The People

ILONGGOS

They are influenced by different cultures they had witnessed through time. Chinese Merchants and Indonesians were trading with the Ilonggos long before the Spaniards came. The ruling Spanish government encouraged these foreign merchants to trade in Iloilo but they were not given privileges like ownership of land. The Hispanic conservatism has showed itself in the thoughts, language and actions of the people.

Ilonggos are generally well-mannered, religious and frugal. In different towns of Iloilo, many places had been transformed into pilgrimages for the faithfull. Every afternoon when the church bells ring at 6:00, people would pause and pray or even join the "Novena" which dominates the rural as the urban afternoon atmosphere. Every lent, the pilgrims and the faithful would rise up early and join the procession which commemorates the sufferings of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Education is one of the most important things the Americans contributed to the Philippines. In Iloilo, it is a social rule that parents should send their children to school. That must be the reason why almost every barangay in the province have public grade and secondary schools.

The fiesta complete the Ilonggo living. Food is served to visitors from different places. They would serve meals, desserts and appetizers that give the tastebuds a sense of excitement. Almost every town in Iloilo has a fiesta and festival celebrated annually.

MANPOWER

Iloilo has a very young population. Six out of ten belong to the under-30 age group. Iloilo’s educational institutions regularly produce 17,000 to 18,000 graduates every year for the labor pool. They are English-proficient, highly-trainable and immersed in a Western-oriented culture, making it ideal for service-oriented businesses, business process outsourcing work, and jobs overseas.

LANGUAGE

Hiligaynon (Ilonggo) is the major dialect, although English and Tagalog are also widely spoken and understood, especially in urban areas. Hiligaynon (or "Ilonggo") is an Austronesian language spoken in Western Visayas in the Philippines. Hiligaynon is concentrated in the provinces of Iloilo and Negros Occidental. It is also spoken in the other provinces of the Panay Island group, such as Capiz, Antique, Aklan, Guimaras, and many parts of Mindanao like Koronadal City, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat.

TALENT

There is a strong number and quality of talent pool with 13 major academic institutions, including the University of the Philippines Iloilo. The Academe recognizes growth of owned and operated (O&O) industry thereby several Universities have incorporated call center fundamentals in the curriculum. Iloilo has the only accredited center in Western Visayas for the Office of the President’s Training Program by PSIA and ACPI, offering 2D Animation and S&D (Java and .Net) courses. And there are four institutions offer Finishing Courses for Call Center Agents and Medical Transcription with full scholarships from TESDA.