Mindanao’s power problem hampers growth of BPO industry
Some cities in Mindanao would already have their own business process outsourcing (BPO) industry if not for the power problem in Mindanao coupled with the political conflict is some parts of the island. The cities of Tagaum, Digos, and General Santos have the potential of having a thriving BPO industry, but serious power problems in those cities have discouraged companies to operate, according to the Software Industry Association of Davao City. Zamboanga, for instance, has a Spanish-speaking population that could have addressed the multilingual skills needed by BPO companies, but the power problem in the city turns off potential BPO investors. Mindanao also stands to benefit from the implementation of the BIMP-Eaga Submarine Terrestrial (Best) Cable System. The bandwidth from the cable system will only be used in the island and outside the country and not anywhere else in the Philippines.