City eyes industrial zone
Treņas
Iloilo City -- Mayor Jerry Treņas said the city is hoping to come up with its own "industrial zone" to attract investors and create more jobs just like in Cebu. Business is booming in Cebu because of the industrial zone in Mandaue.
Treņas said a plain area near the International Port in Loboc, La Paz is a good site for an industrial zone.
The mayor however noted that there are several factors which hinder the city's plan to establish an industrial zone.
Among these, he said, are the high-cost of electricity in the city, non-availability of raw materials and the refusal of private groups to develop the area.
It is high-time for the Department of Energy (DoE) to take a closer look in the power needs of Iloilo and entire Panay, Treņas said.
Treņas added that there is no willing group in the city to gamble on such business undertaking. He said in Calabarzon private groups put their investments on it. Nevertheless, the city has already mapped up several programs for the development of the city particularly in the promotion of investment and tourism.
He said an economic center for the investment promotion of metro Iloilo, Iloilo province and Guimaras is already in place. The economic center is headed by DTI provincial director Diosdado Cadena. The economic center houses the date needed by prospective investors.
The city also created the Iloilo Convention Bureau to make the city saleable to those groups who want
to hold their conventions in the city. In the tourism aspect, the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation is already taking charge of all the promotions and activities relative to the yearly Dinagyang festival.
The Paraw Regatta is also contemplating of having a foundation to promote the paraw race which already draws not only the attention of the locals but also of the foreign tourists.