Passed on June 2009, the Iloilo City Government has outlined the

priority investment areas in Iloilo City. These are as follows:

1. Manufacturing and processing enterprises
2. Export -oriented industries
3. Tourism -oriented industries
4. Utility companies engaged in power generation and
distributions,water,transportation , and transportation support
facilities and those similar nature
5. Information and Communication Technology Enterprises
6. Agro-Fishery
7. Social Services and Facilities
a. Health Care Services c. Low-Cost Housing
b. Educational Institutions d. Sports and Recreation
8. Commercial and Industrial Building
9. Solid Waste Disposal System

For this paper, we focus on the Information and Communication

Technology (ICT) Enterprise of Iloilo City, comparing it with that of
Roxas City. We compare the two as both cities are currently considered
as Panay Island's center of education, trade, economic activity and
logistics. ICT has helped create the most rapidly growing industry
sectors, driven efficiency in government and business operations, and
developed the essential building blocks to a knowledge-based
economy. ICT also aids in faster access to relevant information, serves
as an efficient means for communication, provides for an enhanced
ability to make informed decisions, and acts as an avenue for
otherwise unheard people.

Provided in the table below is a summary of the Information and

Communication Services offered by both cities.

Information & Iloilo City Roxas City

Communication
Service
Telecommunication PLDT, Smart, Globe, PLDT, Bayantel, Globe,
Companies BayanTel, and Sun Smart, Sun

PLDT My DSL, PLDT PLDT My DSL, PLDT

Internet Servers Vibe, Globe Broadband Vibe, Globe Broadband
and Smart Bro and Smart Bro

Radio Servers main HQ of Bombo Radio Mindanao

Radyo Philippines, Network Inc.- DYVR,
which owns Bombo Consolidated
Radio AM stations and Broadcasting System
Star FM stations across Inc., Peoples
 Broadcasting Services,
the country Inc.

Wesfardell Cable
ABS-CBN, GMA News,
Services, Filvision, Inc.
Cable Television TV5 Iloilo, AksyonTV
(Altocable), ABS-CBN
Iloilo
Numerous book store Total of 3 bookstores:
branches distributed National Bookstore,
Book Stores across the city in Book Sale, As the Deer
different malls Christian Bookstore

It can be noticed that Telecommunication companies (TelCos) and their

corresponding internet services have penetrated the market of both
cities with these TelCos having headquarters and signal towers in both
cities, providing networking for the residents of the cities themselves
as well as those residing in the neighboring towns. Taking this at face
value, you could say that both of these cities are at par when it comes
to these TelCos offering but from an investment point of view, it is
more lucrative to invest in TelCos situated in Iloilo City on the basis that
it caters to almost 5x the consumer number than that in Roxas City.
Iloilo City has 500,000 residents as of 2015 compared to Roxas Citys
160,000, which means that TelCos situated in Iloilo rake in more
income than their counterparts in Roxas. The population of the place is
only one factor, not taking into account the median social economic
classes of those residents.

Radio Servers and Television Servers found in both cities are more or
less the same with the servers found in Iloilo catering to a nationwide
audience as opposed to the local consumption focused by the servers
found in Roxas. Iloilo City is the headquarters of nation-wide radio and
television servers and these servers cater to the whole of the country
while the servers located in Roxas cater only to its residents and the
neighboring towns.

Iloilo City also proves itself more urbanized with the widespread
presence of book stores in the area as compared to the 3 physical
stores found in Roxas. Iloilo City is home to numerous malls each
housing 2-4 book stores each, with multiple independent book stores
found across down town.

As of the current state and focusing on ICT, Iloilo is positioned as a

good investment opportunity because of (1) the focus of the
government on forwarding the investment scene: the government of
Iloilo is actively pursuing the branding and position of Iloilo as not only
a place for investment opportunities but as an actual investment
opportunity in itself; (2) the increase in population means more
consumers to be catered to by these ICT servers; (3) rapid spread of
urbanization allows commercial businesses to set up location in the
city which, in turn, increases the demand for a good ICT system. These
opportunities however, also serve as threats should they be capitalized
on by other cities, like Roxas City. However, it can be said that should
Iloilo continue at the pace it is going, it will take a relatively long time
for surrounding cities to catch up.