Johnny Que, President of Iloilo Washington Commercial, Inc.

ILOILO WASHINGTON COMMERCIAL, Inc.
Rural-Urban Links Champion

Emerging local and global patterns, including urbanization, agro-industrialization and the rise of supermarkets, require synergies rather than divisions between rural and urban areas. A strong rural-urban link, for example, can ensure an adequate food supply for the city at affordable prices, and rural areas can serve as outlets for goods produced in urban areas. Without this link, urban areas might face food shortages and rural areas might be left out of globalization.

Iloilo Washington Commercial’s corporate social responsibility projects have served as the bridge between rural and urban economies. These include its integrated forest management project in Ajuy, Iloilo which was intended to supply materials for the thriving furniture industry in the city, and its Orchard Valley farm in Bitoon, Jaro, which is the main source of organic vegetables sold at its sister company, the Iloilo Supermart chain of supermarkets.

Embarking in these two endeavors, Iloilo Washington Commercial highlighted the need to look at rural and urban economies at a holistic viewpoint, and that market forces cross borders, giving rise to the call of building regional cities.