Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. affirmed the completion of his flagship infrastructure project - the Smart and Green Government Center - before he steps down from his post in 2028.
Defensor is serving his third and final term with renewed vision of providing a facility incorporating smart technology and green design that will make government services more accessible and responsive.
In his inaugural address during his oath-taking on June 30, 2025, the governor emphasized that the government center is envisioned as a centralized facility that will house the frontline offices of the national government agencies and at the same promote regional development.
This βambitious projectβ is designed to provide a corporate environment for government offices and enhance public service delivery.
βIf you want to transact in the government, you only go to one place. This is digitized...We will have four buildings here, including a multi-level parking. This is ambitious but our targets are very modest and doable," Defensor said.
The facility will be constructed at the 5.56-hectare property of the provincial government strategically located in Barangays Bolong Oeste and Inangayan in the municipality of Santa Barbara.
It will feature four-unit buildings incorporating green building designs to ensure environmental sustainability. There will also be commercial areas for business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, hotel and accommodation facilities, and retail establishments.
Additionally, it will have a state-of-the-art stadium to accommodate events, positioning Iloilo as a MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions) destination.
βAt the end of three years, we will have this facility. We will have a complex that can be a business park and a government center. In this place, we want government offices in a corporate environment,β Defensor said.
The construction of a regional government center is part of Defensorβs development thrust under his βMoRProGRes Iloiloβ social justice agenda which is to develop growth areas as investment centers in the province to stimulate local economic growth.
Defensor is optimistic that the project will be finished before his term ends, with funding support from the private sector and the Ilonggo lawmakers. The provincial government eyes a public-private partnership scheme with the integration of the commercial component.
The project already received a budget allocation of P100 million under the General Appropriations Act for 2024 for the construction of the Multi-Purpose Building Phase 1. The provincial government has requested P100 million funding from Sen. Bong Revilla and P500 million from Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio Ernesto Lagdameo.
The governor took the opportunity to seek budgetary assistance from Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman who administered his oath of office.
USWAG Ilonggo Partylist representative James βJojoβ Ang who also joined the governor in his oath-taking, also sought for pool funding of P100 million each from the five Iloilo congressmen to ensure the completion of the project.
Once completed, the Smart and Green Government Center will serve as Defensorβs lasting legacy - a physical structure symbolizing his efficient and transparent brand of governance. (Capitol news)