ILOILO CITY: Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog announced that Dinagyang Festival, this city’s premier tourism attraction every month of January, was invited to perform in Singapore in June 2013 and to showcase the best practice of Iloilo City.

Mabilog, back from a weeklong training program on good governance at the Civil Service College of Singapore sponsored by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), said that Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Minda Calaguian-Cruz issued the invitation.

Dinagyang has already performed in the United States and Guam, aside from capturing the prestigious honor as the Best Tourism Event of the Philippines Hall of Fame awarded by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP).

The city mayor said that Ambassador Cruz, assured willingness in the creation of tour groups for Iloilo after learning the opening of direct international flights from Iloilo to Singapore starting on November 9, 2012.

The lady ambassador is married to Philippine Ambassador Luis Cruz in South Korea and doubly assured assistance to Iloilo for the direct international flights to Korea by next year.

Mabilog waited for the arrival of local officials of the Metro Iloilo Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC) on November 9 before going back to Iloilo on November 11.

Mabilog said that the possible areas are in Iloilo City, Guimaras and the Iloilo southern and northern lines.