BPO industry credits visionary Roxas for phenomenal growth
The business process outsourcing (BPO) industry formally recognized the “visionary” contributions of Liberal Party vice-presidential candidate Senator Mar Roxas to the phenomenal growth of the industry that has led to half a million jobs all over the country.
In paid advertisements published recently, BPAP credited Roxas for being “a staunch champion of the outsourcing industry since its birth, and was the visionary catalyst behind many of the most important initiatives that led to the explosive growth of the industry.”
As Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, Roxas harnessed the country’s potential as a global e-services hub, and launched the “Make IT Philippines” plan to attract global information technology service companies to invest in the country. He was cited by BPAP together with former SPi Technologies CEO Ernest Cu, McKinsey & Co. Philippines Managing Director Christopher Beshouri, and PEZA Director General Lilia De Lima.
From practically non-existent operations 10 years ago, the BPO industry grew tremendously and is now clocking in at P7.2 billion in revenues and 400,000 jobs created. It is now setting its sights to achieving $9.1 billion in revenues and more than half a million jobs this year.
“I thank our friends at the BPAP for pursuing our common vision and dreams for the industry. If we keep on with the same passion and persistence that we had when we grew the industry from practically nothing, it will not be too long until the Philippines becomes the number one location for BPO,” he stressed.
Roxas expressed his bullishness that the vibrant Philippine Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) will surpass its growth targets in the next few years. But the “Architect of BPO” stressed that establishing a clean and honest government is the most important prerequisite for this growth.
The industry is expected to grow not only in its established centers but also across the country. Among the “next wave” BPO sites are Davao City, Sta. Rosa in Laguna, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, Metro Cavite, Lipa City, Cagayan de Oro City, Malolos/Metro Bulacan, Baguio City and Dumaguete City.
Roxas noted that the industry’s optimism has to be matched by a sincere effort of government to address major concerns, such as the decline in qualified graduates, supply and price of electricity, the perennial problem of red tape and corruption hampering enterpise, among others. “All of these are issues that can be addressed by no-nonsense governance. The fight for reform translates to more jobs,” he stressed.
“For instance, on the thinness of the workforce qualified for BPO jobs, we must reform the education system so that new graduates will not only be more proficient in English but also have the necessary skills to take on value-added BPO jobs,” he said.
