Mayor pushes rail system for entire Panay Island

ILOILO CITY—The Iloilo City government is pushing for a rail system that would connect the entire Panay Island to make travel time across the island’s four provinces faster and to boost tourism, according to Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog.

“We’re talking with the PPP [Public-Private Partnership] Center about connecting Iloilo to the rest of the island of Panay by rail. We want to make Iloilo the center of ecotourism in the island,” said Mabilog at a dinner reception on Wednesday for delegates of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation  Workshop on Infrastructure Financing and Capital Market Development.

Mabilog said city officials are pitching for a light rail system across the major business hubs and tourism destinations in the island. Besides Iloilo, Panay hosts three other provinces: Aklan, Antique and Capiz.

Aside from trade and tourism, a train system would also facilitate quicker transport of agricultural and fishery produce, the mayor said.