ILOILO CITY – Government agencies and officials lauded this city for being named as Creative City of Gastronomy by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
NATIVE Filipino dishes served at Breakthrough Restaurant in Iloilo City which was named as UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. (Tara Yap)
“Iloilo City proudly joins the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as our third city, following Baguio in 2017 for Craft and Folk Art and Cebu in 2019 for Design. Notably, this marks our inaugural entry for Gastronomy!” said the Department of Tourism (DOT)-6 (Western Visayas) in a statement.
Iloilo City is the country’s lone entry in this year’s UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
“This brings the Philippines great pride and honor,” said Sen. Loren Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts.
“Felicitations are in order for our ‘Ilonggo kababayans' (countrymen) as their unique culinary identity was recognized by a widely respected body such as UNESCO, and we hope to push tourism there even further,” Loren added.
Iloilo City is the first city in the country to be given the title in the gastronomy category.
“This recognition is also homage to Iloilo City’s ancestors who passed down to the present generation of Ilonggos their customs, traditions, and ways of life, including their traditional, exclusive, and highly sought after recipes,” Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Pangasinan Rep. Christopher de Venecia also cited the city for this achievement.