Century-old jail up for conversion to museum

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — The century-old Iloilo Provincial Jail is set for restoration and conversion into a regional museum, with the support of the National Historical Commission, according to the provincial government's announcement recently.

Governor Arthur Defensor said the budget for the planned renovation of the jail, built in 1911, is P841,500 covering structural investigation, retrofitting, architectural and engineering designs and construction supervision.

The bids and awards committee, chaired by Provincial Legal Officer Dennis Ventilacio, announced that has been accepting bid eligibility documents until August 13 only.

"We looked forward to make it another tourist attraction in the city and province of Iloilo," Defensor said about the jail, sitting on an 868-square-meter lot along Bonifacio Drive in this city, adjacent to the six-story Iloilo Capitol.

The Provincial Jail was home to hundreds of inmates until it was abandoned in 2006. The inmates were transferred to the province's two-story jail at Barangay Nanga in Pototan town. (FREEMAN)