BPO Industry Looks Beyond Manila
As connectivity via the internet improves, several BPO players are looking at locations outside Metro Manila. The National Capital Region is currently home to 70% of the country’s BPOs.
Benedict Hernandez, the President of the CCAP (Contact Center Association of the Philippines), says that the aim is to bring the percentage down to 50% by 2022. In other words, only half of the Philippines’ BPOs will be in the National Capital Region.
The Government has lent its support to decongesting Manila as much as possible. Because of the BPO boom, about half the city’s 1.65 million residents are BPO employees. It now takes about three hours to travel five kilometers.
As per the Next Wave Cities Program, some 80 cities / municipalities have been shortlisted to be hosts to upcoming BPO units. These include Roxas City, San Nicolas in Ilocos Norte, Bataan and Puerto Prinsesa. Major companies like Accenture and Allorica have already expressed interest in these cities.
Monchito Ibrahim, who heads the Information and Communications Technology Commission at the Department of Science and Technology, adds that two large BPOs will be coming up in Cagayan de Oro shortly.
The 11th International Contact Center Conference and Expo was themed as the Contact Islands: Opportunities in the Ultimate Customer Experience Paradise.
