Mayor’s participation in Italy forum ‘opens lot of opportunities’

THE recent participation of Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog in the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Naples, Italy last September 1-8 has opened up lot of opportunities designed for empowering the citizenry.

Mabilog went to Naples upon the invitation of the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) Local Government Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED) to participate in the WUF sixth session convened by the United Nations Organization this year.

He went to Naples to discuss with more than 8,000 global participants the Philippine experience, especially Iloilo City on the convergence and collaboration of government agencies for local economic development.

The mayor participated in a panel discussion of the City’s tourism project highlighting the cultural mapping to develop tourism products and destinations, as well as to assist in facilitating the breakout sessions.

He told the local media upon his return of his learning experience in Italy in concretizing programs for Iloilo City in terms of local tourism and identifying overseas agencies to help the city in mapping out women’s groups and development plans on capacity building.

Mabilog said that also discussed were financing on climate change programs, urban poor resettlements, heritage and cultural programs that Iloilo City have already started implementing.

WUF is the world’s premier conference on cities and regions and one of the top gatherings of local government officials and policy makers from around the world.

The biennial event offers an excellent opportunity to share the Philippines’ experiences on local governance and local economic development, develop new contacts and networks with peers from other countries, and learn about new and innovative ideas and approaches. (LCP)