunnessa will see the projects such as the river esplanade, relocation sites for informal river dwellers, rehabilitation and clean-up of the river wharf and transfer of roll-on roll-off sites to the other side of the Iloilo River.

Newly completed city infrastructures include the seven-storey City Hall building, the city community college, city hospital annex at the Western Visayas Medical Center, Uswag relocation sites, and the ongoing construction of the Iloilo City Double A slaughterhouse, circumferential and radial roads.

On the other hand, Ambassador Bill Tweddell of Australia is slated to arrive on June 25, to see the operation of projects implemented by One Meal, a non-government organization committed to help the poor schoolchildren of public elementary schools in Iloilo City.

One Meal is chaired by Ilongga philanthropist Ma. Teresa Chan, who also requested assistance from the Australian Embassy and AusAid for the poor schoolchildren.