ILOILO CITY, March 20 -- The city government here is bent on earning the title of Creative City of Gastronomy of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network (UCCN) on its second try.

The UCCN covers seven creative fields including gastronomy, crafts and folk art, design, film, literature, media arts and music.

"This is very significant. Food is a great attraction and our food is not found in other places," said Iloilo Mayor Jerry P. Trenas in an interview Monday.

Trenas said that he is optimistic that the city can already grab the title on its second try with lots of initiatives that can help push the city's bid such as producing a cookbook and staging food festivals, among othe...