ONE OF THE THINGS that really fascinated us when we sort of migrated back to “I Am Iloilo City” about five years ago was the Esplanade. Back then it was only the Esplanade 1, then a year or so later they opened the Esplanade 2.
Esplanade 1 and 2 created a loop which was about five kilometers starting from the entrance along Diversion Road at the end of the Diversion Bridge if you’re coming from General Luna Street, and ends at the start of the same Diversion Bridge also coming from General Luna Street.
This loop is well-lighted, safe and scenic, with landscaped greenery including the mangroves and jogging/walking path which takes you on a tour along the Iloilo River. Of course, Iloilo River is not a river in the real sense but actually an arm of the sea.
Esplanade 1 and 2 are perfect for us, providing the best venue for our regular walks and just the right distance too.
The Esplanade, the bike lanes, the wide-open spaces, the museums and the well-planned development of Iloilo Nuevo and the restoration of heritage sites in Iloilo Viejo were more than enough to convince us to finally sort of come home.
Now if they can only sort out the floods every time there’s a downpour and lower the electricity rates, eliminate frequent power interruptions and provide better customer service, then everything would just be dandy and really, I don’t care if it’s MORE Power or PECO as long as they keep the customer satisfied.
I have jogged in Singapore’s own Esplanade along the Clark Quay but compared to the Iloilo Esplanade it’s just a concrete pathway along the Singapore River while Iloilo Esplanade is more natural, a commune with nature with the Mangroves and greenery at least it is to moi.
Meanwhile in “I Am Iloilo City” there’s more (no pun intended) to come:
Excerpts from the July 27, 2019 issue of Panay News:
More sections of Iloilo esplanade open to public
Today four more sections of the Iloilo Esplanade would be opened to the public.
These four new phases are from the Iloilo Bridge (also known as Diversion Bridge) from the Diversion Road or Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue to Muelle Loney in the City Proper overlooking the Iloilo River.
Ilonggo senator Franklin Drilon will lead the inauguration.
The Iloilo Esplanade’s first phase, 1.2 kilometers long from Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue to Carpenter’s Bridge in Mandurriao district, was opened to the public in August 2012.
Today’s inauguration of four more completed phases would bring to 8.1 kilometers the total length of the esplanade.
The Iloilo Esplanade, a pet project of Drilon, is part of efforts to rehabilitate the 15-kilometer Iloilo River and maximize its economic and tourism potentials.
Since its inauguration in 2012, the esplanade has become a popular recreational space for walking, jogging, open-air dining and venue for river water sports, said Drilon.
It has also been cited as “Best Landscape Architecture” by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ National Committee on Architecture and the Allied Arts.
It seems that the impetus for all these aesthetic developments in “I Am Iloilo City” is Sen. Franklin Drilon, from sourcing funds to “gently” persuading local government officials and private contractors to get their acts together for these projects and it seems he has succeeded.
Some people are saying the good senator is doing this because he profits from it. Perhaps. But it gave “I Am Iloilo City” a much-needed boost. You can say it has already “leveled up” long before Mayor Geronimo thought of that tag line.
Now “I Am Iloilo City” is up there as one if not the best city in the Philippines. Along the way the natives have profited.
Some people are saying Senator Drilon is an asshole. Of course that is their opinion. Maybe he is or maybe he’s not. I have never met the good senator and I’m pretty sure he is not even aware that I exist, so I have no opinion on that.
Let me put it this way: when we left Iloilo City almost three decades ago it was dirty, deteriorated and way, way behind its neighbors. Now it’s the “most livable city in the country.” Well, almost, if they can sort out the floods and lower electricity rates.
So, should we thank Sen. Franklin Drilon?
Politics aside, let’s give credit where credit is due. So there./PN
