ILOILO CITY -- The city government will formally launch its newly-reconstituted Iloilo City Trade and Promotions Board on Thursday as one of the preparations for the visit of the British Chamber of Commerce Philippines this March 8-9.
Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III appointed as his co-chairperson Dr. Henry Chusuey, president of the Boracay Foundation, and owner of six hotels under the Hennan Group of Resorts in Boracay Island. He also has investments in Panglao, Bohol.
The board is composed of investment and trade experts who will be primarily tasked to identify and provide solutions/programs/activities that would ensure the continued influx of investments in the city of Iloilo, states Executive Order 19 of Mayor Espinosa.
“It is essential because we empower and strengthen the public-private partnership. The main driver of our economy is this kind of partnership not only with the private sector but with the academe,” said Ritchel Gavan, head of the city Local Economic and Investment Promotions Office (LEIPO) and member of the board secretariat on Tuesday.
She added that the group would sit in the “policy-making to enhance the business enabling in the city”.
The launch on March 1 is simultaneous with the business meeting dubbed as “Iloilo Means Business, Investment Promotions and Generation” that will gather local business groups in the metropolis.
“We would like to have some sort of an inventory of investible areas of private sector in the city. And we would want to strengthen the relationship between our local businesses because investors are coming in but we also would like to prioritize our local,” she said.
Meanwhile, Chusuey following his oath-taking as co-chair of the board on February 23 said he hoped to see Iloilo City as a tourist destination.
“I assure you I will do my best to help Iloilo, especially in investment. I hope one of these days Iloilo will not only be industrial but will also be a tourist destination,” he said.
Chusuey emphasized that the only industry that can compete with other industries of other ASEAN countries is tourism.
“Iloilo is a nice place I was born here, I stayed here. I would convince also the mayor to do some tourist attraction because that is the only we can fight as of now,” he said.
He committed to “try to convince people to invest in Iloilo, especially in tourism” as he underscored that government and the private sector should do their part.
Chusuey cited that Iloilo has a nice beach although it is not white. But he said that one of the popular destinations in Bali, Indonesia has a gray black beach similar to Iloilo City’s Villa beach in Arevalo.
The only difference is that the place there is clean while Iloilo City has its beach “full of squatters”, he said.
Gavan said that Dr. Chusuey was in the tourism industry, thus “he saw the role of tourism in becoming one of the priority investment areas in the city”.
The previous board was responsible for the 2014 investment forum in Makati that brought in major industry in the city, which was the Information Technology -Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO), Gavan said.
Meantime, Espinosa said members of the board were Ilonggo businessmen with national investments. This was necessary because they may need counterparts for any business they would like to engage. (PNA)
