Negros boosts BPO industry

BACOLOD CITY ,Philippines  — The construction of Information Technology (IT) buildings, or IT parks, on lot properties owned by the Negros Occidental provincial government is expected to create about 41,000 new business process outsourcing (BPO) jobs, Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. said.

 Marañon said SM Prime Holdings has proposed to build 10 buildings for BPO companies on a provincial government property along Gatuslao Street that will provide these jobs. The buildings will surround a convention center that SM plans to build in the area along with two hotels, he said.

 The provincial government will also establish the Negros First CyberPark, a mix-used complex consisting of more than 12,000 square meters of space for BPO services at a three-storey building to be built at the Paglaum Sports Complex, and this is expected to provide more than 1,000 jobs, said the governor.

 Marañon announced these developments Thursday at the NEGROS FIRST ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Summit at Business Inn in Bacolod, attended by Ivan John Enrile Uy, chairman of the Commission on ICT.

 Uy noted that Bacolod has been cited as the 3rd Next Wave City in the Philippines and Tholons International's top 100th city in the world for outsourcing. "That is a very, very good accomplishment for Bacolod to be ranked among the top 100th out of thousands of cities around the world," he said.

 At the ICT Summit, leaders from the government, academe, private and business sectors signed a manifesto committing to support the Philippine IT-BPO Industry Roadmap 2016 as well as the Negros Occidental ICT Roadmap 2013 that would generate thousands of jobs for the Negrenses.

 Marañon has recently formed the Negros Occidental ICT Investments, with Jocelle Batapa Sigue as head consultant, to support the goals of the Philippine government in increasing IT/BPO jobs in the region. Sigue, a former city councilor, is chair of both the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines and the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for ICT (BNeFIT).

 The cities of Sagay, Silay, Talisay, Victoria, Bago, and Kabankalan are also setting up economic zones in their respective areas, said the governor.

 Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg Occ., 3rd District), who also attended the summit, said he will help tap government resources for infrastructure and academic support for the IT-BPO industry. He added that he is supporting moves to create a Department of ICT, and the passage of bills against data piracy and cyber crimes.

 Benitez also said he is supporting the efforts to create a Department of ICT, and the passage of bills to ensure data privacy and to curb cyber crime.

 Reports said that BPO jobs in Bacolod have reached more than 10,000 as of 2010. Sigue earlier said that in Negros Occidental, the true criterion for potential global services was sparked by the new Talisay-Ayala Land TechnoHub, the first IT Park outside of the city, which the president had proclaimed an economic zone.

 For Bacolod, the two new large additions to the growing number of IT economic zones have been accredited by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), but are still waiting for a presidential proclamation, said Sigue.

 In the north, the Central District IT Park in Brgy. Mandalagan, was accredited by PEZA as early as August 2009 while, in the south, the Grand IT Park in Barangay Singcang was accredited last February 26, she said.

Sigue said records of BNeFIT showed that there are now nine IT economic zones proclaimed in Bacolod: the Luxur Plaza IT Centre, Monfort IT Center, San Antonio Park Square, The Block IT Park, Robinsons Cybergate IT Centre, Bacolod Information Technology Park, Lopue's East IT Center, Lopue's South IT Center, and St. Francis IT Centre. The SM City Bacolod is also PEZA-accredited.