To hire over a thousand: Two BPO companies to operate in Bohol

CEBU, Philippines — Two call center companies will soon open in Tagbilaran City, Bohol within this year with an estimated 500-seat capacity and will likely hire over a thousand people.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-7) regional director Asteria Caberte said that PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority) applications of the firms to be declared as cyberzones are already at the Office of the President for approval.

Caberte said these two big outsourcing firms will pioneer Bohol’s hosting of more BPO companies to locate in the island province.

The more or less 200 seats combined will accommodate three shifts, which translate to three persons per seat on a 24-hour cycle.

She said Bohol has been ready to host outsourcing firms, in fact developers are now also considering to build office space buildings.

In an earlier interview with PEZA director general Charito Plaza, she said that Bohol needs to build more ICT infrastructure in order to draw interest from outsourcing investors.

According to Plaza, PEZA has already identified possible IT Parks in Bohol, but property developers are quite hesitant to build IT buildings because of the slow development of internet data connectivity in the province.

Plaza called the attention of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to help Bohol improve its IT infrastructure.

Meanwhile, DICT executive adviser to the secretary Monchito Ibrahim said IT infrastructure in Bohol is improving, what is keeping outsourcing investors from putting off their expansions is the shortage on the availability of talents.

“Boholano graduates are still going out of their province after graduation. Most of them go to Cebu to work,” Ibrahim said.

Caberte maintained that Bohol is ready to host outsourcing investments because the province’s connectivity is already powered by fiber optic. (FREEMAN)