ILOILO City – Over five years ago, upon returning as the city’s local chief executive, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas resolved to take this southern city to the next level in terms of development.
With all the evidence at hand and as attested by stakeholders and partners, he did not fail. Through strategically steering the wheels of inclusive development, Iloilo City is now one of the fastest-growing, highly urbanized cities in the country.
This was further validated by the result of the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) citing Iloilo City as one of the country’s top cities, specifically ranking fourth and fifth as the Most Competitive Highly Urbanized Cities in the country, for 2023 and 2024, respectively. Iloilo City is the only city from Visayas and Mindanao that reached the top five.
After being visibly seen on the map in terms of progress and development, Iloilo City is now one of the preferred destinations for benchmarking by other local government units (LGUs).
The local officials of Dulag, Leyte headed by Mayor Mildred Joy P. Que was one of those LGUs that visited the city for benchmarking particularly on the public-private partnership (PPP) project for the redevelopment of the two biggest public markets in the metro – the Iloilo Central and Terminal markets.
“We also want to do the same thing in Dulag to improve our public market,” said Que.
The town mayor shared that she heard so much about Iloilo City’s progress, and she had the opportunity to witness these firsthand on her visit.
“Pre-COVID I was here, it was not this progressive yet, but now it’s very much developed. It is as if you were not even affected by COVID,” she said.
Fascinated by the economic boom that Iloilo City has and the level of entrepreneurship, economic activities, and industries present here, Que described it as “mind-blowing.”
“It is so warm to finally meet the man of Iloilo who is actually the classmate of my professor at the Ateneo Law School – the Jerry Treñas,” she said.
When asked why they chose Iloilo City for their benchmarking visit, the lady mayor responded: “Because Iloilo City is a City of Love, who does not want to fall in love?”
She added: “It is because of all those things and the good governance that your good mayor is doing here in Iloilo. That is what we want to replicate, good leaders should be replicated all over the country so we can see a very progressive Philippines.”
Barely after the COVID-19 pandemic was lifted, Iloilo City was overwhelmed by a series of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) events.
For 2023 alone, available data from the City Tourism and Development Office (CTDO) showed 88 seminars, meetings and conventions have been held in the metro, with more than 33,000 total attendees.
For this year, from April to August, 42 MICE events were held here with almost 29,000 participants.
Business and investments also continue to thrive in Iloilo City for the last five years. Record from the city’s Business Permits and Licensing Division showed that from 16,391 total business permits issued in 2019, it increased to 18,927 in 2023. The data include permits for new businesses – 2,179 in 2019; 1,382 in 2020; 2,044 in 2021; 2,590 in 2022; and 2,746 in 2023.
As of August this year, a total of 18,868 business permits have already been issued, including for 1,916 new businesses.
For the Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector only, which includes Business Processing Outsourcing (BPOs), Knowledge Processing Outsourcing (KPOs), and shared services, there are currently 118 firms in the metro employing more than 47,200 workers as of April 2, 2024.
To recall, it was during the previous term of Treñas as mayor in 2007 that the first IT building in Iloilo City was declared as a Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) zone through Proclamation No. 1273 by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Specifically located at SM City Iloilo, the center was occupied by the BPO company Teletech.
It was also during the term of Treñas that the Iloilo Federation of Information Technology in 2006 and Iloilo Economic Development Foundation Inc. (ILED) in 2007 were created to help Iloilo City push for investments in IT-BPM and achieve economic growth.
Following this, an increasing number of BPO companies and other businesses started to relocate to Iloilo City.
SM Engineering Design and Development Corporation (EDDC) president Hans Sy Jr., who was in Iloilo City last week to grace the city government-organized Eco Forum said, they are a proud contributor to the Iloilo economy.
“Iloilo City is one of the cities I am proud to say is on the right track. I told Mayor (Treñas) I am very proud to hear always good things about Iloilo from my business circle… SM is the very proud partner of Iloilo City and we are very happy to say that we are here to stay, we are here to do you well,” Sy said.
Under a PPP scheme, SM collaborated with the Iloilo City Government to revitalize the central and terminal markets.
Sy hailed the city mayor for “he has done wonderfully for his constituents.”
“I heard nothing but good things, I mean he is very much lauded and that’s why we are very proud partners,” he added.
He further praised the local government’s cooperativeness.
“We would not be as confident as you see us now. I can say with confidence that Iloilo is definitely one of the top cities SM is looking to invest more on,” he expressed, adding that they are, in fact, opening a branch of their National University in the city.
Meanwhile, MORE Electric and Power Corporation president and CEO Roel Castro shared how business-friendly and supportive the city government has been since they started operating as the city’s sole power distributor five years ago.
He described the leadership as very collaborative with all the other stakeholders in making sure they work towards one objective – to make the City of Iloilo one of the investor-friendly cities in the country.
“Since we came in five years ago, it was already Mayor Jerry Treñas as LCE (local chief executive) and we felt the leadership of the mayor especially in working with all other public utilities. I would say that the reason why Iloilo City is one of the top HUCs in the country is eventually because of the leadership of Mayor Jerry Treñas,” he shared.
ILED, through its current chairman, Engr. Terence Uygongco, also commended the exemplary leadership of Mayor Treñas and the significant strides made in transforming Iloilo City into one of the most progressive and livable cities in the Philippines.
“Under Mayor Treñas’ guidance, Iloilo City has emerged as a prime destination for investment, thanks to his dedication to fostering a business-friendly environment. His administration’s efforts have attracted substantial investments, spurred job creation, and stimulated economic growth, all of which have contributed to the city’s vibrant economy,” Uygongco stated.
The group lauded the numerous successful PPP initiatives of the city which have significantly contributed to its rapid development.
These partnerships, ILED emphasized, have enabled Iloilo City to embark on critical infrastructure projects that enhance the quality of life for its residents and boost the city’s appeal to investors.
“Mayor Treñas’ visionary approach to leveraging private sector expertise and resources has not only accelerated the city’s growth but has also ensured that development is inclusive and sustainable. His administration’s commitment to fostering strong partnerships has positioned Iloilo City as a model for other cities in the Philippines to follow,” ILED further stressed.
Today, Mayor Treñas is set to deliver his 2024 State of the City Address (SOCA)./PN
