ILOILO CITY, (PNA) — The inclusion of the Iloilo River in the Thiess International River prize award held recently in Brisbane, Australia brings positive international exposure to Iloilo and the rest of the country by showing the best efforts of the local government unit to rehabilitate and preserve the heritage river.
Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, who recently returned from the September 25 awarding rites in Australia, said that four rivers in the world, one of which is the Iloilo River, were selected for the award.
The top prize went to Kenya River, which shows a people component with water for use of the community, industries, and livestock.
The two other rivers are in Australia and Russia.
Mabilog said the Iloilo River was selected as the lone entry of the Philippines in the international competition. The rehabilitation and preservation efforts of the city government and the inter-agency cooperation accomplished since Feb. 11, 2013 were presented to the international audience.
The mayor said the Iloilo delegation was able to network with universities in Australia and with a European University and their officials have expressed interest to come to Iloilo to see the river and the internationally famous Dinagyang Festival in January 2014.