Thursday, January 25, 2007 Mayor: Advocating progress for Metro Iloilo and Guimaras
TRUE to its tag as "The Next Big Thing," Iloilo City has now emerged as among the cities with an energized economy and populace.
With Mayor Jerry P. Treñas at the helm of local leadership, the City Government managed to sustain the drive for the protection of the environment, achieved a more efficient delivery of basic services, realized the maintenance of a stable and secure peace and order situation and has a renewed tourism campaign.
The efforts have now been replicated and strengthened in nearby Iloilo towns and the Province of Guimaras in a local governance partnership and linkage brought by the Metro Iloilo Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC).
Treñas chairs the MIGEDC with Guimaras Governor JC Rahman Nava as co-chair. Other member Local Government Units (LGUs) are Iloilo towns of Leganes, Pavia, San Miguel, Sta. Barbara in the Second District and Oton in the First District.
Under Treñas, the council has undoubtedly emerged into a unified and energized group comprised of local leaders with one shared vision of much-needed change and much-needed progress for the much-needed development.
Change, progress and development that will bring Iloilo City, the metro towns involved and the Province of Guimaras closer to the change progress and development aimed by the Western Visayas region in particular and the nation in general.
MIGEDC has championed the cause of improved and effective Official Development Assistance (ODA). A contributing lifeblood to the developing and struggling economies of LGUs, the ODA when better-used and best-managed spells the big difference with respect to capacity-building. The council with Mayor Treñas has consistently advocated such with efforts paying off in numerous major ODA-assisted projects poured in MIGEDC member LGUs.
In Metro Iloilo, there is the Iloilo Flood Control Project and New Iloilo Airport Development Project of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). There is also the World Bank-Iloilo City Development Strategies, Solid Waste Management of the GTZ and the Metro Iloilo Road Network Improvement Project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Another ODA-project of the World Bank's Localized Anti-Poverty Program 2 with Iloilo Code Inc and the successful Kalahi Cidss projects.
In Guimaras, ODA projects poured in through the efforts of the MIGEDC are the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-Australian Agency for International Development (Ausaid) Department of Health (DOH) Integrated Community Health Services Project. There is also the ADB's Third Elementary and Secondary Education Programs.
The MIGEDC and ODA-Champ Mayor Treñas. Advocating progress for Metro Iloilo and Guimaras.
