Iloilo: Hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) presents a significant platform for the country and Iloilo to attract more investments. A Roundtable on ASEAN Economic Security: Context, Considerations, and Challenges is currently ongoing as part of a three-day meeting in this highly urbanized city. The 49th High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration (HLTF-EI) is set to take place on February 26-27.

According to Philippines News Agency, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Allan Gepty emphasized in a media briefing that hosting ASEAN meetings is a significant opportunity for Iloilo to demonstrate its capacity as an excellent host capable of accommodating external partners. Gepty noted, "It is an opportunity to introduce ASEAN to Iloilo and Iloilo to ASEAN."

The event provides a platform for Iloilo to showcase its tourism destinations, promoting trade in a manner that trade also promotes tourism. Gepty highlighted that beyond hosting international meetings, the event serves as a chance for Iloilo province to position itself as a potential investment hub for strategic sectors in the country, thereby generating jobs, investments, and increased economic activities.

Gepty added that the event highlights Iloilo and Western Visayas as regions ready to integrate into the global value chain by exporting products to other countries, within and beyond Southeast Asia. The HLTF-EI is a crucial economic policy platform within ASEAN, advancing regional integration in trade, services, and investment.

Hosting the event underscores Iloilo's growing significance in regional trade and investment, bolstered by substantial infrastructure developments. In 2025, the Board of Investments approved a PHP2.35-billion project to modernize and upgrade the Iloilo Commercial Port Complex, operated by International Container Terminal Services Inc., solidifying Iloilo's status as a major trading center in Western Visayas.

The first export shipment in April last year, consisting of 15 40-foot containers of agricultural products transshipped to Singapore, demonstrates Iloilo's readiness to support international trade flows and deepen its integration into ASEAN supply chains.