Stable power fuels Iloilo City’s rise as top BPO hub

ILOILO CITY, PHILIPPINES — Iloilo City’s reliable electricity supply has powered its growth into one of the top destinations for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) in the Philippines, according to experts.

The city’s stable power grid, provided by More Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power), has attracted major investments from BPO firms and supported the overall economic expansion of Iloilo City.

“Iloilo has become an IT-BPM (Information Technology and Business Process Management) center, it could be an investment center of other businesses, too, because of three important success factors in addition to power,” said Dr. Winston Padojinog, president of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), during a recent business conference.

In addition to electricity access, Padojinog credited Iloilo City’s strong pipeline of qualified graduates and strategic geographic location as factors in its emergence as a BPO hub.

Former Philippine Senate President Franklin Drilon agreed, noting that many BPOs had previously passed over Iloilo City due to unreliable power. 

“In fairness to MORE Power, they really assisted and improved the investment climate in Iloilo by providing a stable and adequate distribution system, which made Iloilo attractive to the BPO industries,” Drilon commented.

Data from the Iloilo Federation of Information Technology (I-FIT) showed that 103 BPOs operate in the city and province of Iloilo, employing over 41,000 locals. 

A recent UA&P study found that MORE Power’s operations contribute PHP4.99 billion (US$88 million) annually to Iloilo City’s economy, accounting for about 4% of total economic output. Experts estimate the company enabled creation of nearly 7,000 direct and indirect jobs from 2020-2022.

With MORE Power’s support and additional infrastructure, experts project Iloilo City to become the Philippines’ third-largest BPO hub by 2025.