ILOILO City — The Iloilo City Government will begin dismantling and repurposing its temporary cooling hubs this week after the heat index eased from dangerous summer levels, converting the facilities into public service outposts while keeping them ready for rapid reactivation should extreme heat and the expected El Niño return later this year.
General Services Office (GSO) head and Crisis Committee Executive Director Engr. Neil Ravena said the solar-powered cooling hub along Diversion Road in Mandurriao will be transferred to Sunset Boulevard to serve as a temporary mini office for personnel of the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) and the GSO assigned to maintain the area.
“Since we don’t have a distribution line yet at Sunset Boulevard, we need a solar-powered mini office so our personnel assigned to maintain the area will have shelter,” Ravena explained.
Ravena said the cooling hub at Plazoleta Gay will be relocated to the YMCA Building on Iznart Street and converted into an outpost for Police Station 1, while the permanent cooling hub on General Luna Street will remain at the city’s pumping station building.
The city decided to repurpose the facilities after the heat index declined to around 30 to 40 degrees Celsius from the 40 to 46 degrees recorded during the peak of the summer season.
Since opening on May 6, the city’s three cooling hubs have served a total of 3,383 clients, providing air-conditioned rest areas, potable drinking water, health information materials, blood pressure monitoring, and basic medical assistance, according to Ravena.
Despite the relocation, Ravena said the city remains prepared to reopen the cooling hubs if extreme heat conditions return.
“We are continuously monitoring the heat index and the possible occurrence of El Niño expected from the last quarter of 2026 until 2027. If the situation warrants, we will recommend to the mayor the reopening of the cooling hubs,” he said.
The cooling hubs were established as part of Iloilo City’s climate resilience and public health initiatives to provide residents with temporary relief during periods of extreme heat./PN
