This essay was written by Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Perez Treñas for ICLEI Southeast Asia, of which the City Government of Iloilo, Philippines is a member.
In achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we are working towards “RISE ILOILO CITY,” a four-year strategic roadmap crafted through the collective effort of department heads and chiefs of offices of the Iloilo City Government.
RISE is the acronym for the roadmap’s core pillars: R (Responsive and Inclusive Human Development), I (Innovative Economic Development), S (Sustainable Environment), and E (Essential Resilient Infrastructure).
This is an offshoot and continuation of the implementation of development projects under the WHEELS Program in 2019 that focused on Welfare, Health, Education, Environment, Livelihood, and Sustainability.
Developments have leveled up, but we do not stop. We aim to continue going up, and that is why we have come up with RISE.
Responsive and Inclusive Human Development
We are reaching out to involve all stakeholders to improve the quality of life of people through the expansion of social services, making sure that no one gets left behind.
This is the City’s commitment to creating an environment where everyone has equal opportunities for personal and professional development through various initiatives, programs, and services.
Addressing hunger and poverty, we are cultivating the Resilient, Integrated, Sustainable Environment for Agriculture Farming (RISE-A-Farm), an all-inclusive and eco-friendly program that makes use of vacant spaces amidst congested urban settings in a convergence of social welfare, health, and nutrition initiatives.
The Resilient, Integrated, Sustainable Environment for Agriculture Farming (RISE-A-Farm) program of Iloilo City. Photo from the Iloilo City Public Information Office (PIO).
These are sustained by enabling policies, people support, strategic partnerships, and innovation. Impacts are manifested in knowledge transfer, socio-economic empowerment, environmental sustainability, and resilience.
RISE-A-Farm program embodies the aspirations of the community to become self-sufficient and secure. It has been instrumental in enhancing preparedness, response, and recovery efforts from the impacts of calamities. It also addresses the challenge of soaring prices and inflation, strives to provide food supply, and sustains environment-friendly farming practices promoting community values, nutrition, well-being, mental health, and livelihood to achieve resiliency.
Innovative Economic Development
With continuous economic growth and progress, we envision developing a dynamic and globally competitive economy by incorporating smart technologies in our services and active partnerships with the business sector.
Revitalizing public market facilities and amenities, and providing additional jobs to enhance economic activities are underway.
Public plazas, parks, and open spaces are being revived for people to have places they can use to interact, relax, get rid of stress, enjoy events, and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Positioning itself as an investment magnet, the City is maximizing its potential as an emerging safe and technology-driven metropolis of respectful, punctual, and healthy people.
The ongoing establishment of a tree park in Barangay Lanit, Iloilo City as part of the city’s Tree Park Network Project. Photo from the Iloilo City Public Information Office (PIO).
Sustainable Environment
Throughout these developments, we are taking sustainability seriously without sacrificing the environment for the benefit of future generations.
The City is committed to implementing eco-friendly practices by promoting renewable energy sources, creating green spaces, stabilizing a waste management system, and raising environmental awareness.
Taking active climate action by establishing tree parks and a beach forest, we embarked on massive tree-planting of 100,000 trees, especially native tree species to boost biodiversity; planting flowering plants; and reforesting mangroves to reduce our carbon footprint.
Iloilo City’s beach forest. Photo from the Iloilo City Public Information Office (PIO).
We are embracing excellent urban planning for easy mobility, characterized by clean, walkable, and bicycle-friendly streets, seamless public transport, uniform signages, and clean public restrooms.
Essential Resilient Infrastructure
We aim to build livable and sustainable green communities through accessible and resilient infrastructure, stressing and recognizing the importance of having reliable and efficient infrastructure systems to support the needs of our growing population.
Building homes to relocate informal settlers from danger zones to safer grounds is one of the priorities.
We are also expanding the Iloilo City Action and Response Command Center and satellite units for faster emergency response, and implementing preparedness, prevention, mitigation, and recovery measures against disasters.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, we started operating a molecular laboratory. We currently have two dialysis centers, and will soon be opening a city hospital.
As we can only do so much with limited resources, we are banking on stronger Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in realizing high-impact projects such as waste-to-energy, Bus Rapid Transit, provision of potable water, and reclamation, among others.
With all these endeavors, we rise as one Iloilo City with all the goals, desired outcomes, and steps we will take to be among the Top 3 Most Competitive Highly Urbanized Cities in the Philippines by 2028.
Concrete along a road in Iloilo City is broken to enable native trees to be planted. Photo from the Iloilo City Public Information Office (PIO).
Solar panels at the Iloilo City Hall. Photo from the Iloilo City Public Information Office (PIO).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Geronimo “Jerry” Perez Treñas – Mayor of Iloilo City, Philippines
Mayor Treñas serves a fresh second term as Mayor of Iloilo City from 2019, following a three-term from 2001-2010, alongside as Chairman of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) from 2007-2010 and LCP President from 2004-2007. He came back as mayor after finishing a three-term as Congressman from 2010-2019. He is a Member of the CityNet Executive Board from 2022-2026 and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA) since 2009. He was a former Member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia and a Regional Executive Committee Member of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability from 2007-2010. Mayor Treñas was named the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Regional Winner by the Civil Service Commission in 2021 and 2023. His leadership helped Iloilo City achieve the following recent national and international recognitions: the Dinagyang Festival as the Best Tourism Event (Festival) in the Contemporary/Non-traditional expression category from the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) in 2022; the Galing Pook Award in 2022 for its “I-Bike” Program, fostering bike culture; a Gold Award in the 2021 Mobility Awards as the most bike-friendly city in the Philippines; the 2023 Most Business-Friendly Local Government Unit (LGU) Award for the city level from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI); and being the Philippines’ first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative City of Gastronomy in 2023.
