Iloilo City Hosts First International River Summit

President Benigno Semion "Noynoy" Aquino III, is the closing keynote speaker of the Iloilo City Hosts First Philippines International River Summit, with a theme: "My River, My Life." The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is calling on all local chief executives (LCEs) interested to participate in the first Philippine International River Summit, which will be held starting tomorrow, May 29, until June 1, 2012 in Alta Terra Village, Jaro, Iloilo City.

According to DILG Secretary Jesse M. Robredo, the venue will serve as a place for information exchange, dialogue, networking, and sharing of good practices. 

It aims to bring together local governments, river councils, foundations, national authorities, and the private sector in order to tackle important issues in managing river basins, like pollution, flooding, human impact, and governance," said Robredo.

The city government of Iloilo, together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced that preparations are underway for the first Philippine International River Summit from May 30 to June 1. 

Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog of Iloilo City said this would be the first time that a local government would host an international gathering on the issue of river management He said that the summit aims to stimulate discussion, learning and action among experts, local governments, non-governement organizations, private sector and the academe, specifically on river basin governance, climate change and disaster risk reduction, water quality and water resources management, biodiversity management and eco-tourism.

Mabilog stressed the need for local governments to prioritize river management, given the country’s recent experiences with flooding during typhoons like Frank (Iloilo City), Ondoy (Metro Manila) and Sendong (Cagayan De Oro). He said that since 2011, Iloilo City, through the Iloilo River Development Council, has undertaken a concerted clean-up and redevelopment of the Iloilo River.

The summit’s speaker line-up includes scientists from the Canadian Urban Institute, the Patuxent Wildlife Center in Maryland, the University of Queensland in Australia, and local government executives and river basin managers from countries like Korean, Thailand, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.