Mayor wants August 25 to be declared a Local Holiday

Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said he will request either President Benigno Simeon Aquino III or the Sangguniang Panlungsod to declare August 25 of each year a special non-working holiday in Iloilo City in observance of the city’s Foundation Day.

Records show that Iloilo City became a chartered city July 16, 1937 by virtue of Commonwealth Act 158 and was inaugurated as such 40 days later on August 25, 1937.

Meanwhile, the Iloilo City Government will celebrate its 73rd Charter Day on July 16, starting with a thanksgiving mass at the fountain area of Robinsons Place Iloilo

The religious activity will kickoff the 40-day calendar of socio-cultural activities stretching to August 25.

Mabilog approved most of the activities presented for implementation by City Tourism Officer Benito Jimena, including the Ilonggo arts and crafts exhibits in shopping malls, a civic-military parade, food festivals of Ilonggo dishes and oratorical contests.

Jimena said the Charter Day celebration aims to create awareness of the history and development of Iloilo as a city, arouse community sense of pride and place, and showcase the celebration as a link to culture and heritage.

SOURCE: The News Today

Treñas wants Iloilo to be IRA-Independent

ILOILO CITY, July 17 (PNA) –- Iloilo City lone district Rep. Jerry Treñas is encouraging the city government not to rely solely on the annual Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the national government.

Treñas said that the IRA is not enough for all of the city’s projects and programs, adding that the city should also look for other sources of funds by focusing on business-friendly programs, tapping the expertise of the business community and enticing call center companies to invest.

He also urged Mayor Jed Mabilog to work on the infrastructure needs of the city to attract more business players. He said that the city should also continue its drive on efficient tax collections.

The current sources of funds for the city also include collections from the police clearances, balance of calamity fund, City Hall building bank interest, taxes from real property and the business taxes, as well as from the public markets.

The IRA is the share given by the national government to local government units according to their classification. Iloilo City’s annual IRA is around P40 million only.

But the congressman laments that the share of the city is getting smaller with the addition of new cities every year. This is the reason why the city should strive to be IRA-independent in the future, Trenas said. (Philippine News Agency)
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