Mayor Diaz Personally Inspects Major Infrastructure Projects in Ilagan
After ensuring the continued delivery of quality healthcare, education, agricultural support, livelihood assistance, environmental management, and other essential services for the people, City Mayor Josemarie L. Diaz has now shifted his focus to the city’s infrastructure development where he personally visited and inspected the various projects currently being implemented by the City Government of Ilagan to ensure their quality, progress, and timely completion.
The first stop of the hardworking mayor was the ongoing construction of the City of Ilagan Colleges in Lullutan, City of Ilagan. This is the first LGU-owned and operated tertiary school in Region II, designed to offer medical-allied courses and other programs that, until now, have only been available in far-off areas.
The institution seeks to address the increasing demand among Ilagueño students for health and medical-allied programs so they no longer need to leave the city. It also aims to open employment opportunities for scholars and graduates within Ilagan itself.
Mayor Diaz, together with the Project Monitoring and Inspectorate Team, then visited the Rehabilitation and Infectious Diseases Building and the Medical Arts Building, both part of the City of Ilagan Medical Center. These projects form part of his commitment to enhance healthcare under the survivability and sustainability pillars of his Liveable City Program. It will be recalled that the City of Ilagan Medical Center—one of Mayor Diaz’s flagship health initiatives—now serves as a referral hospital for patients with severe conditions, not only from Ilagan but across the province of Isabela.
The Hemodialysis building was also inspected by the city mayor and is expected to cater to the needs of dialysis patients in its completion. The establishment of the building will remarkably add to the number of patients CIMC can cater addressing the needs of patients who are suffering from urinary problems that require immediate attention.
Another major project inspected was the City Hotel Annex in Alibagu. This development will provide 50 additional rooms for visitors and tourists, along with a modern convention hall capable of hosting up to 1,000 people for provincial, regional, and national events. The project responds to the city’s accommodation shortage amid its rise as a hub for tourism, investments, sports, entertainment, and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) activities.
The mayor also checked the concreting of the access road leading to the City Civic Center wherein said project was funded by the city’s incentive prize for being a Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) awardee worth ₱3 million, and the ₱1 million prize earned as Overall Champion in the Bambanti Festival.
Next on his inspection was the ICorn Complex, a joint project of the City Government of Ilagan and the Department of Agriculture. The site now hosts the Corn and Dairy Innovation Center, which serves as a hub for agricultural research and innovation to further strengthen the sector and uplift farmers’ livelihoods. Mayor Diaz also confirmed the readiness of the newly completed Corn Drying Facility, a vital component of the complex that will allow farmers to dry their harvests even during the rainy season—reducing losses and ensuring immediate access to the market.
This facility also benefits rice farmers, who can sell rice husks—a key requirement for corn drying—to the ICorn Complex.
City Agricultural Officer Moises Alamo and several farmers expressed their gratitude, emphasizing the enormous help the facility brings to their sector, especially during the rainy season.
The ICorn Complex was conceptualized jointly by the Department of Agriculture and Mayor Diaz’s leadership through his forward integration program, which focuses on boosting agricultural productivity in Ilagan. In a short span of time, Ilagan’s agricultural initiatives have gained national recognition, making the city a destination for benchmarking by other agencies and sectors across the country.
Mayor Diaz also inspected the construction of the Public Market in Marana 1st, which forms part of the ICorn Complex’s larger goal of supporting farmers. Designed as a one-stop shop, the market will allow farmers from the northeastern part of Ilagan to directly deliver their produce, ensuring cleanliness, order, and sanitation while creating livelihood opportunities for small traders.
He also visited the San Antonio Public Market, which will provide the San Antonio barangay cluster with a more organized marketplace, easier access to basic goods, and greater opportunities for micro-entrepreneurs.
The mayor’s last stop was the San Antonio City of Ilagan Hospital, where he assessed the facilities and equipment needed to elevate the hospital’s classification and further expand its services. Plans are also underway to establish a clinical laboratory that will provide faster and more affordable diagnostic services. During the visit, Mayor Diaz took the time to personally engage with patients and staff.
The hospital, previously rehabilitated and upgraded by Mayor Diaz, now serves as a Level I hospital dedicated to addressing the immediate healthcare needs of residents in the San Antonio cluster of barangays—ensuring that people no longer need to travel far for urgent medical care.
All these initiatives form part of the city’s infrastructure development program aligned with the urban and land development master plan prepared by renowned architect Felino Palafox Jr.
From affordable education and advanced healthcare, to vibrant tourism, organized marketplaces, and productive agriculture, these projects bring concrete, meaningful benefits to every Ilagueño.
The opening of these projects is expected to generate more livelihood opportunities, better jobs, and improved services—anchored on Mayor Diaz’s vision of a Liveable City of Ilagan.
Under his leadership, every project is designed to serve the people’s welfare and promote inclusive growth, because in the City of Ilagan, no sector is left behind and every dream is within reach.
