Esports is the next big thing.
Few can disagree with the statement as the industry has grown exponentially these past few years. In fact, as per Newzoo‘s forecasts, the global esports revenue growth for the year 2024 is expected to hit an astounding value of USD $1.6 billion. Meanwhile, the industry’s growth in the Philippines is reflected in both the local (e.g. Tier One Entertainment, AcadArena, etc.) and international (e.g. Team Secret, Moonton, Riot, etc.) entities investing in the esports infrastructure within the country.
As such, it would only be rational for the local government to notice the potential of the industry and the benefits that come along with it. All throughout the country, a lot of barangays, cities, and provincial entities have indeed shown interest in esports by hosting and promoting esports-related events within their respective localities. Cebu City hosted their Mayor’s Cup, Lapu-Lapu City had their own fiesta league and cosplay competitions, Ormoc recently hosted their own city tournaments, and Misamis Oriental has Misamis Oriental Esports Organization organizing their tournaments. However, a newcomer from Iloilo City is in town and their name is ILO Esports.
What sets ILO Esports apart from others is that they were the first to have their city officially sign an executive order for the proliferation of esports in their own locality. As such, we talked to Jamar Montehermoso, the founder of ILO esports, and talked about the conceptualization, establishment, and future plans for Iloilo to become the country’s premier esports hub.
Via ILO Esports
According to Jamar, he started dabbling in esports back in January of last year. He organized League of Legends: Wild Rift tournaments under the umbrella of the Association of Wild Rift Teams in Iloilo.
“January last year, I organized League of Legends: Wild Rift tournaments under [the Association of Wild Rift Teams] – Iloilo. This was when the game was still in its early stage and even before it has the spectate mode. I did it for fun and to spend some of my downtimes in an activity I’m passionate about and enjoy doing,” he stated.
After their initial season, they rebranded in order to scout for teams for PPGL’s Visayas League of Legends: Wild Rift Qualifier.
“I rebranded the second season to Proving Grounds, a four-week tournament where we’ll scout for teams who we’ll support in the upcoming Visayas leg of the PPGL tournament and who will play under the ILO Esports name.”
The signing of Iloilo City’s executive order with ILO Esports | via Mayor Jerry Treñas’s Facebook page
As mentioned before, ILO Esports, in conjunction with the newly established Iloilo City Esports Committee (ICEC), holds the distinction to be the first one in the country to have their city sign an executive order for the implementation of a roadmap for local esports development. According to Mr. Montehermoso, this partnership started right before the launching of Proving Grounds.
“Before I started [Proving Grounds], I sent a message to Iloilo City’s Youth and Sports Office Facebook page for a partnership. The office readily provided the resources we needed for the tournament prizes,” he revealed.
Major cities like Shanghai, Singapore, London, Berlin, and Auckland have all vied to become the global capital of esports by having multiple investments and ILO esports hopes to do the same for their city and the country.
“The [partnership with ICEC] sparked an even brighter purpose in me to start what no other person has started in the world – create an esports organization backed and supported by its LGU who will represent the city and become champions and advocates of esports in their localities. With my already established association with our Youth and Sports Office, I pitched the idea and I’m very grateful that they are open to it.”
And just like that, Jamar wrote a draft of the city’s executive order which was then eventually signed by incumbent Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas.
” I started to write the draft for the Executive Order for the creation of an esports committee for the purposes of pursuing the initiative of making Iloilo an esports hub in the Philippines and preparing a roadmap that will be a guide to realize the said goal. Mayor Jerry Treñas signed the EO late last year and, with the rest of the Iloilo City Esports Committee, we will have a discussion on how to go about the roadmap in the next few weeks and execute the programs that I prepared for the Ilonggo Esports Community.”
ILO Esports Mobile Legends League | via ILO Esports
To date, ILO Esports has conducted two massive projects already, the Iloilo City Charter Day Esports tournament and ILO Esports Mobile Legends League, which featured MLLB, Wild Rift, and VALORANT. Jamar hopes that the selection of titles will expand as they get more support and resources.
“We only focused on MLLB, Wild Rift, and VALORANT for the meantime because it was the three games most voted on by our community. Later this year, we’ll be launching esports teams under these titles who will play under the ILO Esports banner and represent the city in various tournaments. If we’ll receive more support and resources, we’ll expand to more titles like DOTA 2, LoL PC, Pokémon Unite, and CODM respectively.”
Their efforts have also attracted the attention of Ilonggo collegiate teams such as the University of San Agustin – Iloilo’s San Agustin Golden Eagle Esports and thus hope to develop more local talent.
“One fundamental point in our action plan is to start cultivating talents in the academe. I believe that local Esports can be an industry and it can provide opportunities for Esports enthusiasts around their region.”
Mr. Montehermoso also stated that he looks up to AcadArena, an Ilonggo start-up, and hopes to forge a partnership between them for the cultivation of Iloilo’s esports talents.
“I’m also lucky that AcadArena, a leading local organization for campus gaming and esports education, provides financial aid and “play-to-earn” scholarships for exemplary student gamers to help them graduate, is an Iloilo-based startup. I’m looking forward to the partnership we can conjure to hopefully show the world through Iloilo how Esports can thrive and cement itself at the local level and how it can advance the economic growth of a city through local and international partnerships in this billion-dollar industry.”
Recently, ILO Esports just wrapped up their first season of the ILO Esports Mobile Legends League where Caedite Esports were crowned as champions. There is no info yet as to when the next season would come but more initiatives from ILO Esports are set to be announced in the foreseeable future.
Hopefully, the efforts of ILO Esports will pave the way for a better, brighter future in esports — not only for Ilonggos but for every Filipino as well. They are just one of the ever-increasing list of LGU-backed esports initiatives but they stand out by being first to have their city sign an official executive order for their city’s esports development. Surely, more cities will follow suit and, as more of them arise, it’s reassuring as an esports fan that the government is finally keen on developing local talent.
For those interested in partnering with ILO Esports, you can reach them through their official email: [email protected] or through their Facebook page.
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