Iloilo plugs into ‘smart city’ push

Already known for its state-of-the-art urban planning and as one of the country’s top highly urbanized cities, Iloilo is now chasing a different ambition: to become a smart city.

After posting the fastest economic growth in Western Visayas in 2024 at 7.1 percent, well above the regional average of 4.3 percent, Iloilo is turning its attention to building a digital backbone that can keep pace with its expanding economy.

To help get there, the city has tapped a telco company whose own rise has been just as swift. Converge ICT Solutions Inc., the fiber broadband provider led by Pampanga-based tycoon Dennis Anthony Uy, entered the Philippine telco market only in 2012, but has since emerged as one of the industry’s fastest-growing players.

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Their goal is straightforward: Use Converge’s technology to digitalize core government services, from traffic management and business permit processing to cloud storage and disaster recovery.

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“Our objective is to empower LGUs (local government units) and public sector entities at every stage of their digital evolution,” says Shion Canen, assistant vice president and head of enterprise sales for Visayas and Mindanao at Converge Global Business.

“Whether a municipality is laying its first digital foundation or scaling an advanced smart ecosystem, Converge provides the enterprise-grade infrastructure to maximize their operational potential,” she adds.

At a recent forum with Iloilo government officials, Converge showcased a range of digital solutions tailored for local governments.

Among them are intelligent traffic management systems that use connected CCTV networks to monitor traffic conditions in real time, Internet of Things (IoT) platforms for city operations, public safety monitoring systems and community Wi-Fi hubs.

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Converge, which operates its own data centers, also offers secure cloud hosting for government applications such as electronic business permit and licensing systems and real property tax platforms, backed by redundant storage systems designed to keep public records available and protected during system outages or disasters.

Beyond government services, Converge’s enterprise unit can also support Iloilo’s tourism industry through digital systems for hotels and other establishments, including platforms that automate guest services and dining operations.

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These services run on Converge’s nationwide pure-fiber network, which now spans nearly 900,000 kilometers. The listed company currently serves 3.09 million residential subscribers and is targeting 4 million by 2027.

For Iloilo, however, the technology itself is only part of the equation.

“Embracing digital transformation is a foundational requirement for transparent, efficient, and responsive local governance,” says Fydah Sabando-Del Rosario, head of Iloilo Data Assessment and Systems Management Office. “By modernizing our data infrastructure, we directly accelerate service delivery and increase accessibility for every citizen.”

As investments increasingly gravitate toward technology-driven industries, Iloilo appears to be laying the digital foundations needed to compete for the next wave of growth.

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After all, an economy expanding as quickly as Iloilo’s can only go so far without the infrastructure to support it. INQ