AND IT CAME to pass that “I Am Iloilo City” will have, in corporate jargon, a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Well, in the strictest sense of the word, incoming mayor Jerry Treñas is not really new. The outgoing three-termer congressman was mayor of “I Am Iloilo City” for three terms also. He is a recycled politician (pun intended), hopefully a better one.
As the incoming CEO of “I Am Iloilo City” his battle cry is “Level Up” which obviously means he wants to take “I Am Iloilo City” to the next level and he wants to hit the ground running.
Meanwhile in a previous life before the “Level Up”, “I Am Iloilo City” made a few strides of its own and was almost there but not quite as there’s this little thing called “attitude” particularly among the natives who spent most of their lives in the city.
And that “attitude” has affected the shape of consumer spending and taste of these natives. Most natives of “I Am Iloilo City” are not aware that despite the transformation of the former airport into a modern township with festive walks and malls it is still considered “low end” although it has moved up a few notches from being really “major major” low end.
Before the uninitiated gets lost in translation:
Low end – inexpensive and of very low quality or having only the basic features, without options or extras
Not very flattering. In fact some or most would consider that tag quite demeaning but as far as most upscale restaurant and hotel chains are concerned, that is the level of the consumer market of “I Am Iloilo City”.
Let’s discuss this in a calm and objective manner without going berserk.
Take note that “low end” is a totally different species from “low key” as most natives fancy themselves.
Low key – quiet, modest, not very assertive
No, it is not the fault of outgoing Mayor Joe III Espinosa or outgoing congressman and incoming mayor Jerry Treñas – and not even Sen. Franklin Drilon – that “I Am Iloilo City” is considered low end.
Yes, politics has nothing to do with “I Am Iloilo City” being low end; it has been that way since the 1960s up to now despite the bike lanes, the Esplanade and the Iloilo Convention Center.
Why do you think “I Am Iloilo City” almost lost the title “Queen City of the South to Cebu?
Officially Iloilo City is the “Queen City of the South” by virtue of a royal decree by Queen Regent Maria Cristina of Spain, thus it earned its moniker through that title as the Queen Regent’s City of the South and no other city can claim that.
I must admit though that the ongoing developments of “I Am Iloilo City” has far surpassed Cebu that seems to be regressing or turning into a clone of Metro Manila, complete with traffic, garbage and the crowds.
Meanwhile the ongoing developments in Bacolod make it poised to “level up” with “I Am Iloilo City.” One thing going for the City of Smiles is that it has never been classified, consumer spending-wise, as low end despite the slump it went through.
A report released by The Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC-Iloilo) shows that consumers in Iloilo City are charged with the most expensive electricity rates in the country and the rest of the world.
For instance, United States only charges P3.82/kWh, United Kingdom P4.72/kWh, Russia P0.22/kWh, Japan Php9.63. Surprisingly, Iloilo City under PECO has the highest at P13.30/kWh.
Of course, there is light at the end of the tunnel (pun intended) with the expiration of the 100 year old franchise of PECO and entry of a new power provider MORE which promises friendly service and better electricity rates.
And do you know that “I Am Iloilo City does not even have a proper slaughterhouse? The Iloilo City slaughterhouse does not have Triple A rating from the National Meat Inspection Service or NMIS and that is a requirement for a highly-urbanized city or HUC.
On top of this “I Am Iloilo City” does not have a proper dog pound or an animal welfare ordinance.
These above-mentioned unfortunate situations affecting “I Am Iloilo City”, you can definitely say, is corruption. Yes, you can blame the above mentioned politicians.
Unfortunate as they maybe, they are not the main reasons why “I Am Iloilo City” is classified low end in the consumer market.
Most 5-star hotel chains have three classes when they set up shop; first there’s the main one which has 5-Star rating and depending on the market level i.e. location, taste and spending capacity of guests, the branch will also be 5-Star and then they have the mid-range and finally the low end.
The mid-range level is just a scaled down version of the 5-Star and has almost all the amenities and facilities i.e. swimming pool, gym/spa and restaurants and it cost slightly lower than the 5-Star.
While the low end is a twice scaled down version of the mid-range i.e. no swimming pool, just a coffee shop which also doubles as the restaurant and smaller rooms with less facilities and amenities, of course costing really lower than the mid-range.
As an example, Seda Hotel Vertis North in Quezon City and Seda Hotel Abreeza in Davao and Seda Hotel Capitol Central in Bacolod all have swimming pools while Seda Hotel Atria in Iloilo City does not have one.
Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a more upscale coffee shop than Starbucks, has three branches in Davao City and seven in Cebu City while only one in “I Am Iloilo City”.
Of course, “I Am Iloilo City” has a lot of 7-11 convenient stores and Jollibee which says so much about the natives’ taste.
But don’t despair. Marketplace .a bit upscale grocery/supermarket by Rustan’s. has opened two branches in “I Am Iloilo City”.
When moi came back to “I Am Iloilo City” after almost three decades of wanderlust the displays in the stores in SM City are still the same; it’s a good thing international clothing chains like Uniqlo, Forever21 and H&M opened shop otherwise the natives will still be stuck with bargain items from Divisioria and Baclaran displayed in the department stores.
Good taste and having a “sense of style” has nothing to do with money; it’s how you were brought up and where you went to school and it shows in a consumer. Let’s put it this way, if you have no “sense of style” you will always be “low end” despite being filthy rich. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
