ILOILO City – With it ongoing expansion, the Iloilo Esplanade has ceased from being a slope protection and is now a reclamation project at the Iloilo River, according to the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA).
Because of this, the esplanade needs a reclamation permit, said PRA general manager and chief executive officer Janilo Rubiato who was here recently.
PRA is the government agency regulating reclamation activities.
Yes, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 6 will seek a reclamation permit, according to Assistant Regional Director Al Fruto.
DPWH is the agency undertaking the Iloilo Esplanade expansion.
Fruto said DPWH did not see the need to secure a reclamation permit during the initial phases of the Iloilo Esplanade.
The first phase of the esplanade, some 1.2 kilometers long, was formally opened on Aug. 19, 2012 as part of efforts to rehabilitate the Iloilo River and enhance its tourism and economic potentials.
Built at a cost of P58.7 million, it stretched from Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue to Carpenter’s Bridge in Mandurriao district.
The area is now a popular recreational space for walking, jogging, open-air dining, and venue for river water sports.
The project eventually evolved from an ordinary slope protection work into what it is today – a linear park expanded via several phases of reclamation activities at the Iloilo River./PN
