By Tara Yap
The recent trade mission of Iloilo City to the United States (US) has open the door to more American and Filipino-American investors.
ILOILO IN AMERICA—Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa (left) III hands a plaque of appreciation to Cristina Sison (2nd from left), president of the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce of Metro Washington D.C. during the recent a trade mission at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. They are joined from (right) by Philcoman Research Institute President Emily Noserale and First Lady of Iloilo City Gina Sarabia-Espinosa. (Tara Yap/Manila Bulletin)
“We are putting the name of Iloilo City in the bigger American business map,” said Dr. Emily Hagad Noserale, president of the Manila-based Philippine Council of Management (Philcoman) Research Institute Inc. or PCMRII, which invited the delegation to the US.
Led by Mayor Jose Espinosa III for the government sector and the city’s First Lady Gina Sarabia-Espinosa for the private sector, the delegation held business forums at the Philippine Center in New York City; University of North America in Fairfax, Virginia; and the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. earlier this month.
The delegation was able to touch base with members of the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce (PACC-Washington DC) led by Cristina Sison and the Asian American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) led by Cindy Shao.
For PACC-Washington DC, the trade mission was a good starting point to build a business network.
“Perhaps, we should identify concrete steps on where to invest in Iloilo and what the processes are,” Sison told Manila Bulletin.
Among the areas of investments discussed were Information Technology (IT), tourism, infrastructure, agriculture, aquaculture, and education.
Mayor Espinosa even urged Ilonggos in the US to go back home and invest in Iloilo City, which has been riding an economic surge since 2010.
Mrs. Espinosa meanwhile is pushing for the export and trade of locally-woven products as well as the creations of Ilonggo fashion and jewelry designers.