Headlines, Bylines and Datelines

By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

October 9, 2008–Local government units (LGUs) were urged to develop business-friendly environments to attract investments from the fast-growing business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

During the 2008 Local Government Code Anniversary Conference held Wednesday in Makati City, local officials were told that they should adopt policies that would make them attractive to BPO investments.

LGUs were also encouraged to follow the measures done by the Bacolod City government in supporting the BPO sector. Bacolod City passed an ordinance endorsing accreditation of Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) sites, and promoted Bacolod as ICT hub by participation in conferences and trade shows and by using website and brochures.

“LGUs sometime have to see themselves as business planner, catalyzer, and enabler instead of being just enforcer,” said Bacolod City councilor and Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Information and Communications Technology chair Jacelle Batapa-Sigue.

Sunshine industry

Considered one of the sunshine industries—along with mining, agri-business and tourism—that can be tapped by local government units, the BPO industry has employed around 300,000 workers and has estimated revenue of US$ 4.9 billion in 2007.

Dan Reyes, president of Sitel and of the Business Process Association of the Philippines, said that among the advantages of the country in attracting BPO investments are the Filipinos’ English-speaking ability, their cultural affinity to the United States, competitive labor, real estate and telecommunication costs. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

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Related Stories:

• US recession “opportunity” for call centers: experts
• Call Centers Told: Meet the (Workers’) Parents
•BPOs build talent pool through CSR programs
• 14 Locations Outside Metro Are BPO-Ready

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By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newbreak

July 28,2008–Philippine call center companies should treat the recession in the United States as an opportunity rather than as an obstacle for growth and expansion, industry experts and an economist said.

During the Call Center Expo and Conference held recently, executives from call center companies said they believe that the ongoing recession in the United States, where a huge chunk of Philippine business process outsourcing or BPO clients are, will be beneficial in the long run since it will create more opportunities for the country.

Dan Reyes, president of Sitel and director of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) said that the US recession may have some negative impact only in the immediate term.

“There may be reduced demand in certain industries but the need to reduce costs may likely lead to more outsourced work to countries like the Philippines,” he said.

Felipe Medalla, an economics professor at the University of the Philippines, said that the BPO industry is “recession proof”.

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By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

July 24,2008-Philippine call centers are urged to try home-based operations to curb high attrition rate and increase employee satisfaction.

During the Annual Call Center Expo 2008, an expert on business process outsourcing (BPO) urge Philippine call center companies to hire work-at-home agents or home-based employees to solve the high turnover rate in the industry.

William Dieu, senior research analyst from callcentres.net, said that companies can lower attrition rate and foster high agent satisfaction if they will allow home-based operations.

“The Philippines should think about the benefits of hiring home-based agents,” Dieu said. He added that working from home also allows employees to save on transportation cost, especially now when prices of fuel are soaring.
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By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak

July 22, 2008-It is like hitting two birds in one shot.

Faced with a shrinking talent pool, business process outsourcing (BPO) companies are using their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs not just to help local communities but also to attract and train potential employees.

During the CSR Conference 2008 held in Makati recently, BPO executives said that more than improving the lives of communities, most of their CSR programs, particularly those that focus on education, have helped them build potential pool of workers and meet their demand for skilled workers.

Industry experts said most of their external CSR programs put emphasis in education and training of college students to address the mismatch between the quality of the supply of workers and the needs of the industry.

BPO firms have undertaken educational projects like establishing schools that offer free training on information technology (IT), donations of computers to schools, and offering and sharing technical expertise in drafting courses in colleges and universities.

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By Jesus F. Llanto

May 18,2008-Filipino adults may rate themselves better speakers of the English language, as what a recent survey showed, but business process outsourcing (BPO) experts think further improvement is needed in their proficiency if the Philippines is to compete for investments and jobs with other outsourcing havens in Asia.

The Philippines is currently a top destination for outsourcing firms for being an English-speaking country, but China, Vietnam, and Latin American countries are fast catching up by strengthening the English proficiency of their work force.

“We should not be complacent so we can still maintain our advantage,” Jamea Garcia, executive director for talent of the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP), told Newsbreak.

The Social Weather Stations presented Thursday the results of an April 2008 survey on self-assessed proficiency in the English language of the Filipinos, which was commissioned by the Promoting English Proficiency Project of the American Chamber of Commerce and the Makati Business Club (MBC.) –with research by Fharhana Abdurahim (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

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By Jesus Llanto

May 7, 2008–The Philippines should focus on implementing policies that will develop its education system and curriculum to meet the demand for workers of the business process outsourcing industry, a high-ranking official of BPO firm Sutherland said.

Dilip Vellodi, chair and chief executive officer of Sutherland Global Services, said policies on curriculum and education should be applied so the Philippines can maintain its position as one of the top outsourcing destinations.

Vellodi said the country must have a “strategic outlook” over the next five to 10 years and must continue to have a “highly educated talent (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)

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Government and private sector specialists recently told business process outsourcing (BPO) companies to invest in 14 localities outside Metro Manila and Cebu that have the infrastructure and talent pool to meet the industry’s growing demands.

During the 8th Global Sourcing Conference held in Manila that ended Tuesday, the Department of Trade and Industry and the outsourcing advisory firm Tholons identified these growth areas in a just-completed study.

Although the study dubbed the new locations as the “next wave cities,” they include a province and two municipalities. The growth areas are the cities of Bacolod, Baguio, Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Clark/Angeles, Davao, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Legaspi, Lipa, and Sta. Rosa; the municipalities of Bacoor in Cavite and of Cainta in Rizal; and the province of Camarines Sur.

There are existing BPO investments in these locations.

The study also listed the localities where there are no BPO investments yet, but are ready to accommodate them. These are the province of Leyte and the cities of Cabanatuan, Dagupan, Subic-Olongapo, General Santos, and Urdaneta.

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