'Pinoys' accent, diction still good'

MANILA, Philippines - The Pinoy’s ability to adopt an American, British or Australian accent could make up for his ineptitude in the English language and protect the Philippines’ image as one of the world’s top locations for a business process outsourcing (BPO), according to Jayjay Viray, managing director of JobsDB.com.

JobsDB.com operates a job search website and helps local and multinational companies hire qualified workers.

Viray said that while the level of English proficiency of Filipino call center applicants could be going down, the Philippines will still remain a favorite location of multinational companies to set up a BPO business, particularly a call center.

Viray said that the Philippines’ global competitors and potential rivals in the BPO field such as India, and possibly Malaysia, could only get a slice of the market mainly in the information technology (IT) and back office operations.

“We still have an edge over them especially for contact centers because of our diction,” Viray told The STAR.

However, Viray said this should not be a reason for the government to be complacent in addressing concerns regarding the deteriorating English proficiency among Filipinos.

Viray said they see poor English skills in thousands of applicants flocking to call centers.