Bogo eyes partnership with BPO companies

CEBU, Philippines - Once the proposed business process outsourcing (BPO) project will be implemented, Bogohanons need not go to the city to work for a call center company given the option to stay in their hometown while being paid the same as those urban-based service representatives.

Department of Trade and Industry - Cebu (DTI-Cebu) business development division chief Elias Tecson said in interview that the local government unit (LGU) of Bogo is eyeing a viable investment opportunity that would generate employment opportunities for the residents of the northern city of Cebu.

He said that LGU-Bogo have convened with the telecommunication giants such as Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, Smart Communications and Globe Telecom to lay out the fiber optics needed as infrastructure support for the BPO companies to operate.

Once they are properly established, the LGU will begin to accept interested companies.

Since government officials will transfer to the new city hall, he added that the two-storey old city hall will initially serve as the building that will house the BPO companies and their employees.

The local government has also reached out to several BPO companies and partnered with the academe and other related agencies such as the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEDF-IT) in order to meet the specific requirements of a call center company.

Tecson revealed that Aegis People Support offered to train qualified Bogohanons as managers and customer service representatives to pioneer the project.

The academe, on the other hand, has identified faculty personnel and teachers who will undergo the training.

Tecson said that the commitment of the LGU-Bogo coincides with the thrust of the trade department towards enterprise creation and employment generation for Cebuanos in the countryside.

He cited that there are about 1,400 residents in Bogo City who work in BPO companies in Cebu City who could benefit from the proposed project. — (FREEMAN)