ILOILO City – This vibrant southern city has garnered multiple prestigious awards this year, celebrating its remarkable initiatives and achievements.
Mayor Jerry P. Treñas emphasized that these accolades are testaments to the hard work and dedication of the entire Iloilo City Government, from department heads to employees, all striving to provide exemplary services and programs to the community.
“These continuous recognitions underscore our relentless efforts to sustain and enhance the quality of services and programs we deliver to our constituents,” said Treñas.
Best PESO
With its relentless efforts to create more job and career opportunities for the Ilonggos, the Iloilo City Public Employment Service Office (PESO) has once again been recognized as the Best PESO for Highly Urbanized Cities during the 24th National PESO Congress in Zamboanga City on October 16, 2024.
Iloilo City-PESO received the same accolade last year at the 23rd National PESO Congress in Palo, Leyte.
To date, Iloilo City offers a variety of job-generating programs, including the Jobstart Program, the Special Program for the Employment of Students, the Government Internship Program, and emergency employment opportunities such as the DOLE-TUPAD Program for out-of-school youth and other marginalized earners.
PH’s Top 5 Most Competitive and Business-Friendly
Iloilo City has been named one of the Top 5 Most Business-Friendly Local Government Units (LGU) for 2024 by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
This recognition highlights the city’s exemplary performance in fostering an environment conducive to business growth, promoting innovation, and sustaining economic development.
Similarly, Iloilo City remains the No. 1 Most Competitive Highly Urbanized City outside the National Capital Region (NCR) and ranked 5th overall in the country.
This was awarded during the Philippine Creative Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Congress by the Department of Trade and Industry-Competitiveness Bureau (DTI-CB) on August 23, 2024, in Metro Manila.
Galing Pook Finalist
This year, Iloilo City has been honored as one of the finalists for the prestigious Galing Pook Award for its Iloilo City Sports Academy (ICSA): Realizing Ilonggo Strength, Excellence, and Success program.
ICSA is a grassroots sports program that offers free year-round training for children aged 5–17 in 20 sports disciplines.
It has already produced several local and national champions, growing from 160 athletes in 2019 to 3,344 athletes currently enrolled.
The awarding rites took place on October 24 in Taguig City that recognized the best and most innovative local governance programs demonstrating citizen participation and delivering positive results.
Aside from ICSA, the city’s anti-hunger initiative dubbed as RISE-A-FARM was also a finalist for Walang Gutom Awards (WGA) 2024.
Organized by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Galing Pook Foundation, WGA honored and replicated the best practices of LGUs in mitigating hunger in their respective localities.
ASEAN Smoke-free Award
Fresh from its designation as UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy last year, Iloilo City received another international recognition this year – the 2024 ASEAN Smoke-free Award Gold Category.
Given by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) during the ASEAN Health Ministers and Related Meetings in Vientiane, Laos on August 8, the award is a citation to the city for demonstrating a strong commitment to create a smoke-free metropolis.
The ASEAN Smoke-Free Award is an initiative of the SEATCA given to LGUs in the Western Pacific Region that demonstrate a sustained response in tobacco consumption control, including enforcement and awareness advocacy.
One of the World’s Top Fitness-Friendly Cities
Committed to promoting a healthy lifestyle, Iloilo City has gained another international recognition as one of the Top 18 Fitness-Friendly Cities in the world.
Cited by Headline Bulletin (hbuk.co.uk), Iloilo City is praised for its extensive bike lanes, bike-friendly infrastructure, and scenic views along the Iloilo River Esplanade, making it a haven for cycling enthusiasts and fitness buffs.
Iloilo City is the only city from the Philippines to make it to the list.
SubayBAYANI Awardee
The Iloilo City government was one of the five finalists for the 2024 Regional SubayBAYANI Awards by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The awarding rites were held on October 23.
This recognition comes after the city government efficiently utilized DILG’s P10-million grant for the Swab Center, supporting the expansion and upgrading of infrastructure for resilience in line with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028.
The SubayBAYANI Awards Program acknowledges exemplary monitoring and evaluation practices and the performance of LGUs through the SubayBAYAN Portal, DILG’s official platform for tracking project implementation.
Earlier this year, the city’s excellent health services were again recognized. The Uswag Molecular Laboratory team won the 2024 Civil Service Commission Pagasa Award, while City Health Officer Dr. Annabelle Tang received the CSC 2024 Dangal ng Bayan Award.
Bahaghari Champion
The Office of LGBT Affairs-Iloilo City has been named a Bahaghari Champion for 2024.
Organized by the Philippine Financial and Inter-Industry Pride, the annual Philippine Bahaghari Awards recognize individuals and organizations at the forefront of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
Asia-Pacific Traditional Festival
The city’s world-class Dinagyang Festival has been recognized as the Asia-Pacific Traditional (Folklore) Festival at the Asia Festival Awards during the 2024 Pinnacle Awards ansd Asia Festival City Conference in Thailand, organized by the International Festival and Events Association (IFEA) on February 28.
Moreover, the seven-time champion of the Aliwan Fiesta Grand National Festival Dance Competition was also adjudged Best Festival in Visayas by the Philippine Leaf Awards, a prestigious award-giving body dedicated in recognizing and celebrating outstanding achievements of Filipino artists in the fields of live entertainment, arts, fashion, and festivals.
Education Champion
In May this year, Iloilo City was awarded with Gawad Edukampyon for Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Highly Urbanized City Category for Local Governance, a celebration of achievements and innovations by various LGUs in championing education and good governance towards national development./PN
