Tuesday, December 23, 2008 Big business in Iloilo by 2009
AT LEAST three big businesses are already in place in Iloilo City to start an unprecedented business boom by year 2009.
City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas bared this after showing optimism about the city's business climate for next year and the city's positive growth, notwithstanding the global financial crisis.
The year 2009 may be a little difficult, but Treñas is hopeful for the city's business prospects based on manifested interests of some of the country's major business players who started taking a second look at the potentials of Iloilo City.
Megaworld Corporation is currently busy processing its site development for next year after it acquired a 54-hectare old airport lot in Mandurriao district in 2008.
Megaworld plans to develop the site into a high-end business center and invest more than P5 billion on buildings and facilities for residential use and business process outsourcing, plus a theme park and a medical center.
On the other hand, Ayala Land Corp. has also sent communication to the city showing an interest to begin business by 2009 and start looking for a prime area for its building that could possibly cater to the business process outsourcing industry.
Meanwhile, Global Business Power Corp. will start the construction of its P16 billion coal-fired power plant located in La Paz district, which would be completed by 2010.
The local and national governments are slated to give their counterparts infrastructure projects for the city. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has lined up various horizontal and vertical projects starting early 2009 with funds augmented from the Paglaum Fund to answer the destruction caused by Typhoon Frank.
Treñas said the problem on electric power shortage is being answered by the coal-fired power plant. The city is also looking for ways to solve the burgeoning water shortage problem by looking for alternative water sources, such as rainwater harvesting, impounding dams and more deep wells to augment the water supply of Metro Iloilo Water District.
The city mayor said that with sustainable electric power and water supply, big businesses are assured of an easy and profitable business climate in the city. (LCP)
