AWARD-WINNING. The province and city of Iloilo have earned plenty of accolades this 2023. For Iloilo City, it is winning the recognition that brings before the attention of the international audience its best cuisines, and for the provincial government, its best health practice for emulation by local government units in the Philippines. (PNA file photo by PGLena)
ILOILO CITY – The city and province of Iloilo bannered 2023 with their accomplishments that brought Ilonggo cuisine before the attention of an international audience and a best health practice worthy of emulation by other local government units in the country.
Iloilo City takes pride in its cuisine gaining international recognition, a feat earned after its official designation in November this year as the first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative City of Gastronomy in the Philippines.
Like in 2022, the biggest achievement of this highly urbanized city this year is bringing back Ilonggo’s sense of pride with the many recognitions it received, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said.
“You know the sense of pride is very strong, and it's not easy to have that, where residents feel proud for the city,” the mayor added.
This highly urbanized city joined the 350 cities in more than 100 countries listed on the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the fields of crafts and folk arts, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music.
The city government is expected to collaborate and create linkages with other creative cities to improve its culture and economy, particularly in gastronomy, said Prof. Eric Divinagracia, who serves as one of the consultants of the local government in its gastronomy bid.
ZOD achieved
While the city government beams with pride for its banner accomplishment on culinary, the provincial government feels a sense of achievement in its 2023 Galing Pook Award for the Zero-Open Defecation Program (ZOD).
Iloilo is the first province to achieve the feat from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and its private sector partners.
“For us, it is a validation that the program is good. It is the validation of the work of our department heads, employees, local government units, municipal health offices, barangay governments, and our barangay health functionaries,” said Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr.
He added that through a whole-of-the-province approach, the ZOD gained recognition because it mobilized everyone for the project to succeed.
The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) introduced ZOD to the province after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2023.
It achieved the ZOD Grade 1 status, which means there is an available toilet for every 15 persons in its 1,721 barangays and 43 local government units (LGUs), in 2022.
The city and province have a long list of accolades from the private sector and national government agencies this 2023, which they both attributed to stakeholders' support.
However, their robust economies are worth mentioning as these are signs of recovery after the health pandemic.
Both the city and province registered a positive growth in their gross domestic product in 2022, based on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report.
The report showed the province’s economy in 2022 grew by 8.5 percent compared to 4.5 percent in the preceding year, while the city posted a growth rate of 9.6 percent in 2022 versus 6.8 percent in 2021.
The services industry delivered 14 percent, and industries grew 7 percent, although agriculture posted a negative growth of 5 percent.
“The economic activity in the province has increased. That is very significant for us. We have yet to come up with an economic report. We will come up with something more organized that we will present to the public as the achievement of the province in the area of economy,” Defensor said.
Iloilo City’s economy was fueled by accommodation and food service activities that grew by 52 percent, other services by 41 percent, and construction by 39.6 percent.
“Our common efforts to attract investors and propel economic activities have paid off. The productive results will strengthen the city’s standing as a leading investment destination and sustain the momentum of continued development for the benefit of Ilonggos,” Treñas said. (PNA)
