Ex-VP Leni Robredo and team in Iloilo City for learning visit
Former Vice President and now Naga City mayoralty candidate, Leni Robredo, arrived in Iloilo City Wednesday (March 5) for a learning visit on the city’s best practices and landmark programs.
Along with her are the incumbent councilors and department heads of Naga City.
Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said Iloilo City is honored to be visited by the former vice president and her team, with whom he shared the same vision and passion for progress.
“I can still remember, during my first term as mayor, I also had a study tour in Naga City where I learned about their housing initiatives, their relocation sites, as well as the perimeter boundary ordinance for out-of-town jeeps and buses,” Treñas shared.
His contemporaries at that time included the late Mayor Jesse Robredo, husband of Leni, and then Mayors Mary Jane C. Ortega and Marides Fernando of San Fernando City, La Union and Marikina City, respectively – all equally distinguished leaders.
Treñas noted that, alongside Mayor Jesse and Mayor Ortega, they served as speakers in international learning seminars for local government units (LGUs) and at the World Economic Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa and Vancouver, Canada.
Meanwhile, together with Mayor Fernando, they gave lectures to the first candidates for the initial LGU elections in Indonesia, funded by the World Bank.
“Being a city mayor, learning is never-ending. We always learn something new every day,” the local chief executive expressed.
Treñas said just like other LGUs that visited the city to benchmark, Iloilo City is elated to also share its best practices and programs to Naga City.
He remarked that before, he went to several cities like Naga City to learn, and now everyone is going to Iloilo to learn from the city.
“As leaders like Leni, we all strive for continued progress in our respective cities, and this can be replicated by other LGUs,” Treñas said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he recalled the assistance of the former Vice President, who donated P7 million worth of COVID-19 test kits and an RT-PCR machine for the city and province of Iloilo.
Iloilo City continues to serve as a model for other LGUs due to its fast-growing economy and sustainable practices.
Under Mayor Treñas‘ current term, close to 50 LGUs have benchmarked in Iloilo City. Among them are the LGUs of Masbate, Albay, Koronadal City, Pampanga, Cuyo (Palawan), Zamboanga, Valencia City (Bukidnon), Barangay North Fairview (Quezon City), San Fernando (La Union), Alangalang (Leyte), Tagbilaran City (Bohol), Angeles City, Don Carlos (Bukidnon), and Dulag (Leyte).
Several impactful projects have been carried out by the Treñas administration, including the Iloilo City Nutrition Center, Iloilo City Action and Resilience (ICARE) centers, dialysis centers, the legislative building and other essential infrastructures, and the redevelopment of open spaces, public plazas and markets.
The city has also received multiple awards and recognitions under Treñas‘ leadership, with several outstanding offices earning various citations.
Iloilo City has been praised for its sustained cleanliness and environmental initiatives. (GSTayona/Iloilo City PIO)
