One of the highly progressive economies in the western part of Visayas, Iloilo City features a number of large shopping malls and other commercial centers. Just like its enchanting tourist spots, these establishments help the city attract more people from various parts of the world including local tourists. Check out the souvenirs, special products and other merchandises that these places have to offer and experience the excitement that only Iloilo shopping can offer.
As part of one of the biggest shopping mall chains in the country, SM City Iloilo offers almost everything that people need in their lives. It has a department store, where people can shop various kinds of clothing for men, women and kids. Likewise, it also has a separate section for teenage clothing and dress. For sure, children will have a great time visiting the toy section, where they can find the latest and most wonderful toys available today. The shoe section is also very impressive as it offers different types of footwear including, leather, casual and rubber shoes. Your Iloilo shopping experience is not complete without checking this place out.
Just like SM City, Robinsons is also part of one of the highly successful shopping mall chains in the country today. This place has state-of-the-art cinemas featuring the latest and hippest films in the world of entertainment. People find this place very attractive because it is less crowded compared to other commercial centers within the area. It has a department store where shoppers can purchase highly affordable clothes, shoes and other exciting items. It holds regular sales and other enticing promos in order to draw more people to shop. It also has a food court, where tired customers can reenergize their bodies with different kinds of great tasting food and thirst quenching drinks.
For people who are looking for handicrafts and other native products, Ilonggo Producers Association Trade Center is definitely the right place to go to, as it offers a wonderful collection of merchandises that reflect the ingenuity of Ilonggos. Here, customers can buy colorful paintings, beautiful woodcraft as well as native baskets of various shapes and sizes. There are also different kinds of fabrics, furniture and bags available inside this place. Furthermore, it also houses different types of local food and pastries.
Atrium Shopping Center is one of the favorite hangouts for many people living within the area. It features a large supermarket where people can purchase their everyday needs including frozen goods, detergents and other important personal items. Many expats love to shop at this place because it offers fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as different kinds of imported goods from various parts of the world. In addition, it also has a home store, which offers kitchen equipment and other household appliances.
The first few years of decentralization of Iloilo hospitals and health care proved too daunting for the provincial government of Iloilo. One of the biggest problems was delivery of health services as the province took over 11 district hospitals and the Iloilo Provincial Hospital. Taking in hundreds of health personnel while offering maintenance and management of the hospitals and health units chewed up a huge amount of the provincial budget, resulting to the depletion of funds for other services and general administration of the Provincial Government.
Before 1991, there was a negative impact from the public regarding the Iloilo provincial hospitals due to insufficient and poor maintenance of the facilities, absence of well-trained medical personnel, and inadequate supplies and other resources. The negative perception remained immediately after decentralization due to further deterioration.
Likewise, the financial assistance of the local government for devolution was primarily intended for personnel expenses and minimal was left for maintenance and operating expenses. Cleanliness and sanitary conditions in provincial hospitals were alarming. Capital outlays were not provided during the first years of decentralization. Only marginal improvements for equipment and facilities were implemented.
The problem of the Iloilo Provincial Government was compounded by the fact that the capacity building of hospital personnel was severely affected and there was no organization for human resource development. The lack of medical personnel to assist the number of patients were insufficient and became worse. The confidence of the public in provincial hospitals deteriorated as well.
The Hospital Operations and Management Service (HOMS) of the Provincial Health Office spearheaded the reorganization of the Iloilo health system. The system was designed to restructure the functional departments of provincial hospitals. Under the new system, hospitals were divided into the following units: Nursing, Clinical, Laboratory, Dietary, Pharmacy, Social Services, and Administrative.
Each of the departments would be tasked to coordinate and manage the provincial hospitals for the purpose of planning, development and management of human resources, operations, and procurement and physical development of both District and Provincial Hospitals. Aside from that, each unit of the HOMS would collaborate with their hospital counterparts in discussing needs and problems, in formulating plans and determining the needed actions to solve problems.
For its part, the HOMS was responsible for clearing problems as well as establishing a link between the hospitals and the Provincial Government while ensuring immediate action regarding the needs and problems of hospital facilities.
With the implementation of the HOMS in 2002, one of its initial moves was to perform a baseline assessment of the conditions of the 11 District Hospitals and the Iloilo Provincial Hospital. The task of assessing the condition of each hospital was provided for as a basic requirement of Administrative Order 70-2 Series of 2002 and Administrative Order 147 Series of 2004 of the Department of Health regarding the implementing rules and regulations of the registration, licensing, and operation of hospitals and other health facilities in the country.
The HOMS Information System served as the benchmark for all other Iloilo hospitals and health care. It established a Data Bank, Hospital Monitoring Tools, and Statistical Report.
The gateway to Visayas has several new hotels and fine established ones that have first class facilities coupled with world class customer service. Among the two highly recommended Iloilo hotels are Sarabia Manor Hotel and Century 21 Hotel.
A hotel that has established a reputation in many parts of the Philippines has recently opened its doors in Iloilo. Century 21 Hotel is right in the middle of the business district and this 6 storey building has more than just warm hospitality to offer. Century 21 Hotel is proud of its reputation of establishing a home away from home and aside from the topnotch service that this Iloilo hotel provides, the rooms are also immaculately clean with fresh sheets all the time There are many different types of rooms depending on how many people are booking or the guest’s preference. Century 21 Hotel is definitely within one’s budget, with the single room with a single bed good for 1 person available for only Php 800 per night. For groups of 3 or 4, this Iloilo hotel offers the deluxe or the family room and the prices are Php 1,350 and Php 1,600 respectively. The deluxe room has 3 single beds while the family room at this Iloilo hotel has 1 matrimonial bed and 2 singles. Century 21 Hotel also has complete amenities such as function rooms for business purposes or for events and celebrations, a restaurant that serves excellent mouth watering dishes and power cuts are never a problem with this Iloilo hotel since it has a generator on standby. For those who brought their cars to Iloilo, Century 21 Hotel has basement parking and 24 hour security.
Another good Iloilo hotel that has a prime location right in the heart of the city is Sarabia Manor Hotel which is found on General Luna Street. This Iloilo hotel is the recipient of Best Hotel Award for 2 years and their facilities include 6 restaurants all specializing in different cuisines, a gym, business center, outdoor swimming pool, a sauna and a souvenir shop. Sarabia Manor Hotel is one of the Iloilo hotels that have facilities for the disabled and it also offers services such as massage, car rental, room service and tour packages. The function rooms at this Iloilo hotel can accommodate up to 1,500 people so it’s a good spot for big events or conferences. Sarabia Manor Hotel also has a bar so on can grab a quick drink before turning in and the cocktails here are unique and taste good. Room rates at the Sarabia Manor Hotel start at Php 2,352.
Whenever I hear the word or the place Iloilo, there are two (2) things that linger in my mind. These two beings had been key persons in the history of the Philippines. One of them had been born and died during the establishment of Philippines independence. The other person had literally made 'revolutions' for the benefit of the Filipino people. Though they were born in different timelines in the course of Philippine history, yet they had some commonality or parallelism in a way or two.
This guy never let his family's poverty had its way for him to learn and be a keystone for the Filipino Propagandistas during the Spanish Revolt. At a young age, he was under the care of a friar since his parents had been financially challenged. He entered the seminary at a young age and had become the secretary of his uncle (an honorary vice consul of Portugal in Iloilo). Nonetheless, his priestly formation had been halted after his parents were convinced of his ambition of being a doctor. Because of some technicalities in his qualification, he was denied enrollment and was instead assigned or appointed in a hospital as an apprentice or a novice. Unfortunately, due to his parent’s lack of fund, he was forced to return to Iloilo and practiced medicine in local communities instead.
As Lopez-Jaena practiced medicine in his hometown, he was made aware of the injustices of the Spanish regime during those days. His awareness led him to write 'Fray Botod'-a satirical account of ill-mannered friar that made use of religious approach though his acts were contradictory to what he was preaching. This angered religious leaders during those days and had threatened his very existence. This publication had been a turning point of his revolutionary life and was forced to sail for Spain in 1879. In Spain, he met Jose P. Rizal and Marcelo H. del Pilar and founded the Propaganda movement. This triumvirate had produced the 'La Solidaridad'-a sort of a newspaper trying to uplift and consolidate the Filipino passion of having a sort of sovereignty and a sense of equality as humans. His talents in literature and politics were manifested through his speeches especially when he was at Spain. He died in Spain and was buried in an unmarked grave. His remains, unfortunately, was never brought back to the Philippines. His legacy would be remembered as a literary contributor to the propaganda movement through La Solidaridad and as its editor.
Jaime Lachica Sin or for the devout Catholics in the Philippines, he was the late Jaime Cardinal Sin. His Chinese lineage was from his father Juan Sin. His mother Maxima Lachica was of Aklanon descent. As a young boy, like Graciano Lopez-Jaena, he entered the same seminary, St.Vincent Ferrer Seminary and unlike Lopez-Jaena, he eventually finished his studies and was ordained priest.
The life of Cardinal Sin had been an exemplar of what a real Christ should be. As the appointed Archbishop of Manila, he was aware of the abuses of the present government. Being a spiritual leader and a citizen of the Philippines he was compelled to act against the fraud and corruption that had been going on during those days. He played a major role of ousting the Philippines' then head of the state by encouraging Filipinos not to be afraid by going out in the streets to end the dictatorship of the present administration in a peaceful and prayerful manner. This historical event had caught the world by surprised since it was a series of nonviolent demonstrations in the Philippines main road EDSA (or Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) until the present leader then vacated the seat of power and installed a new state leader (Corazon Cojuangco Aquino) in 1986.
Since then, Cardinal Sin had been actively voicing out his views regarding current or occurring issues that affect the Philippines as a whole. Many of his critics vented out about the separation of the church and state (actually, many of Filipinos have a wrong notion of this 'separation'. The real essence of this statement is all about pinpointing an official religion of the state). Nonetheless, as a Christian and a Filipino he knew his role to uphold the right and made sure moral decisions were prioritized.
Iloilo must have been much honored to have this 'heroes' originated in this blessed place. These personalities had been a symbol of patriotism and instruments of change for the better. Sin and Lopez-Jaena could never have been the champions for Filipino people as simple as it seemed. Rather, it was their choice that made them great making both of them archetypes of selflessness.