Drilon sees economic growth of Iloilo City under Mabilog
Former Senator Franklin Drilon, speaking before the local business leaders in a luncheon forum at Grand Hotel yesterday, expressed optimism that if Vice Mayor Jed Mabilog is elected mayor on May 10, Iloilo City will attract more businessmen and, consequently, solve the employment problem.
“Jed is my second cousin,” Drilon revealed. “He is a good leader. Otherwise, I would not have allowed him to run and embarrass our family.”
The business forum, “Knowing the Business Sentiments for Iloilo’s Economic Growth,” was organized by the different business organizations to drum up their support for the Liberal Party mayoralty and vice-mayoralty candidates – Mabilog and Julienne Baronda, respectively. Around 100 business leaders were in the audience.
Drilon posed two challenges to Mabilog if he makes it to City Hall: to enable Iloilo City to regain its title as “Queen City of the South and to improve the lives of the Ilonggos.
“Iloilo City,” Drilon reminisced history, “was the country’s business center in the 1930s. Next to Manila, we were the biggest trading center. Unfortunately, we have lagged behind because of corruption, bad governance, cronyism and abuse of power.”
In response, Mabilog assured Drilon and the businessmen that he would be very business friendly. As a businessman himself, he assured them of quicker and more efficient services.
“I will create an economic growth and development services office,” he said. “This office will cater to the public and will receive proposals personally presented to the staff, or even via Facebook.”
He lamented that while Iloilo City has good food and tourism events to attract visitors, notably Dinagyang, it has no year-round tourist attractions.
“Why can’t we be like Bohol and Cebu?” he asked. “In Bohol, people flock to have their pictures taken in front of the statue of the Blood Compact. In Cebu, there’s the Cross of Magellan. Let’s have our own, say, the Barter of Panay or the Dinagyang Warrior.”
Mabilog waxed optimistic over the failed P130-million uninhabitable housing project in Pavia, Iloilo.
“I will rescind the Pavia contract,” he vowed. “In its place I will build a building which will serve as one-stop center for government agencies. We will computerize all transactions, including issuance of business permits, if only to fast-track services and eliminate bureaucratic red tape. This way, we will be more attractive to the business outsourcing industry. Right now, we have thousands of employees who work for foreign employers through the call centers.”
Among the business and civic leaders present in the business forum were Fanny Uy of the Iloilo Multisectoral Business Administration; Joemarie Agriam and Elena Ledesma, Philippine Chamber of Commerce, Inc; Dr. Greg Sancho and Dr. Pacifico Dalisay Jr., Iloilo City Host Lions Club; Rolando Uy, Luisa Ng and Monette Pama, Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Iloilo, Inc.; Elizer Gonzaga, Truckers Organization of Panay; Irma Lim, Philippine Institute of CPAs; and Francis Chung, Philippine Retailers Association.
