EMERGING enterprises in Iloilo City will soon have a dedicated space to grow their ideas, as the City Government prepares to turn its Business One-Stop Shop Center at Festive Walk into an innovation hub.
“Tungod nga kagamay pa sila kag naga-research and development pa sang ila produkto, kamahal man mag-rent gid sila,” said Velma Jane Lao, City Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion officer.
Open and free to all startups, local innovators, and Ilonggo youth entrepreneurs, the hub will provide a shared space for pitching and meetings, exhibition of outputs and products, and a co-working area which they may also use as an office address.
Startups are businesses in their early stages and have become an emerging economic driver for Iloilo City.
To create a more conducive and enabling environment, the city tapped the regional offices of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for equipment, and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for operational support, in partnership with Megaworld Lifestyle Malls.
The City Government, meanwhile, will be responsible for the relayout of the space and the maintenance of Common Use Service Area fees. The project is expected to be completed within the year.
The Business One-Stop Shop Center in Festive Walk is one of four offsite centers, including those located in The Atrium, Mary Mart Mall, and SM City.
Meanwhile, Lao said that a proposed ordinance to support startups is currently being drafted by the Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Industry of the Iloilo City Council.
An initiative of Mayor Raisa Treñas, the transformation into an innovation hub came after several consultations with startups, including Umwad Western Visayas (Unified Movement in Western Visayas to Accelerate Startups and Spin-off Development).
“Happy gid si Mayor Raisa kay this is in response sa mga articulated needs sang aton startup groups. Iya gid ni idea nga why don’t we make it an innovation hub temporarily for startups kay kanugon man,” Lao added. (PR)