International funding agencies show interest on MIGEDC
City Mayor Jerry Treñas said the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have expressed their interest in helping the city government and the entire Metro Iloilo-Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC) in its future projects. World Bank and ADB are important funding agencies when it comes to Official Development Assistance (ODA).
Treñas, chair of the MIGEDC said the two-day international donors forum last week have a "positive response" among the representatives of different funding agencies such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, JICA, GTZ, AusAid among others.
Guimaras Gov. Rahman Nava is co-chair of the MIGDEC. Aside from Iloilo City and province of Guimaras, the other member towns of MIGDEC are Leganes, Pavia, Sta. Barbara and Oton.
Treñas said the funding agencies are asking on how and when they can help in all the proposed development projects conceptualized by MIGEDC. "We should have new plans and programs as effects of urbanization especially on the forthcoming opening of the Iloilo Airport of International Standards in Sta. Barbara."
In his speech during the donors forum, Treñas said the city is in dire need of external assistance. The city is highly urbanized with 400,000 population that is densely packed in a 70.23 square kilometers of "environmentally critical floodplain." The city has also limited financial resources that depends more on the 20 percent Internal Revenue Allotment share from the national budget.
He added that with the huge responsibilities on the delivery of urban services, it is even made difficult to address because of the emerging urbanization problems on slum expansion, traffic congestion, environmental degradation and increasing garbage volumes. "We cannot help but turn to friends and work allies, one of the LGU's more sought-after allies is the ODA, getting good responses from ODA, however is difficult."
In order to get a positive response from ODA, there is a need to convince ODA allies and friends into believing that Iloilo or the entire MIGEDC is worth helping and investing. "To do this we need to build and maintain a bankable image of ourselves, our city and our region perhaps through branding and spreading a city-wide sense of civic pride."
The city mayor added that there is also a need to convince ODA partners that the MIGEDC initiatives are based on carefully prepared and well consulted strategic plans. "The establishment of MIDC in 2001 and its evolution in 2006, urban development initiatives in the city are now also being undertaken with Metro Iloilo Guimaras Physical Framework Plan as basis."