Iloilo Bloggers Society, an introduction. Let’s face it, blogs have been fundamental in influencing our choices on where to eat, what to wear, and what products to buy. We’ve seen the likes of Vloggers giving reviews on the hottest makeup must-haves, travel bloggers with their latest Instagram #TravelGoals post, fashion bloggers posting their newest OOTD, and food bloggers writing about that new restaurant that is to die for. Well, welcome to the digital age where information is a click away.
I have always been an old school kind of person. I used to ask myself what do the likes of ATM and TYFTA mean and it took me long enough to incorporate that jargon into my mental dictionary – and, until now, it is still a struggle to be at par with this digital and high technology kind of era. Apps, anyone?
It was a few years back when I began to follow blogs. I used to blog way back in 2012 when I began posting discarded articles from my client. If you’ve seen me post about ‘how many calories in a banana’ or ‘how to trim down in a week’, those were probably excess articles that my client no longer needed. How was I able to transition to ‘news and feature stories about the city of love and beyond’? Well, Iloilo is too beautiful to not write about it. Here’s about me – Andrea Ortega Guanco. And here, I enumerate the Ilonggo blogs I fell in love with.
“Iloilo Today is a ‘startup news blog which brings relevant information and updates in the field of business, entertainment, technology, politics, sports, education, and trending topics in social media.”
Sure enough, to be on par with Iloilo, you must know what is happening in the City of Love – and that is where I trust the likes of www.iloilotoday.com. Iloilo Today, run by veteran blogger and Iloilo Bloggers Society President Nonoy Taclino, is an interesting digital newspaper that is best paired with morning coffee. Iloilo Today is a ‘startup news blog which brings relevant information and updates in the field of business, entertainment, technology, politics, sports, education, and trending topics in social media’.
“We definitely need this kind of information regularly digested into our system. After all, inspirational stories are just some of the things that encourage us to resonate positivity and become better members of the community.”
Iloilo Updates, meanwhile, is a testament to its tagline ‘I’ve got some good news for you’. Managed by veteran journalist/blogger Kathy Villalon, the blog writes about promising and inspirational news centered on positivity and goodwill. You can read encouraging stories such as ‘hip hop dancer turned entrepreneur helps people get jobs’, ‘amid poverty, these Ilonggo moms raised successful children’ – we definitely need this kind of information regularly digested into our system. After all, inspirational stories are just some of the things that encourage us to resonate positivity and become better members of the community.
With Kathy is her sister, Rosmar Villalon, behind Iloilo Lifestyles and Features. Rosmar’s Iloilo Lifestyles and Features is a ‘symphony’ of Ilonggo news and features, a colorful collection of tales centered on the city of love.
Another blog that will keep you at par with Iloilo is, of course, ‘When in Iloilo’. The ‘When in Iloilo’ blog is managed by Camella Melocoton and chronicles the ways of Ilonggos. In the words of Camella, “we are highlighting the must-visit places, the best food to eat, and experience amazing adventures both land and sea. We are here to answer what to do, where to go, and what to eat.” With Camella is her hubby Jan McAnthony Borromeo who is a vlogger and is behind the vlog ‘Layaw’.
Moreover, what is Iloilo without food? Iloilo is known for its colorful collection of food and fusion recipes. From the famous and original batchoy to the eclectic dishes served in various restaurants in the city, Iloilo is surrounded by palatable and mouthwatering finds. I am not quite sure about the exact number but there are hundreds of restaurants in the city alone. You have focal food destinations such as SM City Iloilo inclusive of SM North Wing and SM Southpoint, Plazuela Uno and Plazuela Dos, The Shops at Atria Park District, nightlife destination Smallville Complex, Megaworld’s Iloilo Business Park and its own Festive Walk Parade, and more. When it comes to food and the food beats in Iloilo, I recommend Sheila Mae Gomez and her blog ‘She Mae Gomez’. What Sheila likes to do is create guides for enthusiasts interested in exploring the flavorful food finds of Iloilo.
“People’s Domain serves as a repository of his written material which carries a wide range of topics from his interests and advocacy work.”
Another interesting blog is Ted Aldwin Ong’s Peoples Domain. Centered on promoting the arts and culture of Iloilo, Ted also shares his insights as well as opinion on varied issues in society. In the words of Ted, People’s Domain ‘serves as a repository of his written material which carries a wide range of topics from his interests and advocacy work’. Ted is a freelance journalist and writes for the Iloilo Metropolitan Times and Tahum Western Visayas of the Department of Tourism Region VI.
And when it comes to lifestyle blogs, Nile Kris Banga of Nile on Weekends and Diamond Georgina of G Lifestyle Ph. Both are passionate about helping people and brands excel. Speaking of excelling, another interesting blogger is Zach Golez of TrndyPh. If you want to know the latest – and even before the latest pop out – Zach knows it already.
One unique blogger/member of the Iloilo Bloggers Society is licensed librarian Allana Delgado, running ‘Malditang Librarian’. What seems to be an extremely niche-specific blog is an extremely niche-specific blog. Allana wishes to raise awareness about librarianship in the Philippines. Moreover, the Malditang Librarian blog aims to promote the use of libraries not just in Iloilo, but in the entire country.
The Iloilo Bloggers Society
www.iloilobloggerssociety.com/
Nonoy Taclino | Iloilo Today
Kathy Villalon | Iloilo Updates
Nile Kris Banga | Nile On Weekends
Rosmar Villalon | Iloilo Lifestyle and Features
Camella Melocoton | When In Iloilo
Jan McAnthony Borromeo | Layaw
Allana Delgado | Malditang Librarian
Diamond Georgina | G Lifestyle Ph
Zach Golez | TrndyPh
Sheila Mae Gomez | She Mae Gomez
Ted Aldwin Ong | People’s Domain
