1	ILOILO CITY
2	Iloilo City: Summary Iloilo City has a labor pool of proven attractiveness for BPO and call center operations Recent job fairs conducted by call centers and BPO operations have yielded large numbers of above average candidates lloilo City has had the highest percentage of candidates scoring within a hirable or trainable range on English language proficiency of any city in the Philippines Iloilo City is considered to be the university belt of the Western Visayas It has six Universities and 37 private tertiary institutions producing 16,000 graduates annually Area universities and colleges have initiated curriculum changes to prepare students for the call center industry
3	Iloilo City: Summary Grade B commercial space is available in several districts of the city Build-to-suit options are available from local developers Iloilo City is located along a major fiber optic loop and has good fiber-optic connectivity; fiber optic services are available from three of the Philippines’ largest fiber optic carriers: PLDT, Globe, and Bayantel Most other infrastructure fundamentals – transportation, airport, hotels, malls, and roads – are of average to above-average quality; a new airport, being built with Japanese funds, is scheduled to be completed in 2007 The Philippine Department of Energy has indicated that Iloilo Province is likely to face a power shortage within five years; initiatives are underway to build new electricity generating facilities
4	Iloilo City: Summary Local, provincial, and national governmental agencies operating in Iloilo perceive call centers and outsourcing operations as opportunities for growth and are endeavoring to be responsive to commercial enterprises expressing interest in locating in Iloilo The office of the Iloilo City mayor recently formed an Iloilo Investment Committee to coordinate the city’s response to call center opportunities The Office of the Mayor also works with the Iloilo branch of the national Department of Trade and Industry and the Iloilo Business Club in addressing call center inquiries and requirements There are two call centers in Iloilo City, the largest of which is ePLDT Ventus, a joint venture partly owned by PLDT that has approximately 200 seats Iloilo City is easily accessible from Manila by air travel
5	Iloilo City: Human Resources
6	Iloilo City: English language proficiency
7	Iloilo City: Higher Education
8	Iloilo City: Infrastructure
9	Iloilo City: Infrastructure
10	Iloilo City: Corporate presence Iloilo City has two call centers ePLDT was the first, arriving in November 2004 with 200 seats Call Box Customer Contact Center, a smaller center with 50 seats, was established in December 2004 Major corporations with operations in Iloilo City include Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which have bottling plants in the area High electricity costs have made Iloilo City a less desirable destination for other large manufacturers
11	Iloilo City: Summary of positioning