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By PNA
December 15, 2008
CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Dec. 15 — The Philippines’ Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry will not be affected by the international financial crisis.
This was assured by Dr. George Sorio, executive director of Cyber City Teleservices, who said that if the financial crisis would force international BPO firms to close shop, "its effects (to the Philippines) are not that drastic."
Sorio noted that if a BPO firm in the country shuts down its operations due to the financial crisis, its employees would be easily absorbed by other BPOs.
"Actually, there is still a scarcity of manpower in the BPO industry here in the Philippines which is why call center agents whose companies closed shop would only be absorbed by other BPOs," Sorio told reporters during a press conference after the opening of Regional Cluster Intrapreneurship Congress held recently at the Clark Polytechnic.
Sorio said Cyber City has pioneered in the supply of manpower for the country’s BPO industry by training call center agents. He added that Cyber City, together with the Philippine Council of Students in Intrapreneurship (PCSI), provides students a venue for skills training and development to prepare them for their respective industries after graduation.
Sorio said, "What the call center industry in the country needs right now is manpower."
At the awarding rites of the Top Ten Next Wave Cities for Outsourcing, it was revealed that 80 percent of the Philippine outsourcing industry companies are located in Metro Manila. This means that over 240,000 IT-BPO employees are working within close proximity of each other.
During the awarding rites held at the Crowne Plaza, Robinson’s Galleria on December 3, Cyber City represented Clark, Angeles City, Mabalacat, and Dau after being cited as one of the top 10 hosts for Information Technology (IT) and BPO industries.
The event was launched by the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Sorio said Clark, Angeles City, the municipality of Mabalacat, and Dau ranked 6th place but gave the assurance that future rankings will see Clark and Pampanga in the top five.
Metro Laguna and Metro Cavite ranked first and second, respectively, as the country’s best next wave cities outside Metro Manila and Metro Cebu.
In places 3 to 10 are: Iloilo City, Davao City, Bacolod City, Angeles-Clark-Mabalacat, Baliuag-Marilao-Meycauyan, Cagayan de Oro, Malolos-Calumpit, and Lipa City. (PNA)
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