DTI Region 6 scales HIMS plan for high-value jobs
Key stakeholders from DTI Region 6’s regional and provincial offices, global IT-BPM companies and Philippine trade offices meet virtually Aug. 19, 2026, for the Global Market Outlook and Demand for HIMS session. The meeting aligned regional strategies with global demand in the health care information management services sector. (DTI Region 6 photo)
By Judy Mae Sajo
By Judy Mae Sajo
ILOILO CITY — The Department of Trade and Industry Region 6 has turned its health care information management services initiative into a structured regional development program aimed at creating high-value export jobs across Western Visayas.
The shift moves HIMS beyond event-based industry advocacy and into an integrated, province-by-province economic development framework.
DTI Region 6 is expanding its market intelligence across the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Taiwan, India, the United Kingdom and the Middle East. The agency aims to position Western Visayas as a hub for health care technology, clinical documentation and specialized digital services.
“We are no longer simply promoting HIMS as an emerging industry; we are advancing HIMS as a core regional development program and investment promotion strategy,” said DTI Region 6 Acting Regional Director Mutya Eusores during the virtual Global Market Outlook and Demand for HIMS session Aug. 19, 2026.
The session brought together representatives from DTI’s provincial offices and executives from local and global companies operating in Western Visayas.
The meeting had two primary objectives: equip DTI offices with data for industry development and help existing operators identify opportunities to expand into higher-value HIMS services.
Representatives from Philippine Trade and Investment Centers presented market intelligence, regulatory updates and foreign buyer perspectives.
The international insights gave regional stakeholders a clearer view of changing global demand and will help DTI align Western Visayas’ service capabilities with the needs of specific overseas markets.
“In today’s dynamic environment, strategy must be driven by data. Every province in Western Visayas now has a complementary role within an integrated regional ecosystem,” Eusores said.
Under the updated framework, the provinces will take on complementary functions ranging from digital infrastructure anchors to specialized centers for complex clinical support.
The framework covers Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras and Iloilo. These have constituted Western Visayas’ five provinces since the Negros Island Region was established under a 2024 law, while Iloilo City remains the region’s highly urbanized city, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
DTI Region 6 is also establishing a validated regional dataset to support long-term investment planning and evidence-based policymaking.
The dataset will measure workforce capacity, identify hiring gaps and give prospective foreign investors and Philippine commercial offices reliable information for expansion decisions.
The strategy responds to global market shifts as artificial intelligence automates lower-complexity, transactional business process outsourcing tasks.
DTI said demand in major export markets is rising for higher-value offshore services such as revenue cycle management, clinical documentation improvement, risk adjustment and virtual care administration.
The national Philippine Export Development Plan 2023-2028 identifies HIMS as a higher-value information technology-business process management segment. The broader IT-BPM industry generated USD 29.5 billion in export revenue and employed 1.44 million Filipinos in 2021.
The national plan seeks to double the industry’s 2021 revenue and increase its global market share from 12% to 18% by the end of 2028.
To meet the sector’s technical requirements, DTI Region 6 is strengthening its multisector alliance with the Department of Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines, National ICT Confederation of the Philippines and Iloilo Federation for Information Technology.
The partnership is developing industry-aligned career pathways spanning basic education, technical-vocational training and higher education. The effort is intended to maintain a steady supply of job-ready clinical and technical workers.
Through global market intelligence, validated technical data and coordinated workforce development, DTI Region 6 aims to build a resilient HIMS ecosystem capable of supporting sustainable export growth.
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