The provincial government here has decided to tone down the celebration of the 125th Semana sang Iloilo, limiting it to only three days from the usual one week, starting Monday.

In an interview, Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. said his instruction was for the celebration to focus on the awarding and recognition of the achievements from the national government, partners and stakeholders.

Defensor said the recognitions speak of how the provincial government does its best in terms of governance and administration.

“The recognitions and awards are not just about the winning. We are doing this awarding, but the first to recognize what we are doing and how we do things here in Iloilo is the national government and our partners,” he said.

Defensor said the provincial government will get inspiration from the recognitions moving forward because it wants to level up.

“That’s what is significant in our Semana sang Iloilo aside from the fact that our celebration is cultural, agricultural, it’s mostly aligned with our tourism program,” he said.

The ceremony opened with a foot parade from the Sunburst Park to the Provincial Capital Grounds featuring the Bougainvillea Festival.

Defensor said bougainvillea plants are underutilized, but they can be the same attractions or even better than the Cherry Blossoms in Korea and Japan.

“We will see how we will adopt it as something official. That is not our national flower, but tourism is another thing,” he said.

The provincial government will also launch its Talamdan: A Technology-Driven Governance for MoRProGRess Iloilo; and Climate Storytelling and Book Launch of Klima kag Pamatan-on: Istorya Kang Iloilo. (PNA)