Members of at least two big Hawaii business organizations are set to visit Ilocos Norte in November and February 2025 to experience what the province can offer for economic growth and development.

This was announced by Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc during his State of the Province (SOPA) Tuesday night.

In March, the governor, along with his team from the tourism, agriculture, and investment departments of the provincial government, went to Hawaii and the mainland United States to encourage Ilocanos there to do business in Ilocos Norte.

During his SOPA, Manotoc said now is the perfect time to do business in the province after a massive infrastructure development and ongoing improvements to unlock more opportunities for economic growth, particularly in health care, engineering, academe, entrepreneurship, hospitality, information technology, and agriculture.

“To all my fellow Ilocanos, may you reconnect with your roots, share your expertise, and invest in our people to contribute to the growth of our province,” he said.

To usher in a new era of trade and investment for Ilocos Norte to be led by global Ilocanos, Manotoc shared his excitement for a looming partnership with Seafood City Supermarket that have stores in seven states in the US and Canada, as well as the East-West Marketing in Hawaii, which is working to import food products from the province to reach a wider international market.

Soya Cheng-Bueno, Ilocos Norte Trade and Investment Promotions Center head, said in an interview Wednesday that preparations are ongoing for the hosting of the Pacific Century Fellows who are expected to grace the province’s Himala sa Buhangin Festival set in mid-November, and the Filipino Chamber of Commerce in Hawaii who pledged to visit in February 2025 in time for Laoag’s Pamulinawen Festival.

“We are arranging their trips and engagements and the number of participants has yet to be finalized,” she said, saying the group has particularly requested a meet-up with their industry counterparts in the province and see the potential of local products being offered here for possible export.

“With the help of the Department of Trade and Industry export management bureau and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Los Angeles, California, we were included for a business-to-business session with them again, matchmaking our local food product producers,” Bueno said, referring to the Seafood City Supermarket investment bid.

To date, at least one home-grown enterprise, Lucky Theo’s Food Products from Banna, Ilocos Norte, has made a deal to ship its chichacorn to Seafood City.

The first bulk order, which will be shipped out soon, will be announced later, according to Bueno.

Other promising Ilocos food and non-food products, such as Sukang Iluko (sugarcane vinegar), dried mangoes, black garlic, anchovies, Abel Iluko, and coconut handicrafts, are in the pipeline to hit the global market.

Manotoc also underscored the importance of the remittance being sent by Filipinos overseas but noted that this is also a bane as it can lead to dependency and complacency among the beneficiaries.

“We encourage our kakailian (constituents) abroad to not only provide for their families but also to invest their hard-earned money into local enterprises. The best support we can give our loved ones is to capacitate and empower them to be independent,” he said. (PNA)