By PR | 01:08 PM April 30, 2024
The province is set to expand its strategic direction for the Information Technology-Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector, a top Capitol official said.
Provincial administrator Asteria Caberte said that Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has no objection to convert the Old Tagbilaran airport into a business park.
“Were invited to the board meeting of CAAP and they posed no objection to the plans of the provincial government to convert our Old Tagbilaran Airport as an IT Park or IT Hub,” said Caberte during the IT-BPM Career Fair at the Capitol’s Ceremonial Hall on April 29.
Caberte welcomed guests and participants to the event on behalf of Aumentado who flew to Manila for an important meeting of Regional Development Council chairpersons called by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
She relayed the governor’s excitement at the prospect of increased job opportunities and greater economic development for the province through the IT-BPM sector.
Two large investment firms are set to locate at the proposed IT hub, including Sagility and Genpact.
Representatives of the firms have been regularly meeting with the Bohol Economic Development and Investment Promotion Office (BEDIPO) and Bohol Employment and Placement Office-Public Employment Service Office (BEPO-PESO) for the next steps in the recruitment and operations.
Sagility intends to employ 1,500 direct employees for its first wave of Health Information Management Systems services while Genpact targets an initial 300 and 3,000 total workers.
Caberte further revealed that the Tagbilaran City government through Mayor Jane Yap has also expressed full support for the access road development at the Old Tagbilaran Airport.
Emmy Lou Delfin, Director of the Industry Development Bureau of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), shared in the optimism for the growth of contact center services sector for the province.
“Since 2010, I was here already because Bohol province would always organize, host every year a provincial ICT conference. So, I’ve seen the journey for the last 15 years,” Delfin said, citing the efforts of LGUs along with the Bohol ICT Council that led to the opening of the IT-BPM sector in the province five years ago.
She attributed the success of bringing in investors to the teamwork, passion and persistence of the local government unit as she congratulated both the provincial and city governments.
At present, IBEX and TaskUs employ an estimated workforce of 5,000 in addition to 20,000 doing freelance work.
According to a report from Haidee Enriquez, Contact Center Association of the Philippines board trustee, the IT-BPM industry in the country generated $35.5 billion in revenues at the end of 2023, $29.5B of which come from contact center and business services.
The industry employed 1.7 million in over 100,000 companies, with over one million in contact center services in the same period.
She said the Philippines has been the number one IT-BPM destination since 2010, contributing to 8.4% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
The Philippine government expects the IT-BPM sector to add 1.1 million new jobs over the next five years.
Over 200 graduating students and instructors from Holy Name University, University of Bohol, Tagbilaran City College, Bohol Island State University Main Campus and Balilihan Campus, Bohol International Learning Center, Bohol Northern Star College-Ubay, PMI-Colleges, Bohol Institute of Technology-International College, Trinidad Municipal College, Bohol Wisdom School and Carlos P. Garcia Scholars attended the IT-BPM career fair that was organized by the DICT in partnership with BEDIPO.
(PIMO/LMS)
