SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The top official of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said he foresees a bright future for the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in this freeport because it now has all the infrastructure and facilities needed to make such ventures click.
Addressing the more than 200 graduating students of the AMA College in Olongapo City on Thursday (May 10), SBMA Chairman Roberto V. Garcia said that his management team is planning to establish a fully-developed “BPO City” here where local information technology (IT) workers can thrive.
“Napakaganda po talaga ng future ng BPO sa Subic, because we have all the needed infrastructure and facilities ready for use,” he said.
“You are lucky, because there are lots of jobs waiting for you in the Subic Freeport,” Garcia added.
“In Subic, we will be providing you a place where you can enjoy while working. This is a place that has no traffic jam, and we will have more places where you can relax after work with your family and friends,” he said.
Garcia also said that the future of BPO and other IT businesses in Subic has become very promising after the Philippines had surpassed India in the field as the most attractive area for BPO investors.
“We have a plan to really attract BPOs to locate here in Subic,” Garcia said, adding that the program is in line with President Aquino’s program to increase job generation and develop the local workforce for globally-competitive endeavors.
Accordingly, the planned Subic BPO City will be creating jobs for more than 20,000 IT experts and call center agents by 2016.
He said that BPO investors are hiring more locals because Filipinos are well-known to be dedicated workers and proficient in English.
Clients also prefer Filipino call center agents because of their honesty, courtesy, and patience in giving details and in answering queries, he added.
As a future BPO hub, Garcia noted that Subic has communication facilities, housing complexes, public transportation system, as well as a well-trained law enforcement department and medical and fire departments already in place.
The SBMA chair said that while his team is inviting BPO investors to come and invest in Subic, a blueprint for the construction of workers’ dormitories is also being readied.
The SBMA will also be inviting call center agents working in Manila to consider transferring to the Subic Bay Freeport, even as the agency encourages local students to enroll in BPO-related courses.
