City aims to outdo Cebu by 2016

ILOILO City’s unprecedented development pace is expected to outdo Cebu by 2016 as this city aims to regain its lost Queen City of the South title from Cebu, according to City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.

Mabilog said the development competition is now between Iloilo and Cebu in attracting investors and locators, including government officials in seeing better sites between the Ilonggos and Cebuanos.

Cebu is currently suffering from an unstable political leadership which may affect the economic potentials of the Cebuano center in the Visayas, while Iloilo City is currently enjoying an unprecedented development projects to regain what it lost for several years of economic stagnation, Mabilog added.

In his State of the City Address (Soca) delivered in February 6 at the City Council, Mabilog said Iloilo has been dubbed as the next rising economic tiger of the country as the city races to become the premier city by 2015.

The city mayor said the target is expected to be earlier by one year or in 2014 as a multi-million peso Iloilo Convention Center be completed by Megaworld Corp. at the old Iloilo airport site, adding that the convention center will push the city to greater heights as it will cater to bigger conferences, conventions and international meetings.

He added that the dramatic changes in Iloilo City with support from society were anchored on good governance and good policies the city is implementing during his more than two year term.

Iloilo is also named as one of the most productive cities in the country which attract capital investments and talents here in sustaining developments towards a premier cityhood, he said.