Philippines still has outsourcing edge, US embassy official says

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Amid concerns among call center employees over the implications of a Barack Obama administration, a US Embassy official said American businesses continue to regard the Philippines as a good destination for call center operations. "Your English is so good and so we have every reason to believe that US businesses are still going to look toward the Philippines," US Embassy First Secretary Rebecca Brown Thompson told reporters. "We are partners in development, partners in fighting terrorism and to better the lives of Filipinos and Americans. That’s not going to change," she added. Ms. Thompson and US Ambassador Kristie Kenney, who swore in 65 new Peace Corps volunteers in Negros Occidental, met with Bacolod Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia and other city officials at the Bacolod City Government Center on Friday. Mr. Leonardia said he has proposed that some of the Peace Corps volunteers be asked to teach English at the Bacolod City College. "I hope that can be realized because that will be a great help to the graduates of the [college]," he said. This will also support the emerging call center industry in Bacolod, he added. Bacolod has been listed among the top 10 business process outsourcing cities in the Philippines. "This means that we will have to concentrate on preparing our people for the eventual expansion of the call center industry," Mr. Leonardia said. Bacolod Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, chairwoman of the Bacolod Negros Occidental Federation Information and Communications, Inc., said Bacolod had topped the criterion of "business environment" with a score of 96% in the "Ten Next New Wave Cities Scorecard Ranking" for outsourcing in the Philippines outside of Metro Manila and Cebu. The ranking was made by the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P), the Commission on Information and Communication Technology, and the Department of Trade and Industry. Oscar M. Sañez, chief executive officer of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, said Bacolod topped the business environment category because of the presence of sites accredited by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and authorized by the Office of the President. He also cited the establishment of the "Bacolod ICT Focus Team." Overall, Bacolod ranked fifth on the list of ideal BPO destinations outside Metro Manila and Cebu, scoring 78%, while Iloilo City in Panay ranked third with 80.9%, Ms. Sigue said. — Chrysee G. Samillano, BusinessWorld