The Iloilo City Government has partnered with the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) for Project 3: Heritage as Public Policy: Preserving and Promoting Iloilo Calle Real Buildings.
The partnership, under the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) and UP Visayas Center for West Visayan Studies (UP CWVS) Panay Weaving and Culinary Heritage Program, was sealed through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed on Monday, May 4.
In a statement, Mayor Raisa Treñas said the partnership is “very timely” as the city government advances development in City Proper, where Calle Real is located
“This can help strengthen our policy direction, stakeholder engagement and long-term planning in managing our built heritage,” she added.
According to UPV Chancellor Clement Camposano, heritage must be pursued within a governance and stakeholder framework, ensuring preservation serves communities rather than simply “beautifying” the past.
He also outlined forward‑looking initiatives, including halal culinary offerings to expand Iloilo’s tourism market and a proposal to develop the Iloilo River as an ecotourism “living classroom.”
The MOA signing was witnessed by Dr. Rosalie Alacala Hall of UP CIDS, Project Leader Dr. Mary Rose Rebueno, and Architect Wilfredo Sy Jr. and Emmanuel Gemora of the Iloilo City Cultural Heritage Conservation Council.IMT
