How PH’s business sectors are navigating the COVID-19 pandemic
A recent Bloomberg opinion piece reported about the Philippines’ fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, all while dealing with its contested waters, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), and sinking gross domestic product (GDP).
For the call center industry, the national government provided an exemption for workers to keep running despite the strict lockdown earlier in the year. However, “the hassles of getting to work make the loophole almost worthless.” Scalewind Corp. Officer Malou Sebastian noted that the biggest problem was public transport.
Outsource Accelerator CEO Derek Gallimore also noted that the biggest pain points are “prohibitions on accessing customer financial records from home and finding safe close-by accommodation for those who do have to be in the office.”
Gallimore said that “most BPOs will put on a brave face, but everyone has been dragged through the bush backwards.’’
The pandemic showed “how vulnerable even successful industries can be to black-swan events.” But the Philippines remains positive. Sebastian said, “Filipinos are very flexible and resourceful people… We will get through this.”
