Call centers to rise at Bulacan ICT Park

MALOLOS CITY — Bulakeños need not go to Manila to work as call center agents with the much-awaited opening of the Bulacan Information Communication Technology (ICT) Park in Marilao town where at least 3,000 jobs are expected to be available.

“Our young graduates will no longer have to go to Metro Manila to work because they will soon have the opportunity to work here in the province,” Gov. Joselito Mendoza said.

He said about 3,000 jobs will be allotted for the business process outsourcing and call center firms that are set to rise at the Bulacan ICT Park. Among these companies is the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT).

The Bulacan ICT Park was registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority as early as last year.

Since Marilao is now considered as a special economic zone, the salaries of workers at the Bulacan ICT Park will be equal to those in other economic zones such as the Baguio City Economic Zone, Luisita Industrial Park and Subic Bay Freeport.

In an earlier statement, former Bulacan governor Josie de la Cruz said call centers agents who will be hired at the ICT Park will earn an initial P18,000 per month, which is higher that the salary of school principals and doctors in residency training. 

She disclosed that before she completed her third term as governor, the provincial government signed a contract with PLDT to give scholarships to qualified students.

These scholars were enrolled at the Bulacan Polytechnic College (BPC), which offers a two-year call center management course.

The BPC has its main campus in Barangay Bulihan in Malolos City and a satellite campus in Barangay Salacot in San Miguel town. Both campuses offer call center management training.

Meanwhile, the provincial government is hiring 300 information technology graduates for the general revision of the entire capitol’s computerization, particularly the Bulacan Satellite-Based Geographic Information System Project.