ILOILO City — A nearly seven-decade-old landmark in front of the Iloilo Provincial Capitol could undergo a major transformation under a proposal aimed at easing traffic conflicts, opening public space and creating a more pedestrian-friendly government center.
Renowned Filipino architect Paulo Alcazaren has proposed the reconfiguration of the Siete Pecados traffic islands along Bonifacio Drive in the City Proper, a road feature dating back to the late 1950s and originally conceived as a tribute to the Siete Pecados Islands in Guimaras, then a subprovince of Iloilo.
Alcazaren presented the proposed site development plan to Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., Provincial Administrator Raul Banias, Provincial Information and Community Affairs Office chief and Ilonggo historian Jose Nereo Lujan, and General Services Office head Vincent Flores Jr.
The plan would reconfigure the existing traffic islands and create a roadside park that could accommodate the relocation of the Nicolas Jalandoni monument while improving traffic circulation along General Luna Street and Bonifacio Drive.
Banias welcomed the proposal, saying it could address traffic flow while creating additional public space in front of the Capitol.
“It’s a good proposal as it will improve traffic flow and open some spaces which can be transformed into a small plaza,” Banias said in a Facebook post.
The provincial government, however, has yet to decide on the proposal.
Banias said it would first be discussed with the Iloilo City Government, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and other concerned agencies and stakeholders before the province responds to Alcazaren’s proposal.
Lujan said the proposed redesign presents an opportunity to reconcile the area’s historical significance with present-day demands for safer and more efficient urban spaces.
“Rather than viewing the proposal as an erasure of history, it can be seen as an adaptation to contemporary urban needs,” Lujan said.
According to Lujan, removing the existing road feature could reduce vehicular conflicts at the busy intersection, improve connectivity across the Capitol grounds, and restore the Casa Real and Arroyo Fountain as the principal visual and symbolic anchors of the government center.
The proposal also envisions a more accessible, pedestrian-friendly and visually cohesive corner around the Capitol complex.
Alcazaren is no stranger to the provincial government center. He also designed the multimillion-peso redevelopment of the Iloilo Provincial Capitol grounds undertaken during the administration of former governor Arthur Defensor Sr./PN
