From top-down to bottom-up
COMMAND and control from the top can only go so far in disaster response. When strong southwest monsoon rains enhanced by tropical cyclones “Crising”,...
The weakest link in disaster response
IN THE WAKE of successive storms — “Crising”, “Dante”, and “Emong” — plus an intense southwest monsoon that recently battered Iloilo City, the city...
DPWH vs LGUs: Bridging gaps in governance
THE RECENT cease-and-desist order issued by Iloilo City’s Mayor Raisa Treñas against several Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects has brought to...
Science first, not after
FLOODED homes, grieving families, submerged streets — these are not the outcomes anyone expects from a public infrastructure program. Yet these grim realities unfolded...
When infrastructure becomes a threat
INFRASTRUCTURE is supposed to be a symbol of progress — a marker of public investment meant to improve mobility, resilience, and quality of life....
Local governments as catalysts for business-friendly reform
AT THE HEART of every thriving regional economy are communities of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). In Western Visayas, they account for the...
Enforce, educate, empower
ILOILO City has long positioned itself as a model of public health governance, and its landmark Ordinance No. 2017-002 — the comprehensive anti-smoking ordinance...
Protect Iloilo’s youth from deceptive vape marketing
IN THE FIGHT for public health, few battles are as insidious — and urgent — as the one being waged against deceptive vape marketing....
Creeks, compliance, and common sense
THE RECENT flooding in Iloilo City’s Jaro district should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind: when a humble creek is ignored in urban planning,...
Urban planning in a sinking city
IT WOULD be a mistake to trivialize the recent flooding in Iloilo City’s Jaro district as just a tale of poor drainage or political...