Cebu’s IT-BPM sector struggling after Odette
About 80% of Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) firms in Cebu have been badly affected by typhoon Odette, losing at least P500 million (US$9.9. million) a day due to its inability to operate, said Cebu IT-BPM Organization (CIB.O) President Exuperto P. Cabataña.
In a phone interview with BusinessWorld, Cabataña explained that most houses in the province have no power and the internet signals are intermittent.
Priori to Odette, the industry leader stated that IT-BPM firms were already preparing to return to their offices, adopting an 80% on-site-20% remote work approach. However, Odette halted these plans.
For the province’s recovery, The CIB.O president suggested that the government take a “sharp-shooting approach” and allocate attention to business districts.
Cabataña emphasized that the government should ensure that telcos are working and there’s 100% power, fuel, and water “for the business to continue while the rest of the island is being fixed.”
Odette hit the Philippines last December 16. According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, it affected over 1.8 million individuals and left behind 400 dead locals.
