MOST natives of “I Am Iloilo City” are not aware that despite the transformation of the former airport into a modern township with festive walks and malls it is still considered “low end” although it has moved up a few notches from being really “major major” low end.
Before the uninitiated gets lost in translation:
Low end – inexpensive and of a very low quality or having only the basic features, without options or extras
Not very flattering. In fact some or most would consider that tag quite demeaning but as far as most good restaurant and hotel chains are concerned that is the level of the consumer market of “I Am Iloilo City.”
Let’s discuss this in a calm and objective manner and not go into the usual blame game as most natives of these islands resort to every time someone calls attention to their shortcomings.
No, it is not the fault of Mayor Joe III Espinosa or Cong. Jerry Treñas and not even Sen. Franklin Drilon that “I Am Iloilo City” is considered low end.
Yes, politics has nothing to do with “I Am Iloilo City” being low end; it has been that way since the 1960s up to now despite the bike lanes, the Esplanade and the Iloilo Convention Center.
Why do you think “I Am Iloilo City” lost the title “Queen City of the South” to Cebu for decades only to recover it just recently?
I must admit though that the ongoing developments of “I Am Iloilo City” has far surpassed Cebu that seems to be regressing or turning into a clone of Metro Manila complete with traffic, garbage and the crowds.
Meanwhile, the ongoing developments in Bacolod City make it poised to grab the lead of “I Am Iloilo City.” One thing going for the City of Smiles is that it has never been classified, consumer-spending wise, as low end despite the slump it went through.
A report released by The Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC-Iloilo) shows that consumers in Iloilo City located in Region VI – Western Visayas, in the Central Philippines, are charged with the most expensive electricity rates, not only in the country, but also in the whole world.
For instance, United States only charges P3.82/kWh, United Kingdom P4.72/kWh, Russia P0.22/kWh, Japan Php9.63. Surprisingly, Iloilo City under PECO has the highest at P13.30/kWh.
And do you know that “I Am Iloilo City” will never have a five-star hotel as long as the Iloilo City slaughterhouse does not get a Triple A rating from the National Meat Inspection Service or NMIS as that is the first requirement of five-star hotels before they set shop?
On top of this “I Am Iloilo City” does not even have a proper dog pound or an animal welfare ordinance.
These above mentioned unfortunate situations affecting “I Am Iloilo City” you can definitely say is corruption and yes you can blame the above mentioned politicians.
Unfortunate as they maybe but they are not the reason or reasons why “I Am Iloilo City” is classified as low end in the consumer market.
Most five-star hotel chains have three classes when they set up shop; first there’s the main one which has five-star rating and depending on the market level i.e. location, taste and spending capacity of guests. The branch will also be five-star and then they have the mid-range and finally the low end.
The mid-range level is just a scaled-down version of the five-star and has almost all the amenities and facilities i.e. swimming pool, gym/spa and restaurants and it cost slightly lower than the five-star.
On the other hand, the low end is a twice scaled-down version of the mid-range i.e. no swimming pool, just a coffee shop which also doubles as the restaurant and smaller rooms with less facilities and amenities, of course costing really lower than the mid range.
As an example Seda Hotel Vertis North in Quezon City and Seda Hotel Abreeza in Davao and Seda Hotel Capitol Central in Bacolod all have swimming pools while Seda Hotel Atria in Iloilo City does not have one.
Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a more upscale coffee shop than Starbucks, has three branches in Davao City and seven in Cebu City while in “I Am Iloilo City” the one branch they’re supposed to open seems shy and reluctant to do so.
Of course “I Am Iloilo City” has a lot of 7-11 convenient stores and Jollibee which says so much about the native’s taste.
But don’t despair; Marketplace, a bit upscale grocery/supermarket by Rustan’s, has opened two branches in “I Am Iloilo City.”
When moi came back to “I Am Iloilo City” after almost 3 decades of wanderlust the displays in the stores in SM City are still the same; it’s a good thing international clothing chains like Uniqlo and H&M opened shop otherwise the natives will still be stuck with bargain items from Divisoria and Baclaran displayed in the department stores.
Good taste and having a “sense of style” have nothing to do with money; its how you were brought up and where you went to school and it shows as a consumer. Let’s put it this way, if you have no “sense of style” you will always be “low end” despite being filthy rich. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
