500 IT-BPM locators transferred to BOI, says PEZA official

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Around 500 IT-Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) locators chose to transfer to the Board of Investments (BOI) to continue their work-from-home arrangements.
In an interview with ANC, Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Deputy Director General Vivian Santos said that half of their 1,000 IT-BPM members opted to move to the BOI.
Meanwhile, Santos added that 50% still remain with PEZA which means that “they can have their operations entirely within the ecozones.”
This comes as the Department of Finance (DOF) allowed IT-BPMs to transfer from PEZA to BOI in exchange for keeping their tax perks while working remotely.
Despite the loss of some of their members, Santos said that PEZA is still receiving applications for the development of IT parks and centers in the country.
The Deputy Director-General added that they are confident that they could reach a 10% investment increase this year despite the economic slowdown.
Last week, PEZA reported that they approved around Php6.4 billion (US$117 million) in investments in January 2023, up 83% from January 2022’s figures.