• By quade
• 25 July 2024

Northern Samar Welcomes BPO Investors To Operate on Their Island

The Northern Samar provincial government has announced plans to begin recruiting BPO investors into the capital of Tacloban City to boost the local economy and create new jobs for the population. They believe that working with BPOs may be one of the most lucrative options for everyone involved.

As a result, the city has started positioning itself as a destination for BPO services by providing incentives and investment opportunities to the people.

Timely Opportunity for BPO Investors

Jhon Allen Berbon in charge of the Provincial Economic Development and Investment Promotions Office (PEDIPO)has discussed this opportunity over the phone during an interview this week. They said that the BPO investors have the perfect opportunity now as the province is currently working on improving its existing internet and mobile services.

They partnered with the telecom provider Globe in setting up new cell site towers. These will improve internet connection and make setting up BPO services more feasible. This is because it can speed up the internet and make working them more efficient.

“Residents and businesses can anticipate reliable and high-speed internet connectivity. We are also in the process of preparing the compliance of Catarman town to the scorecards as a Smart City,” 

– Jhon Allen Berbon, head of PEDIPO.

These projects are all in hopes of turning Tacloban into a smart city. This is a title given to cities that are digitized as part of the government’s Digital Cities Program of the Department of Information and Communications Technology. This program hopes to modernize key cities across the country to hopefully improve innovation and attract new businesses like BPO investors. All of this will result in jobs and new opportunities for Filipinos.

Other Steps to Attract BPO Investors

“This expansion is part of Globe’s commitment to meeting the data requirements of emerging industries such as BPO companies that are looking to locate in the province.”

– Jhon Allen Berbon, head of PEDIPO.

Alongside these new cell towers, the government has other plans to entice investors into the city. Northern Samar PEDIPO took part in the National Contact Center Association of the Philippines to show how serious they are to BPO investors about their plans to win them over. This will be the 8th conference and will take place in Fili Hotel in Nustar Cebu.

The event took place from July 24 to 26 and brought together over 600 industry leaders including executives, LGU representatives, and government agencies. This event discussed prevailing issues in the BPO industry such as cybersecurity, infrastructure upgrades, upskilling, and improving the workforce.

The local government promises to listen to these issues and implement the necessary measures in their planned BPO sector to ensure smooth operations in the area. 

“The event will provide the province with a platform to present Northern Samar as a viable location for the BPO company expansion.”

– Jhon Allen Berbon, head of PEDIPO.

To get a better understanding of the issue, Governor Edwin Ongchuan and key officials involved in the plans to open up Northern Samar to BPO investors meet with the CCAP chairperson Mitch Locsin in a separate meeting to discuss more plans.

How Do BPOs Benefit From This Development?

These recent developments can be promising to local BPO operators. The market remains highly competitive with places like Makati, Taguig, and Pasay dominating the BPO industry in the country. Opening up new places outside the traditional sources of strength can provide new opportunities for new players to join the industry.

The new infrastructure development and meetings with experts show that this isn’t just talk either. If properly implemented and received advice from industry leaders, Tacloban could be transformed into a modern BPO hub and early adopters stand to benefit from the current incentives.