Over the years, the 15-kilometer Iloilo River had been deteriorating because of pollution, sedimentation, depletion of mangrove areas, illegal settlers and the proliferation of manmade constrictions, among others. Not anymore, declared Ilonggo senator Franklin Drilon. "Today, the river is no longer a community toilet but a place where people can fish. What was once dismissed as dead rivers now the venue of an annual dragon boat race," the Senate President declared as he wooed businessmen to invest in Iloilo City.

Sologastoa, G. (2014, March 14). 'Iloilo river no longer a public toilet'. Panay News, pp. 1, 14.