ILOILO CITY, (PNA) -– Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog has proposed the creation of a separate office through a congressional fiat to manage the activities and operations of the Iloilo-Batiano River Development Council with an annual budget for its operation.
Mabilog said he has met with Senate President Franklin M. Drilon and city lone district Rep. Jerry P. Treñas to discuss the possible creation of the Iloilo Batiano River Development Authority through Congress and for providing an annual budget for the office.
The IBRDC was organized in 2007 to manage and supervise the many activities regarding the rehabilitation and renovation of the Iloilo River spanning more than 15 kilometers from the Parola up to the boundary in the Oton side.
Batiano River, which spans more than 17 kms from Baluarte in Molo district up to Barangay San Antonio in the municipality of Oton, was subsequently added to the river council through the insistence of Oton Mayor Vincent Flores.
The council was then renamed the IBRDC, a multi-sectoral group composed of national government agencies, local government units of Iloilo City and Oton and non-government organizations.
Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog was elected council chairman while Drilon and Rep. Jerry P. Treñas as co-chairmen with Prof. Evelyn Balleza as secretary and the city environment and natural resources office as secretariat.
Mabilog said that with a river authority office, the many protection and renovation projects in both rivers will be taken care of by an office upgraded through a congressional approval.