The Iloilo City government will no longer allow the extension of the Iloilo River Esplanade project towards the mouth of the river.

This was announced by Mayor Jose Espinosa III during the regular meeting of the Iloilo Batiano River Development Council (IBRDC) held at the city hall penthouse Friday afternoon.

The announcement came after his meeting with representatives from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) earlier on Friday.

“We have made a survey and there will be companies that will be dislocated. Employment and income of the city might be reduced if we will continue the Esplanade up to the Parola area,” he said, as he revealed that 36 corporations are using the area from the Iloilo City Hall towards the mouth of the river.

Instead, Espinosa cited the need for the immediate dredging of the river, which is “heavily silted.”

“The PPA said there is an urgent need of dredging of that area,” he said.

He already informed Presidential Assistant for Visayas Michael Dino about the plan of the city government who will relay the message to the general manager of the PPA to “have a sort of emergency dredging on the mouth of the river.”

Meantime, Engr. Al Fruto, Assistant Regional Director of DPWH in Western Visayas, said they will abide by the instruction of the city mayor.

In a phone interview Fruto explained the portion being referred to by the city mayor is part of the port delineated zone. It stretches from the monument of Nicholas Loney to the mouth of the river. “While it is being operated by the PPA as a river wharf, we have not placed interventions,” he said.

He said they are just “winding up” with the construction of up to Esplanade 9.

The Iloilo River Esplanade project started as a flood control project. From an ordinary slope protection, it has become a dike embankment until it became an Esplanade 1 from the Benigno Aquino Avenue to the Carpenter’s Bridge in Molo district stretching some 1.2 kilometers.

A similar project was constructed at the other bank of the river parallel to Esplanade 1 was the Esplanade 2.
Thereafter, an extension at the other side of the main road was constructed up until the Muelle Loney or Railway Bridge.

“We expect that all these interventions will be completed by the end of the year if not maybe a little spillover by next year,” Fruto said.

The nine Esplanade projects are expected to cover around 6.9 kilometers. (PNA)