Western Visayas urged to train tourism workers, monitor projects

ILOILO CITY — Western Visayas needs to invest more in the people who power its tourism economy while strengthening public oversight to ensure development projects deliver what they promise, experts said on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

The recommendations were raised during the Visayas Policy Research Forum press briefing at Sam’s 21 Hotel, which focused on the 2026 Development Policy Research Month theme, “Building Strong Institutions, Unlocking Human Capital Potential.”

Development Policy Research Month is observed every September under Proclamation No. 247, signed in 2002, with the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) leading the annual observance.

Asked about the biggest institutional reform needed to unlock the region’s human capital potential, PIDS senior research fellow John Paolo Rivera pointed to workforce training, particularly as tourism and other service industries continue to drive the regional economy.

“Western Visayas is a tourism-heavy region, considering a lot of growth is coming from services. One reform is investment in training local communities, in terms of how they deliver services and attract both foreigners and locals to visit,” Rivera said.

He said local governments and the private sector should work together to equip communities with the skills needed to provide better services and allow local workers to benefit from the tourism industry.

Fastest-growing regional economy

In 2025, the region recorded the fastest regional economic growth in the Philippines, expanding by 6.4% to PHP 683.44 billion.

It ranked as the eighth-largest regional economy nationwide, accounting for 2.9% of the country’s gross domestic product.

The services sector remained the region’s main economic engine, comprising 66.5% of the regional economy, followed by industry at 18.6% and agriculture, forestry, and fishing (AFF) at 14.9%.

Services also made the largest contribution to the region’s 6.4% growth, adding 4.2 percentage points, while AFF contributed 1.4 percentage points and industry 0.8 percentage points.

Rivera added that training should also be aligned with the national government’s efforts to promote a Filipino brand of service.

“But tourism training should not stop at hospitality. Communities also need to be trained to protect the region’s natural attractions,” he said.

Transparency and the Ungka Flyover

Rodelio F. Subade, dean of the University of the Philippines Visayas Graduate School, identified stronger mechanisms for transparency and public monitoring as another institutional priority.

Subade said people’s organizations and communities should be involved in monitoring government projects to ensure that these are implemented according to plan and that public funds are not wasted.

“We need transparency and people’s organization. Their coordination and efforts to stay connected are important so they can determine whether a project is actually being implemented according to plan and is not overpriced, a ghost project, etc.,” Subade said.

He cited the controversial Ungka Flyover as an example of why transparency needs to be built into project planning and implementation.

“If there is a mechanism of transparency in the planning, development, it would not require additional funding,” Subade said.

The PHP 680 million Ungka Flyover, which connects Iloilo City and the town of Pavia, was closed just a few days after it opened in September 2022 due to structural problems, including the displacement of several piers.

Subsequent investigations led to corrective works totaling about PHP 288 million across two phases, bringing the project’s overall cost to nearly PHP 1 billion, including third-party investigations.

The project’s structural problems and costly repairs raised questions about its planning, design, construction, and accountability.

Subade said community-based monitoring is particularly important in tourism, where government investments in infrastructure such as road connectivity are needed to support the industry.

The Visayas Policy Research Forum brought together policymakers, researchers, and local development stakeholders to discuss key issues affecting the region and identify evidence-based policy solutions.

The forum was organized by PIDS through the Socioeconomic Research Portal for the Philippines network, in partnership with the University of the Philippines Visayas, the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development Region VI, and the Philippine Information Agency Western Visayas.