‘Make it happen in Ilocos Norte’

Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Manotoc speaks during the “INvest: Ilocos Norte Investment Conference” at Ascott Bonifacio Global City in Metro Manila.

Taguig City—"Consider me your partner and your advocate, I will be here personally to make sure that your business is also our business, and we take care of our investors in Ilocos Norte. Make it happen in the Philippines, make it happen in Ilocos Norte,” remarked Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc as he delivered his welcome message at an investment conference hosted by the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) on Aug. 27, 2024

Government officials, foreign ambassadors, and representa
tives from private businesses participated in a one-day event titled “INvest: Ilocos Norte Investment Conference” at Ascott Bonifacio Global City in Metro Manila.

Organized by the Ilocos Norte Trade and Investment Center, the event featured experts in the field of investment promotions who shared experiences and valuable guidance to the participants, namely Dr. Bernardo Villegas, research director of the University of Asia and the Pacific discussed “Investor’s Guide to the Economies of the Philippines and Ilocos Norte;”  Ernesto Delos Reyes, Jr., director at the Dept. of Trade and Industry-Board of Investments for the discussion on “Investment Made Easy-Assistance and Incentives;” and  Eric Chua, vice president of the Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Ilocos Norte for the topic “Inside Ilocos Norte: Business Insights.”

It also featured investment pitches on key sectors with high investment yields, namely, food and agriculture; tourism and creative industries; IT-BPM and infrastructure; and renewable energy, to provide the participants with the necessary knowledge to attract investments, drive business development, and create sustainable economic opportunities in Ilocos Norte.

The provincial government, led by  Manotoc, is continuously working to create a more “investment-friendly” environment in the province by ensuring quality infrastructures are built to accommodate business operations, offering strong government support through the province’s code to maximize the benefits of all economic activities to all stakeholders.

Ilokano resilience

Meanwhile, Manotoc credited the low poverty rate in Ilocos Norte to Ilokano resilience3

"Ito pong poverty rate natin ay testament sa ating kakailiansa Ilocos [Norte] at sa buong mundo. It's a huge credit sa ating mga kakailian na napakasipag at always finding a way, ‘yan ang resilience ng mga Ilokano," Manotoc remarked during a press conference at the Office of the Governor on Aug. 28, 2024.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Aug. 15, 2024, reported that Ilocos Norte has the lowest poverty incidence rate among families, at 0.3%, and among the population, at 0.5%, the lowest poverty incidences in the provincial category recorded throughout the country for 2023. 

According to PSA, poverty incidence is the percentage of people in a population who earn less than the minimum amount needed to meet basic living needs. Poverty threshold and income are the main factors of PSA in measuring incidence rates. Income from various sources, including wages and salaries, entrepreneurial activities, cash receipts from abroad and domestic sources, and those received as gifts are considered in the assessment.

Employment and livelihood-opportunity projects and programs being implemented by PGIN, like the "Mataginaginayon a Progreso,""Agri ka Dito,""Naruay a Pangedan Job Fairs," and "IN na Kabuhayan Livelihood Program,” among others, are some of the Gov. Marcos Manotoc’s initiatives to support the people, especially those in the marginalized sector in fighting against poverty.

While the governor takes pride in this achievement, he assured to remain relentless in ensuring that the poverty statistics reflect the reality of the everyday lives of Ilokanos.

Meanwhile, he highlighted that "brain drain" remains to be a crisis that PGIN needs to continue addressing, saying:

"Ang malaking krisis po natin is brain drain, many of our best and highly educated kakailian leave and yun po yung malaking layunin [natin], on how to keep our people here [in Ilocos Norte]."

Manotoc reiterated that offering more income-generating opportunities, increasing the number of desirable jobs, inviting more investors, and improving the quality of life in Ilocos Norte are needed to address this issue.

Recently, he led the PGIN investment conference, organized by the Ilocos Norte Trade and Investment Center, in Taguig City and met with prominent business owners and representatives to discuss potential investment and livelihood opportunities in Ilocos Norte.

Manotoc is continuously working with various private and public sectors, national government agencies, and local and international businesses to meet the increasing demands of the people, fight poverty, and provide the best quality of life every Ilokano family deserves.