Philippines Government wants BPO Expansion Outside of Manila

The Philippines government is urging business process outsourcing companies to look to cities besides Manila and Cebu when looking to expand. Speaking at a summit in Bacolod, CICT commissioner Mochito Ibrahim said the primary goal is to strengthen cities such as Bacolod, Dumaguete, Iloilo, and Davao.

Currently, only 20% of the Philippines BPO industry is located outside of Cebu and Manila, but the share is growing.

The Philippines was recently named the “Offshoring Destination of the Year” by the National Outsourcing Association of the United Kingdom for the third time.

Bacolod Recognized

Bacolod ranked third in a recent assessment of the top 10 New Wave Cities for outsourcing. Overall talent accounted for 40% of the ranking, with infrastructure, quality of roads, office space, and cost rounded out the grading scale.

The BPO industry in Bacolod is still new. As recently as 2006, the entire industry was comprised of five PEZA accredited buildings, eight IT parks, and four operational call centers.

Only four years later, Bacolod now has fourteen IT parks and buildings, seven of which received Presidential Proclamation as PEZA sites, and eleven functioning call centers.