DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) — The province’s information and communication technology-business process outsourcing (ICT-BPO) industry has contributed over P300 million a month to the local economy taken from the workers’ remuneration.
This was cited by Suzanne Lu-Bascara, president of ICT Association of Dumaguete and Negros Oriental, who said that the industry has had a significant impact on employment and economic growth in the province.
“That’s the money of BPOs that contributes to the local economy, that’s the impact of the BPO industry, this is a clean industry, you don’t see ways of corruption because everything is matrix driven, technology driven, so everything is transparent,” said Bascara.
However, to ensure more economic benefits in the area, Bascara noted that the support of local government units (LGUs) is needed to establish additional infrastructure, promote ease of doing business, and capacitate local talents as well as digital readiness.
With 45 workers in 2004, the ICT-BPO industry now has over 15,000 employees in over 30 companies in 2024, said Bascara.
“We have to realize that this number could still grow if we play it right and work together, and we see how the city has benefitted from the industry and our goal to grow here in the city,” said Bascara, who is also the site director of Inspiro-Dumaguete.
In a Regional ICT Summit and Exhibitions (RISE) in Negros Oriental, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) highlighted the potential of Central Visayas in promoting the digital ecosystems.
DICT Undersecretary for ICT Industry Development Jocelle Batapa Sigue is optimistic that the BPO sector will create new more jobs under the administration of Pres. Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos.
“Let me go back to the direct salaries of BPO workers here, the P300M times 12 months makes P3.6 billion a year that is poured in Dumaguete, but in the national we have P38 billion a year for 1.8 direct employees,” said Sigue.
With that, Dumguete City’s economy has benefited significantly from BPOs, she added.
RISE-7 is harnessing the potential of the region where DICT helps strengthens the eco-systems such in the governments, academe, industry or private sectors and other BPO firms.
“The focus on how do we improve the ecosystems in the region such that every region to generate thousands of jobs for the provinces, cause currently the concentration digital jobs are in Metro Manila,” the DICT official said.
Under the RISE program, DICT has collaborated with regional offices and ICT Councils to promote regional and countryside development through the greater and better use and accessibility of ICT.
“The role of DICT under BBM (administration) is to really improve connectivity especially in the far-flung areas or the GIDAs in the country,” said Sigue. (JCT/PIA-7 Negros Oriental)
