CebuCity has moved up in the ranking of global sites for business process outsourcing (BPO) and information technology. ”From its 2009 status as the no. 1 “emerging BPO destination” in the world, Cebu City is now in the next category of “emerged” destinations in 2010, grabbing the ninth spot in the list of top 10 Emerged Destinations for BPO.”
The upgrade in category, which reflects a maturing industry that employs about 50,000 workers in Cebu, was announced yesterday by Joel Mari Yu, managing director of the Cebu Investments and Promotions Center (CIPC).
The ranking was made by Tholons, an international outsourcing and investment advisory firm, and will be reflected in its 2010 annual survey.
Tholons’ assessment will spur more growth for the industry in 2011, said Yu.
“When a BPO company looks for a place to expand, it always refers to the ‘emerged’ list where Cebu is now included. We can only expect more growth from this industry as early as today even and more next year,” Yu said.
Jonathan Defensor de Luzuriaga, Tholons managing director for Southeast Asia, confirmed the upgrade.
He said Cebu is in the ninth spot in the list of top 10 Emerged Destinations for BPO.
“In the list, only two entries are new, which includes Cebu and Shanghai for ninth and tenth places, respectively,” De Luzuriaga said.
“Manila” or the National Captial Region is already in the list and ranks fourth place. The top spots are taken by cities in India.
He said the results of the 2010 survey were presented by Tholons officers in their meeting in their Manila office about 2 a.m. yesterday. He couldn’t say when the full results would be posted but the next survey would be released in 2011.
For a city to be declared an “emerged” destination for BPO and IT, it has to pass six assessment criteria, which included talent, business environment, cost, infrastructure quality and risks.
If the city fails to meet any of the criteria, it may land in the list of “emerging destinations,” said De Luzuriaga.
In 2009, the top global outsourcing sites according to Tholons were Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai (all in India) followed by Manila or NCR.
Yu explained that to be in the “emerged” list, the city should have a good supply of quality talents as well as the quality and quantity of facilities. Another criteria is presence of infrastructure support such as broadband network services, as well as government incentives.
“Cebu has been the top emerging city for BPO and IT for the last couple of years. We have been working to be in the “emerged” list. Now that we have it, I could only say that we have a bright future ahead of us for this industry,” Yu said.
Cebu ranked first in the list of 50 emerging global outsourcing cities by Tholons in the 2008 and 2009.
Even before yesterday’s announcement was made, at least three major BPO players had plans to expand in Cebu, said Yu.
“J.P. Morgan Chase is already with us and they have already said that they will be expanding and adding more people. IBM is already here and Accenture will be adding another delivery center in Cebu. These are only three of the biggest names. We are expecting more big names to come here,” he said.
The growth in demand will come from both voice and non-voice services in Cebu because of the availability of a very wide pool of talents in various disciplines and education backgrounds, said Yu.
“Now we have more non-voice companies. There are 40 companies with non-voice services while there are only 29 voice or call center companies here now,” he added.
According to Yu, Cebu has a big potential for non-voice services such as medical transcripition, banking, accounting, legal services, and higher end programming services.
Yu said CebuCity is the only city in the country that is taking steps to ensure a steady supply of talents for BPO and IT by putting up training programs tied with BPO companies like Aegis People Support and IBM.
Most BPOs are located in the Asiatown IT Park in Lahug.
The support of the Cebu city government for BPO growth includes plans for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program geared for BPO and IT workers.
Last year, Rep. Tomas Osmeña of CebuCity south district, who was then CebuCity mayor, announced a “green field” project for an MBA campus at the South Road Properties.
CebuCity donated five hectares of land to the University of the Philippines for it to set up a campus offering MBA programs that would enable BPO and IT employees to pursue degrees while they’re working and earn more credits for future career advancement.
Yu said this kind of initiative from the local government in partnership with the private sector will help bring in more growth for the BPO industry as well as Cebu’s economy.
About 40,000 to 50,000 people are employed in BPOs in Cebu based on figures of the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (Cedfit). (CDN)
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Cebu City emerged as the “star” city to have adopted reforms in providing conducive environment in doing business in all 20 cities in the Philippines, this according to a study conducted jointly by The World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC).
In the last three years, CebuCity has implemented reforms especially in implementing easier requirements in starting a business, lessening the cost of construction permits, and employment of full computerization specifically in the Registry of Deeds.
However, although Cebu City has implemented reforms and improved its regulations in making it easier for businesses to open or start a business, it has to work more to be competitive with the rest of the world, said Mierta Capaul, Global product specialist, Sub-national doing business of The World Bank and IFC.
Capaul and other officials of the IFC and The World Bank and local counterparts were here in Cebu to present the result of the 2008 result of “Dong Business in the Philippines” survey, to stakeholders as well as to present similar program that will be started in 2011.
According to Capaul, although CebuCity has done a good job in lessening the number of requirements for starting a business, and other necessary documentations especially in real estate related investments, it has to coordinate closely with the national government in order to further lessen the paper requirements, and time in completing any documentary process.
The Philippine Cities, including CebuCity, also has to benchmark with other countries, how they are able to attract investment and provide easier process in starting a business, such as in New Zealand, of which it is only requiring one procedure in online access, which makes it less costly and time-friendly.
Although, there are reforms implemented by Philippine Cities in terms of procedures in doing business, specifically in the local government level, the average 15 to 22 procedures are not business friendly and most of all costly.
In the Philippines, Capaul said unless human-interaction will be lessen, bribery is still rampant. “Each time there is an interaction-- there is a big possibility of bribery.”
Thus, the use of full automation in the processing of new business registration, permit, among others is highly recommended to lessen the possibility of corruption and bribery at the same time hasten the number of procedures.
The study noted also, that in the Philippines, only the reforms created by the local government units (LGUs) have been implemented, while the national government still has to implement a program to cut off the bureaucracy and processing procedures, Capaul said.
In CebuCity, one of the outstanding programs it has implemented is the joint coordination with the CebuCity government, and national agencies in providing the one-stop-shop business registry called NERBAC (National Economic Research and BusinessActionCenter).
Over the past two years, 13 out 20 cities in the Philippines carried out 19 regulatory improvements to make it easier to start and operate a business in their localities.
The “Doing Business in the Philippines 2011” is a joint IFC-World Bank report, is the second in a series analyzing business regulations from the perspective of a small to midsize domestic firm in Philippines cities. Five cities were added this year, bringing the total of 25 cities.
Doing Business in the Philippines 2011 documents the wide variations in local business regulations across the country. The high numbers of procedures, expenses, and requirements continue to be the biggest challenge for local entrepreneurs.
The study was conducted in partnership with the Asian Institute of ManagementPolicyCenter. It was funded by the Australian Agency for International Development, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the United States Agency for International Development and the Investment Climate Advisory Services of the World Bank Group. (The Freeman)
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After challenging India for the top position for several years, the Philippines is now the world leader in business support functions like shares services and business process outsourcing, according to the latest reports and trends analysis.
In fact, the country overtook India in these categories last year, according to IBM’s latest Global Locations Trend Annual Report, released recently in New York.
India now ranks No. 2, the first time it was not in the leading position for these activities, according to the IBM report, launched in October but made available online last month.
The IBM report said the Philippines offered a similarly attractive business environment for international business support functions as India. Unlike India’s BPO hot spots, however, labor costs here have not increased as much.
The Contract Center Association of the Philippines said the country had become the call center of the world, with around 350,000 Filipinos working in call centers against India’s 330,000-strong workforce.
Revenues from the country’s call center industry are also expected to reach $5.7 billion this year, higher than India’s $5.5 billion, the CCAP said.
The call center industry, which provides so-called “voice” services like customer support and sales, is part of the BPO industry.
Call centers make up 70 percent of the BPO industry in the Philippines.
Currently, there are 600,000 Filipinos employed in the country’s BPO industry, according to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines. (PDI)
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Baguio and Dumaguete are the new entrants to the top 10 best outsourcing locations which are projected to generate $ 1.2 billion in revenues for business process outsourcing (BPO), bringing the industry’s total earnings to $ 9 billion in 2010 from $ 7.2 billion last year.
Davao City topped the list as it scored 99 percent in the availability of graduates and workers out of the more than 30 locations assessed, results of Next Wave Cities scorecard revealed.
The talent criterion carries the largest weight of 40 percent in the overall ranking which makes the city the best outsourcing destination in the country so far.
Sta. Rosa, Bacolod, Iloilo, Metro Cavite, Lipa, Cagayan de Oro and Malolos also topped the scorecard ranking of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP), Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
In addition to talent, the other factors affecting city ranking are infrastructure, cost and business environment.
In particular, cities are scored for the quality of their roads, access to international and domestic flights, presence of providers of fiber optic networks, reliability of power supply, availability of property sites, cost of labor and office space, vulnerability to natural disturbances, peace and order situation, among others.
BPAP chief executive officer Oscar Sañez said that in 2010, Metro Clark advanced from NextWaveCity status to an established information technology (IT)-BPO hub, joining the ranks of Metro Manila and Metro Cebu.
Sañez attributed this to Metro Clark’s excellent infrastructure with 100-percent rating, proven ability to market itself globally and its ability to provide investor assistance. Bulacan East and Bulacan West this year were also consolidated into Malolos area. The two slots earlier occupied by Metro Clark and Bulacan thus were filled up by new entrants Baguio and Dumaguete.
Apart from the top 10 best outsourcing locations, Sañez identified other aspirants as Dagupan, Legazpi, Metro Subic, Metro Naga and General Santos.
Gigi Virata, BPAP’s information and research director, said sites included in the list of Next Wave Cities are the focus of their promotion efforts.
Virata said these cities would have some advantages when they also market themselves to the media and the investors.
For his part, Sañez said the Next Wave Cities program provides a great avenue for local empowerment.
He said these cities will increase talent pool and stem salary and rental inflation in “first-wave” locations.
“Having 10 NextWaveCities and more will ease the pressures to raise salaries and rental rates in these major hubs, and spread the benefits of employment, higher incomes and increased business activity across the country,” he noted.
As of end-2009, there were about 442,000 employees in the Philippine IT-BPO sector. Virata estimated that the identified top locations for outsourcing could generate an additional 265,200 employment in the next two years.
Commission on Information Communications Technology (CICT) Secretary Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III said the Commission is fully committed to the Next Wave Cities initiative of championing regional growth through ICT.
“These Next Wave Cities will continue to be our rallying points where, given the impetus and the correct resources, will spur economic growth the way this government has envisioned to be. We see prosperous cities in regions across the nation as a result of their maturity and readiness to compete in the IT-BPO arena,” he said. (PNA)
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The Philippines has yet again established its coveted position as one of the world's leading global outsourcing centers when it was awarded the Offshoring Destination of the Year Award for 2010.
The honor was given during the awards night of the National Outsourcing Association (NOA) Awards Night, held at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel in London last October 22.
Having received the award in 2007 and 2009, the Philippines made its mark in the global outsourcing industry for the third time. Other nominees included Egypt, Sri Lanka, and Ukraine.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Philippine outsourcing industry and the DTI were Commercial Attaché Michael Alfred V. Ignacio and Trade of Investment Representative Vicente A. Casim of the Philippine Trade and InvestmentCenter in London.
The NOA Awards highlighted the Philippines' strengths.
"With its abundant graduate workforce, the Philippines is becoming a veritable offshore giant for the UK BPO market," it said.
It also gave full importance and recognition to the country's 92 percent literary rate, 36 million labor force with 450,000 university level graduates per year (about 100,00 of them finance and accounting graduates) and the ability to understand and speak English with a neutral and understandable accent.
The country's world-class telecommunications infrastructure and unparalleled government support in the form of Income Tax Holidays of up to six years and other fiscal and non-fiscal incentives also heavily boosted the country's chances.
The board of judges also gave due importance to the flat 5 percent income tax rate on gross income for locators of office buildings and installations accredited as Philippine IT economic zones, after the initial 4-6 years of Income Tax Holiday has passed.
This year's excellent winning entry was prepared and submitted by the Board of Investments in cooperation with the Philippine Outsourcing Industry, Business Process Association Philippines and other major players.
The NOA has been operating for over 20 years and is the only well-established and recognized outsourcing trade association in the UK.
It is also one of the founding bodies of and prime movers behind the European Outsourcing Association.
The NOA Awards are held every year to give recognition to best practices in the UK outsourcing industry. This year, there were 17 categories in contention. (DFA)
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The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is expecting that prices of commodities would remain stable for the rest of the year as inflation slumped to its slowest in ten months.
For the first eight months of the year, the monthly inflation rate ranged from 3.9 to 4.4 percent, while the average inflation rate from January to September was 4.1 percent.
Socioeconomic Planning Sec. Cayetano Paderanga, Jr. said the lower generation charges of electricity contributed to the benign September inflation.
“The fall in electricity prices by 4.4 percent in September relative to the previous month could have contributed greatly to the decline in September consumer prices,” Paderanga said.
Citing figures from the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO), Paderanga said the generation charge in September was lower by P0.684 per kilowatt hour compared to August due to lower cost of purchases from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.
Paderanga also noted the significant decrease in the prices of rice, corn, meat, fruits and vegetables, and transportation and communication in September as major contributors to the low inflation rate.
Paderanga expects that the impact on inflation for the rest of the year will still be minimal even with the increasing prices of wheat in the world market.
He cited the endorsement of the Technical Committee on Tariff and Related Matters (TCTRM) to the Cabinet-level Committee on Tariff and Related Matters (CTRM) a draft Executive Order that would extend the zero duty on milling wheat for another six months.
“This will mitigate any drastic increase in the local prices of flour and bakery products, even those of substitutes, such as rice,” Paderanga said.
While price adjustments in ASEAN countries have been stable this year, Paderanga said that central banks in the region continue to be vigilant in preventing undue rise in inflation. (Manila Bulletin)
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August 26, 2010 ASEAN members are prodding the Philippines to ease limits on foreign investments to take advantage of increased inflows into the region this year, a senior trade official said.
All ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also committed to roll out joint promotions to lure investors and consult with the private sector to further realize plans to establish a regional production base, a statement released yesterday showed.
The prescriptions were discussed as officials gathered this week for the 42nd ASEAN Economic Ministers meeting in Da Nang, Vietnam.
"If we’re going to get into a freer [market for] foreign direct investments (FDI), they want us to work out internally those constitutional barriers," Trade Undersecretary Cristino L. Panlilio said in a telephone interview on Tuesday after an ASEAN Investment Area Council meeting.
The Philippines bars full foreign ownership of several businesses such as media, utilities, and mining under Republic Act 7042 which in turn is based on limits cited in the Constitution. The law directs Malacañang to issue every year a "foreign investment negative list" which specifies how much of a stake a non-Filipino entity can have in a business depending on the industry.
This poses a hurdle to full implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement, signed in February 2009 to complement the bloc’s plans for a single market by 2015.
"They’re enjoining us to settle that," Mr. Panlilio said.
He went on to state that the Philippines had attracted just a minor share of FDI inflows. The Philippines has lured only 5.3% of the $36.803 billion in investments that has flowed into the region, according to United Nations data.
"It’s very, very weak. That’s a challenge for the Board of Investments," Mr. Panlilio said, referring to the Department of Trade and Industry-attached agency which he heads.
Moving forward, more FDI flows into the region are expected this year due to a pickup in the global economy, a joint statement released by ASEAN ministers showed.
"[We] anticipate higher foreign direct investment inflows into ASEAN in 2010 and beyond, after a downturn in 2008 and 2009 ASEAN’s share of total global FDI inflows increased to 3.6% in 2009, from 2.8% in 2008, despite the recent economic downturn," the ministers declared.
"This reflects well of the ASEAN region in terms of its ability to continue to attract a higher share of investment flows," they added.
"[And] to further attract FDI flows, [we] agreed to progress work to facilitate greater ASEAN investment flows through joint investment promotions, advancing work on best practices on investment and engaging the private sector in further consultations to obtain feedback on improving the ASEAN investment climate." (Business World Online) The Philippines’ most livable, highly urbanized cities
August 24, 2010
Quality of living is a major criteria in coming up with this latest list of the most livable highly urbanized cities in the Philippines. Those who either lived or stayed in these cities can best describe how comfortable, worry-free and convenient to be residents. From security, peace and order, booming business activities to adequate healthcare and educational centers – all these are essential components to make a city a great place to live in.
1. DavaoCity
Who would ever want to live in a city where the monthly crime rate falls below one percent? Without batting an eyelash, DavaoCity deserves to be on top of this list. This most progressive city in Southern Philippines has been awarded the “MostPeacefulCity in East and Southeast Asia for seven years and is home to the “Best Police Office in the Country” for six consecutive years. Going around DavaoCity even at night is very safe and I’ve personally experienced it. The city is also known to be typhoon-free all throughout the year and has an admirable city health office that offers free clinical and medical services to its less fortunate urban and rural residents. In terms of business, there is no doubt that DavaoCity is continuously booming. It is home to Mindanao’s largest SM Mall and will soon open AyalaCenter’s first lifestyle mall in Mindanao. For four consecutive years, DavaoCity has also been recognized by Asiaweek as one of the 20 Best Cities in Asia.
2. BacolodCity
Known to be the country’s “City of Smiles”, Bacolod is always beaming with cheers of progress and peaceful living. Unlike other crowded highly urbanized cities, this premiere capital of Negros Occidental is proud for its clean and green surroundings and wide roads. The city’s residential and commercial zones are well-planned, making it the most organized urban planning model for local government units in the country. Bacolod has also made it to the Hall of Fame of the Cleanest and Greenest Highly Urbanized City.The city is home to two major shopping mall chains, SM and Robinsons, and has one of the most modern airports in the country today. With an upbeat local economy, the city became the region’s best performing city in economic development last year. It is also one of the fastest growing BPO and call center hubs in the country today. This is the reason why Bacolod is the second city in Visayas and Mindanao to have its own Starbucks, a visual peg of a progressive city.
3. MakatiCity
For most senior citizens, living in Makati is a utopian experience because of the VIP privileges accorded to them. Residents who are 60 years and above can watch free movies in any Makati cinemas, receive mid-year cash bonuses, get free cakes during their birthdays and golden wedding anniversaries as well as free vitamins and free out-of-town trips. Moreover, they are also exempted from paying individual income taxes and they enjoy special discounts in almost all business establishments around the city. This successful program for the elderly by the MakatiCity government has inspired other Metro Manila cities to do the same. As the country’s financial district, Makati is an attractive choice for comfortable cosmopolitan living by many expatriates and transient tourists. The city is home to five 5-star hotels and two popular world-class shopping malls.
4. MandaluyongCity
One of the cities in Metro Manila that remains diligent in ensuring security, peace and order is MandaluyongCity. During the past years, this strategic city right at the heart of the Metro has beefed up its local government security by putting up barangay outposts in almost every corner of the residential areas. Local police has also been establishing checkpoints in the city’s major roads and mobile cluster patrols are regularly roving the city all throughout the day. During the past months, the city enjoyed very low crime rate within its city center compared to other Metro Manila cities. Another remarkable feature of this “TigerCity” is its very convenient location. Being at the center of the metropolis, MandaluyongCity has easy access to Manila (through Kalentong or Sta. Mesa exits), Makati (through Makati-MandaluyongBridge), Quezon City and San Juan (through Brgy. Addition Hills) and Pasig (through Shaw Boulevard).
5. CebuCity
As the most progressive city in the South, CebuCity has become an alternate choice to those who want to veer away from the very congested Metro Manila life. As most residents say: “Cebu is like Manila minus the super heavy traffic and pollution.” As the QueenCity of the South, Cebu has a good blend of history, culture and a booming economy. Amid its fast-paced economic progress, the city still exudes its rich cultural and historical heritage. It remains to be one of the country’s top business and tourism destinations in terms of the number of visitor arrivals. It has the second busiest airport in the country with regular international flights from South Korea, Hong Kong, Qatar and Singapore. (Manila Standard Today)
*08.26.2010
Businesses’ optimism on the state of the economy was more pronounced for the fourth quarter, reaching an all-time high of 59.2 percent, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) latest survey showed.
This was more than 10 percent higher than last quarter’s 46.3 percent.
The latest results of the Business Expectations Survey (BES) also showed that business sentiment remained positive and on an uptrend since Q3 2009, with the overall confidence index (CI) rising to 45.0 percent from 43.9 percent in Q2 2010 and from 18.4 percent in Q3 2009.
The confidence index is computed as the percentage of firms that answered in the affirmative less the percentage of firms that answered in the negative with respect to their views on a given indicator.
The central bank said that the respondents attributed their optimistic outlook to the following factors: steady growth of overseas Filipinos’ (OFs) remittances, smooth transition of power and favorable expectations on the new government that could boost investor confidence in the economy, better performance of exports and sustained investment inflows, and government spending on infrastructure, social services and environment protection that could spur business activity.
Rosabel Guerrero, director of the BSP Department of Economic Statistics, said that the improvement in the overall outlook is consistent with the solid macroeconomic environment, "as evidenced by the narrowing of the country’s credit spreads, rising equity market index, appreciating peso and moderate inflation."
"The positive business sentiment likewise mirrored the improving business confidence in countries such as Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Germany and Italy," Guerrero said.
The survey showed that business optimism in both the National Capital Region (NCR) and Areas Outside NCR (AONCR) improved in Q3 2010 with NCR respondents notably more upbeat in their business outlook than respondents based in AONCR.
This indicates that economic conditions and prospects remained more favorable in NCR compared to that in AONCR.
Guerrero added that businesses involved in international commodity trading continued to have a positive outlook.
"However, the optimism of exporters and dual-activity firms declined compared to a quarter ago in view of the respondents’ expectations that there will be no significant change in export demand, low volume of orders for some agricultural products during the lean months and the existing ban on tuna fishing on international waters," she added.
By employment size, all firms remained positive in their business outlook in the current and next quarters. (Malaya * 08.20.2010)
INVESTMENTS REGISTERED with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) reached P68.609 billion from January to July, up by 57.54% from yearago levels, according to data released on Thursday.
The total of 296 projects are projected to make $4.404 billion in export sales once they are operational.
More than fifty-five thousand jobs will be generated from the investments, the PEZA data showed.
__________________
State statistics agency notes slowing growth of spending on health goods and services
THE COUNTRY’S total and per capita health spending grew in 2005-2007, but at a slowing pace in terms of both current and constant prices, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said in a statement yesterday.
At current prices, total spending for health rose to P234.3 billion in 2007 from P198.4 billion in 2005, with growth slowing to 8.3% in 2007 from 9.1% in 2006. (Business World / august 4, 2010).
Manila Bulletin / Aug 3, 2010 Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory L. Domingo met with United States Ambassador Harry K. Thomas at the Board of Investments on July 29, 2010, to discuss more US investments and Philippine export. The Secretary outlined key initiatives of the Department on improving the country’s business environment, engaging with more partners in trade agreements, protecting consumers, and assisting viable SMEs.
___________________ New BoI chief sets aggressive sales, marketing campaigns for investments By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT
Manila Bulletin / August 3, 2010, 5:08pm
The Board of Investments (BoI) will embark on aggressive sales and marketing campaigns starting with the US and Japan this year to attract more foreign investors, particularly in the business process outsourcing and light industries sectors.
This was bared by newly installed DTI undersecretary for trade and investments Cristino L. Panlilio to reporters while on his way to his oath-taking ceremony in Malacañang on Tuesday.
The BoI is the government’s premier investment promotion agency. It administers the Investment Priorities Plan (IPP), an annual list of preferred economic areas that would be entitled to government incentive package such as income tax holiday, preferential duty on the importation of capital equipment, additional tax deduction on labor and training expenses, employment of foreign nationals, among others.
According to Panlilio, the first investment campaign salvo by the new administration would be in the U.S. in September this year in time for President Aquino’s visit to Washington.
