[4] The site was an existing dike road devoid of shade and also originally built chiefly as a flood control measure.

The administration of former Mayor Jed Mabilog was also able to relocate about 1,000 informal settlers along the river into proper housing sites.

[6] The transformation of the boulevard was the initial part of a larger project to provide both sides of the Iloilo River with esplanades catering primarily to pedestrians.

The esplanade was 1.2-kilometre-long (0.75 mi) between Iloilo Diversion (Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue) and Carpenter bridges in Mandurriao district.

[7] The project was eventually expanded into the 2.6 km (1.6 mi) Esplanade 2 on the other side of the river in Molo district, creating a walk-friendly loop between the two bridges.

[9] The 4.99-kilometre (3.10 mi) Iloilo Sunset Boulevard is a four-lane alternate road that extends from Mandurriao to Barangay Cagbang in Oton.

[12] In 2024, the Iloilo River Esplanade was also awarded the Asian Townscape Award (ATA), an initiative by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UN-Habitat ROAP), aimed at promoting sustainable urban landscapes in Asia.