Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Philippines South visited Iloilo City for their first face-to-face Chapter Retreat and Turnover ceremony since the pandemic started.
Iloilo City was host to 70 entrepreneurs and their families from the Vis-Min areas of the Philippines on June 3 to 5, 2022.
EO is a global business network of 14,000-plus business owners in over 190 chapters in more than 60 countries.
Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs to help small and large business owners learn from each other, leading to greater business success and enriched personal lives, they support entrepreneurial education and engage entrepreneurs so they can master new skills and grow.
EO South Chapter belongs to the areas South of the Philippines and installed their very first Ilonggo president, Mr Felix “Trix” Gorriceta of KaratWorld.
When asked what he thinks entrepreneurs to recover from the pandemic lockdowns, Gorriceta said in his speech: “This year’s EO theme is ‘Discover’. And to be able to do that, to be able to discover, we have to be passionate, we have to be resilient and we have to believe that whatever we will get into will happen. As entrepreneurs, we can only go so far alone. EO brings us together with like-minded leaders. We make connections with one another. We thrive together, we succeed together. Together we discover and unearth the hidden gems that will shine during these times of the new normal. This may be us or our business partners or our members who deserve to be recognized for their efforts and leadership because in EO we also value those who can be models for us to learn from.”
It was busy weekend for Iloilo City when the entrepreneurs went around to visit and enjoy the sites at the same time, witness the opportunities that Iloilo City has to offer.
Joining Gorriceta in welcoming EO members were Mayor Jerry P. Treñas and their keynote speaker, Kevin L. Tan, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of Alliance Global Group, Inc.
In his speech, Mayor Treñas said young entrepreneurs from top businesses in the country can learn from what Iloilo City has initiated to help businesses cope with the impacts of the pandemic in the past two years.
He touted various programs and initiatives to help our business sector bounce back.
“MSMEs being the backbone of local economy, we have provided them with trainings and other platforms to maximize their potentials and introduce their products and services to the market.”
Treñas said the creation of Office of Building Official for building permits of private construction has also eased the once tedious process along with the Iloilo City Government Center at the area of the Customs house where a business one-stop-shop will be in place.
The city also put up off-site payment centers in the malls for easier access.
“The Iloilo City Government is also giving tax incentives to investors that will set up shops in areas identified as new growth zones. Businesses that will settle along road networks in the metropolis identified as investment hubs will be able to avail of tax discounts over a certain number of years. Enhancing the business environment for trade to thrive through tax incentives ordinance, digitization of processes of Business Permit Licensing System, and fast-tracking safety seal applications to allow establishments to increase capacity and ease restrictions have helped us achieve such recognition,” he added.
Mr. Kevin L. Tan said they are happy being here in Iloilo “because of the great strides the local government has made in providing various resources and world-class infrastructure, like an international airport, wide roads, sufficient and reasonably priced power, a thriving seaport, and of course one of the cleanest rivers in the Philippines, or perhaps in Asia.”
Tan is also the chief strategy officer of Megaworld Corp., the developer of the Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao district.
Apart from their developments, Tan said “we also help bring in investments to the City of Iloilo through the many different investors that we engage.
“As of today, we have helped bring in more than 4-billion pesos in additional investments to Iloilo City from office locators that chose to operate inside this township.”
AGI and Megaworld developments also aim “to help unlock the immense tourism potential of Iloilo – a model city that enjoys an abundance of topnotch infrastructure projects, including the Iloilo International Airport,” Tan added.
