The Iloilo Provincial Board has opened its 2025 session with the passage of an ordinance aimed at fostering the growth of startups in the province.
“For Iloilo province, this is our attempt to help provide an enabling environment for our startups by coming up with mechanisms to help them expand,” Board Member Jason Gonzales, author of the ordinance, said in an interview.
Provincial Ordinance No. 2025-332, titled “An Ordinance Institutionalizing the Community and Academe-Based Startup Development in Iloilo Province and Providing Funds Therefor,” establishes financial and technical support mechanisms for qualified startups.
The ordinance allocates P5 million annually as a starting budget, with a maximum grant of P500,000 available to individual startups.
“We’re looking to work with technology business incubators in state universities, colleges, and private institutions,” Gonzales said.
A Startup Development Committee will be formed, chaired by the governor and including representatives from the business community and private sector.
The committee will finalize the ordinance’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR) within the first quarter of 2025 and set guidelines for a competitive application process.
“Our goal is to help bring startups to market, focusing on those with promising technologies, products, or services,” Gonzales said.
He underscored the potential economic benefits of attracting entrepreneurs to the province, adding that startups have been significant contributors to economic growth worldwide.
The ordinance reflects Iloilo’s commitment to fostering innovation across sectors such as technology, agriculture, and biotechnology.
“In many cases, startups are driven by young people applying technology to solve new and old problems,” Gonzales said.
The initiative underscores Iloilo’s vision of becoming a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.Perla Lena/PNA
