Iloilo City to host Indian business roadshow

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Iloilo City will play host to a wide range of Indian businesses this month through a roadshow that aims to boost employment and partnerships between India and the Philippines.

The Indian Business Roadshow on May 31 will feature Indian businesses operating in the Philippines, particularly in agriculture, automobiles, chemicals, information technology and business process management (IT-BPM), and pharmaceuticals, among others.

The Indian Business Forum Philippines Association, Inc. (IBFPA) will host the roadshow, with support from the Indian Embassy and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Iloilo Chapter (PCCI-Iloilo).

Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shambhu S Kumaran is also expected to visit the city on May 30.

The embassy’s Economic and Commerce Counsellor, Nishikant Singh, spoke to journalists in Iloilo City on Wednesday where he underscored the significance of the roadshow to the business communities of the two countries.

The event will be a hybrid of virtual and face-to-face activities.

“Based on these different sectors, and the identified sectors which we have, we will invite these Indian companies to come and make a presentation to the Filipino businesses who will be invited by [PCCI-Iloilo] and the local government,” Singh said.

Identified sectors that will take center stage in the roadshow are IT-BPM and IT-enabled services, pharmaceutical and healthcare, agriculture with a focus on agrochemicals and irrigation, automobile, renewable energy focusing on waste-to-energy, and tourism services.

Indian businesses have been present in Iloilo, including IT-BPM firms Hinduja Global Solutions and WNS Global Services, as well as motorcycle company Bajaj.

Singh said that the embassy viewed Iloilo as an important center in the Visayas that may be attractive to the Indian business community, especially the entities which are already present in the Philippines.

“When we look at Visayas, we find two important centers here. In the west, it’s Iloilo, and in the east, it’s Cebu. […] Iloilo is one of the important centers for us to focus on. In the business roadshow, we would also like Indian companies to see Iloilo. As I am amazed to see the city, I think my colleagues will also be amazed to see [the city],” he stated.

“While Indian companies are present in Cebu, they are also present in Iloilo. We understand that Iloilo is a big commercial city in Western Visayas. Being a big commercial city, we feel the importance that the stakeholders in Iloilo, they should also know about the Indian businesses. Like, what are the options you have in India? What are the options you can search in India?” he added.

Jigar Gauswami, Sales and Marketing Director of Jiyo Pumps which is also with IBFPA, said that the organization’s and the embassy’s support helped them to get closer to their goal of being known to the masses.

Jiyo has provided submersible water pumps to Western Visayas, with Metro Pacific Iloilo Water and the National Irrigation Administration as their clientele here in Iloilo, and also supplying to Negros Occidental and Guimaras.

“Our target in the future [is that], when anyone thinks about water, first things first, they will think about Jiyo. We are running with that one with our goal. That will happen with the support of the IBFPA and the [Indian] Embassy,” he remarked.