ILOILO City – The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Iloilo Chapter (PCCI-Iloilo) is hosting the first-ever Iloilo Business Week on August 21 to 31, 2022 as part of the celebration of the 85th Iloilo Charter Day.
PCCI-Iloilo president, Engr. Fulbert Woo, urged Ilonggos to participate and support this endeavor that primarily aims to create awareness for many business opportunities especially that August is dubbed as Business Month.
“August is really the Business Month in the whole Philippines. So, that’s why we coined this project as Iloilo Business Week because we also have programs. This project is supported by the Iloilo City government and the province of Iloilo. So, involved di ang local government,” said Woo during the Iloilo Business Week Media Launch on Wednesday afternoon, July 20.
He said the first-ever Iloilo Business Week aims to:
● create greater awareness for regional business opportunities,
● encourage economic activities to maintain current momentum,
● provide venue for continuing education and network building, and
● honor the Ilonggo business community.
The business week will be highlighted by various activities and events wherein it will kick-off with the Big Iloilo Sale from August 21 to 31. Mall, restaurants, hotels, and other commercial establishments in the city and province will have their respective promos. Up to 80 percent discount on products and services of various participating establishments awaits the consumers.
The second run of the Iloilo Business Expo (ILOBEX) will also be held on August 24 to 28 at the Festive Walk Mall in Iloilo Business Park. Over a hundred micro, small and medium enterprises are expected to join this exhibition tagged as the “biggest business expo in Western Visayas.”
Meanwhile, “What’s Up Western” Business Conference on August 22 at Courtyard by Marriot Iloilo is expected to gather more than 200 entrepreneurs from the different parts of the region to discuss about trends in the business community. The conference will be highlighted with speakers who are experts and a panel to be participated by the governors of the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo.
Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara will be the keynote speaker. He will discuss about the Tax Incentives and Transparency Act.
Moreover, the nominees for the Ilonggo Entrepreneur Awards will be presented during the business conference. The awards intend to honor Ilonggo entrepreneurs who have shown creativity and resiliency during the pandemic.
The Ilonggo Entrepreneur Awards is composed of three categories namely, Aspiring Entrepreneur of the Year, Young Ilonggo Entrepreneur of the Year and Ilonggo Entrepreneur of the Year.
Here are the criteria for each category:
Aspiring Entrepreneur of the Year
* This award is open to entrepreneurs or start ups (individual or group) aged 18 to 35 years old before August 1, 2022 who have exceptional existing business concepts and ideas that answer to the call of our society’s problems and issues, and bridging solutions through the entrepreneurs’ skills and prowess.
Young Ilonggo Entrepreneur of the Year
* Filipino, male or female, 45 years old or younger at the time of nomination
* Has established or founded his/her own business with demonstrated success and unique marketing or production approach or a combination of both shown in the company’s/enterprise’s product/services, or a significant shareholder or a management member of the company/enterprise that has initiated or introduced innovations in the company
* Demonstrated leadership in the locality/ies where the business operates
Ilonggo Entrepreneur of the Year
* Staying power – a substantiated history as an established business, including but not limited to expansion, exporting, the addition of territories, or growth in a business network
* Growth in the number of employees – increases over the three years must be in excess of growth in gross domestic product
* Increase in sales, net profit and net worth for the three prior calendar years
* Response to adversity – examples of problems faced by the nominee’s business and the methods used to solve them
* Contributions to community-oriented projects – evidence of the use of his/her personal time and resources.
“Iloilo City is now booming and we want to maintain that momentum by bringing in possible investments here. With the Iloilo Business Week, we are presenting various business opportunities in this part of the region and help our local economy recover from the effects of the pandemic,” Woo said.
For her part, PCCI-Iloilo chairman, Dr. Sandra Sarabia-Gomez, highlighted the importance of this event to further spur economic opportunities in Iloilo City.
“With participants coming from the different parts of the region, we are looking forward to open more opportunities for collaboration with the business sector. The Iloilo Business Week is very timely and relevant as we promote economic recovery,” Sarabia-Gomez said./PN
