BY JOHNNY NOVERA
ON July 29, 2014, we wrote of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit ministerial meetings to be held in Iloilo City in September and October of 2015 to be attended by 10 countries that are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and the Philippines.
The major agenda is for business integration of the region involving the 10 counties and create a single market and production base. Then this will result into a free flow of goods, services, investment, capital and skilled labor between the member countries.
Iloilo in particular, being the center of trade in Region 6, should prepare itself for this great opportunity in the ASEAN for business and tourism.
We are confident that Western Visayas, with Iloilo City as its business center, would be very attractive to new business or for expansion, as Metro Manila is now hopelessly crowded with heavy traffic and people.
We are the only region in the country with the advantage of having three international airports; namely, the Silay-Bacolod International Airport in Negros Occidental, the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo and the Kalibo International Airport in Kalibo, Aklan.
Then we have two more provincial airports located in Roxas City, Capiz and another in Caticlan, Malay, Aklan near the seaport to across the strait for Boracay Island.
We can also be reached by boat from Manila and all parts of the country, as well as by land by availing ourselves of roll on, roll off (roro) buses, travelling just overnight.
Now we ask: Is Iloilo prepared for the ASEAN? Perhaps, this early, our local business organizations should involve themselves by looking into the opportunities and implications of this regional integration plan that will mutually open our borders to one another in Southeast Asia.
The first time we saw our business groups in Iloilo unite was when they made a stand on a recent tax issue by petitioning Iloilo City’s Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog to improve tax collection instead of hiking land taxes. Although their request was not heeded, we were happy to note that for the first time they have found the voice to express their views as a group.
We will again challenge them to show their unity by openly involving themselves in this ASEAN business integration plan. (For comments or reactions, please e-mail to jnoveracompany@yahoo.com)/PN
