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By Katrina Mennen A. Valdez, Reporter
IN a bid to attract investors,
the Business Processing Outsourcing Association of the Philippines (BPAP)
advised local governments (LGUs) to come up with policies that will
promote transparency and efficiency, which are the most critical
issues facing the industry.
Oscar Sañez, BPAP chief
executive officer and a lead convenor of the recently concluded
investment forum of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia, said that
even if a city possesses a talent pool, infrastructure and other
support industries for the BPO sector, locators would not come in if
there are transparency and efficiency issues.
ISA is assisting various
LGUs tap market players for the multibillion-peso funding
requirements by following a road map that sets higher standards of
public governance.
ISA said investors would be
forthcoming with improvements and the promotion of good governance.
Sañez said BPAP would
release next month its assessment of the preparedness and
competitiveness of major provinces, which includes the transparency
and efficiency qualities of the respective cities outside Metro
Manila.
Next wave cities are aiming to
synchronize the country’s capability and competitiveness in
handling outsourcing and off shoring companies.
These cities include, Angeles,
Bacolod, Baguio, Batangas, Cabanatuan, Cabuyao, Cagayan de Oro,
Calamba, Cebu, Dagupan, Davao, Dumaguete, General Santos, Iloilo,
Lapu-lapu, Lipa, Mandaue, Naga, Puerto Prinsesa, San ernando, Santa
Rosa, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, Tarlac, and Zamboanga.
“Definitely, [BPO] locators
have no choice but to take a look at these cities, since Metro
Manila is becoming more and more congested. But as to whether these
cities are already ready to host such kind of investments is
something that [the cities] have to show,” Sañez said.
The industry executive said
that since smaller US-based players may close down, the Philippines
can attract bigger companies through aggressive promotions abroad of
its tested performance.
For last year, the local
industry gained about $5 billion. Starting this year until 2010, it
is eying to earn from $7 billion to $13 billion.
Sanez said that 10 percent
of the global outsourcing pie has already been outsourced, with 35
percent to India, and only 6 percent to the Philippines.
“In this time of economic
difficulties [US firms] have to come to the Philippines since [we]
can help them improve their economic models. Thus the next wave
cities are positioned to benefit from this opportunity,” he said.
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