The Philippines posts a steady economic growth and is even hailed as one of the fastest growing emerging economies in the world since President Rodrigo Duterte took office last year. In an effort to address Metro Manila’s worsening traffic congestion brought by the lack of infrastructure spending for years and to achieve inclusive growth throughout the country, President Duterte’s administration is pushing for decentralization to spur development in the countryside. Major cities like Clark in Northern Luzon, Davao and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao, and Iloilo in the Visayas are economic hotspots for investment.

Following last year’s successful trade mission in Davao, the British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP) is visiting Iloilo City this year to encourage more businesses expand operation in the Visayas region. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) earlier forecasted that the average growth rate in the Visayas region will be higher than the government’s targeted national GDP growth for 2017-2022. In addition, there’s a growing interest of British companies in regional investment opportunities in the county.

With this in mind, the British Chamber is organizing the Iloilo Trade Mission on March 8-9, 2018 in Iloilo City. The Mission, held in celebration of the annual GREAT British Festival, will highlight a Trade & Investment Forum on March 8 at the Richmonde Hotel aimed to facilitate a dialogue between the government and private sectors and present business opportunities in Iloilo and the Visayas as a whole, and site visits on 9 March.

The 2-day event will gather an estimated total of hundred participants, and include three main components:

1) Iloilo Trade and Investment Forum
● Innovation is GREAT: Showcasing Innovative Practices
● How to Protect Your Innovation in the Philippines?
● Investment Opportunities in Iloilo

● Developing Iloilo's Economic Viability


2) Social Networking & Cocktails

3) Site Visit
● SouthEast Asian Fisheries Development Center
● Ephrathah Farms
● Reed Elsevier (a shared services company)
● Central Philippine University
● University of San Agustin
● Iloilo Science and Technology University
● Iloilo Commercial Port Complex
● Global Business Power Corporation (Coal-fired Power Plant)
● Megaworld Iloilo Business Park
● AyalaLand
● Gaisano Iloilo City Center