CICT, BPAP: Cybersex is not part of BPO sector

CEBU, Philippines - The Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) are one in condemning the association of commercial cybersex to the Business Process Outsourcing industry saying such connection can affect the booming industry in the Philippines.

The BPO government arm and industry association made the statement on the negative association of cyber sex to BPO as both organizations are very concerned about the possible adverse effects it may have on the image of this “sunshine” industry which is now elevating the Philippines on the global stage because of the country’s strength in skills in business and corporate services that can support US and European companies.

“Cybersex and illegal sex dens as reported recently is pervasive on the worldwide web and they are being committed from various locations. It is not being offshored to the Philippines, so we should not attribute or compare cyber porn with our flourishing BPO industry,” said CICT secretary Ivan John Enrile Uy.

Both CICT and BPAP issued the clarification after some media reports on incidences on cyber sex came out which referred and compared the illegal practice to “Outsourcing” and “BPO”.

For his part, BPAP President and CEO Oscar Sanez said, “Commercial sex on the net is basically on-line porn and is not part of the off-shoring industry because they are illegal activities being done around the world. This is not at all related to the outsourcing industry and certainly not at all connected with BPO”.

The BPO industry has been growing at an average of 26 percent per year and is expected deliver to the economy some US$ 9 billion in revenues by year-end and it has already provided jobs to more than half a million workers. 

The CICT is the government body overseeing the over-all welfare of the country’s ICT development while BPAP is the umbrella association of BPO companies which houses some 320 members in the Philippines. BPAP and CICT with the rest of the Philippine BPO industry denounce and condemn on-line sex trade and believe that any involvement in such practice should be criminally prosecuted.  (FREEMAN)