Western Visayas Ideal for Business, Investment Opportunities

Western Visayas remains an ideal place for investments and business opportunities, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-6. In a news conference on the 2016 report on the regional economic performance of Western Visayas held May 4, 2017 at Grand Xing Imperial Hotel here, NEDA-6 Regional Director Ro-Ann Bacal said the region continues to attract more investments which have fueled its economic growth for the next years.

 “Where else can they see a place where the youth are very much educated; we already have reliable power supply, though it is not yet cheap but among the investors, sometimes they do not look at the price but at the reliability of utilities,” she said.

She said that all the interventions of infrastructure support are being put in place and the outlook for 2017 is upbeat with the resurgence of infrastructure projects not only in Iloilo but also in the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Capiz, and in the Negros Island Region.

“Our roads are being widened, and they are being concretized,” she shared.

She said that the connectivity of the Visayas will be responded to in the coming years with the planned network of bridges that will connect the islands of Panay, Guimaras, Negros, and Cebu.

“If you are an investor, it is easy for you to market your goods because of the many markets available,” she said.

She said that the private sector remains to be bullish about the major urban centers in the region.

“They feel they must be part of the attraction, and the growth and the potential that the area is going towards to,” she said.

However, she said that there is a need to further assist the region’s agriculture and fisheries sectors.

“We have a very long coastline and we need to attract more investors to process our marine products and our agricultural products,” she added. (JCM/LTP/PIA-Iloilo)