Philippine Outsourcing Industry - Compiled Threads [Archive] - Page 5

MtApoStandard

December 31st, 2007, 08:44 AM

http://anflocor.com/images/TadecoWeb.jpg

Tagum Agricultural Development Corporation, Inc. (TADECO)

The flagship company of the Anflo Group of Companies. It is engaged in the production and export of fresh Cavendish bananas to Japan, Hong Kong, China, Korea, Middle East, and Singapore under the Del Monte Brand name.

TADECO, which was organized on December 20, 1950, first made its mark in abaca production before shifting into banana production and growing into one of the biggest banana producers today. Its multi-faceted operation led to the creation of satellite companies dedicated to providing services essential to carrying out the operation of a banana plantation.

TADECO is also working on aligning its Standard Operating Procedures into ISO9002, which aims to improve and maintain the high quality of bananas that TADECO has been known for decades.

As a self-contained community, TADECO has housing facilities for some of its workers and their families; a school, church, hospital, gymnasium, recreational grounds, and the newly established Barangay Hall Building (Brgy. A.O.Floirendo).

One of the reasons TADECO continues to succeed in this business is the enduring relationship between the management and the employees. The company has been offering livelihood projects to workers' dependents and relatives through TADECO Livelihood and Training Center (TLTC), a multi-awarded livelihood center that makes top quality products from indigenous materials being exported in other countries. It has also given awards and recognitions to outstanding employees (farm workers, foremen, overseers, superintendents and managers) during their Annual Special Performance Awards based on the production target for Class A Del Monte bananas.

TADECO is a recipient of many awards and recognitions. This includes their winning in the search for the Top 25 Healthiest Workplaces in the Philippines, citation by the department of Health, awarded by Former Pres. Fidel V. Ramos on May 2, 1996 at Malacañang Palace. The Department of Labor and Employment has also named it to the Hall of Fame for winning the Most Outstanding Firm with a Family Welfare Program award for three consecutive years. On the international front, TADECO was among the top 150 firms from 57 countries honored in the 1987 Award for Food and Beverages in Dusseldorf, West Germany for its "outstanding quality, prestige, and service." And its latest recognition was being one of the 2004 Nominees for Employer of the Year PMAP Dalayegon Award.

MtApoStandard

December 31st, 2007, 08:46 AM

http://anflocor.com/images/NenitaWeb.jpg

Nenita Farms

Nenita Farms started out as a small swine farm set-up in the backyard of the Nenita plantation in Marapangi, Toril, Davao City. It was put up with the intention of putting its excess non-commercial copra to good use as feeds instead of disposing them a waste. Eventually, what used to be a hobby of the group's founder Antonio O. Floirendo, Sr., grew to be one of the country's biggest and most modern pig farms. Five years after it was established, the farm was awarded first prize in the pig farm category of a livestock-raising contest sponsored by the Davao Provincial Veterinarian's Office.

Due to the growing demand for the production of swine, the management then decided to transfer the pig farm to Nestfarms Inc., which is another affiliate of the Anflo Group of Companies located in Davao del Norte.

At present, Nenita Farms not only handles the operation of Empire Joy( the thoroughbred horse-breeding farm of the Anflo Group) but has also established a diversified cropping system for producing pickled products, preserved salsas, and citrus juices.

Among its bottled products include: papaya pickles, coconut heart pickles, green and yellow mango, fern pickles, gherkins, achara and palm heart pickles. They also have mango-tomato salsa. For juice concentrates, they have calamansi, dayap, and pomelo flavors. All these Nenita Farms products undergo rigid and meticulous preparation that not only ensues fresh and healthy products, but also safe and hygienic processed vegetables and fruits.

Currently, Nenita Farms is working on the señorita banana export project.

MtApoStandard

December 31st, 2007, 09:11 AM

http://www.jhaymarts.com/images/index_08.gif

The company is a Davao-based corporation known to be the pioneer manufacturer of polyethylene pipes in Mindanao.

Our name has become a byword in the world of water conveyance, use and discharge.

It has become the trusted name in the field of water distribution, irrigation and drainage due to its superior quality products and utmost sincerity in giving service to its customers. We have been and will always be customer friendly and service oriented.

It has tapped international companies from Israel, Singapore, South Korea and others by bringing in the latest products and technology to complement its pipes and fittings thus making the company a comprehensive water system company.

tj_brewed

January 3rd, 2008, 10:37 AM

bump!

tj_brewed

January 3rd, 2008, 10:43 AM

UK magazine cites Davao City among top Asian 10 cities
http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20080103113334.html

Gil M. Abarico

DAVAO CITY — In the latest selection of top 10 "Asian Cities of the Future" by London-based FDI magazine, which is exclusively published for the corporate world, Davao City is listed No. 10 together with two other Philippine cities – Quezon City (No. 7) and Cebu City (No 8).

The other Asian cities in the top 10 list are: Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei (Taiwan), Melbourne (Australia), Dalian (China), Shijiazhuang (China), and Guangzhou (China).

This was reported by Andre Fournier, board member of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCCI), during the weekly Club 888 media forum held at Marco Polo-Davao.

Fournier, chairman of DCCCI committee on Information Technology (IT), also reported that in the magazine’s listing of top five Asian Cities with the "best human resources," Davao City was No. 5, together with four other cities — Singapore (1), Melbourne (2), Hong Kong (3), and Taipei (4).

The finance magazine used the following judging criteria: economic potential, cost effectiveness, human resources, quality of life, infrastructure, business friendliness and promotion strategy.

Member of its judging panel were David Kinnear, president of DDC HRO, a provider of process outsourcing solutions (New York); James Ku, manager of consultancy firm Tractus-Asia, Ltd. (Shanghai); Anupam Prakasi, Asia-Pacific leader in global sourcing and business transformation at HR consultancy firm Hewitt Associates (India); and Lawrence Yeo, CEO of international consultancy firm AsiaBIZ (Singapore).

Fournier said that despite its recognition in international business and finance as having good potentials as a global investment site, Davao City’s leaders – both in the government and private sector – should not rest on the city’s laurels, but strive more to develop and tap its potentials.

lightning099

January 3rd, 2008, 01:51 PM

Inquirer.net

BANGALORE, India -- Wipro, India's third-biggest software maker, said it had opened an outsourcing center Thursday in the Philippines as surging costs and a domestic talent shortage drive Indian technology firms overseas.

The 45,000-square-foot (4,180.6-square-meter) facility in Cebu city will eventually be staffed by 900 employees, Bangalore-based Wipro said.

The center will provide customer service as well as technical and financial accounting support to Wipro's global operations.

"The Philippines is one of the largest English-speaking nations with a strong information-technology orientation and a talent pool of 29 million," said T.K. Kurien, president of Wipro's outsourcing unit.

"This is one location that we definitely want to expand our presence in," Kurien said in a statement in Bangalore.

The Philippines is emerging as a key outsourcing location for Indian technology firms.

Investment advisory firm Tholons said in a recent report that Manila was among the top five prime outsourcing locations and Cebu an emerging destination for outsourcing firms.

The study cited the availability of skilled professionals and lower costs as among the advantages offered by such destinations as Cebu.

Indian information-technology firms such as Tata Consultancy, Infosys, Wipro, Satyam and smaller companies are stepping up acquisitions and opening more facilities overseas.

They have plans to employ thousands of people to escape the rupee's rise against the dollar and soaring wage costs in India.

The rupee rose more than 12 percent against the dollar in 2007, eroding export revenues.

The IT industry's average annual salary rose 11 percent last year to 620,000 rupees ($15,700), a survey by the market-research firm IDC India said in September.

Wipro, whose outsourcing arm employs about 20,000 people, has opened facilities in Romania and Shanghai in the past nine months.

lightning099

January 3rd, 2008, 01:52 PM

INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- Aside from Wipro, more Indian companies are expected to set up operations in the Philippines to counter rising costs in India.

Software company Wipro earlier announced it recently opened a customer service site in Cebu City, looking to employ 900 workers in the province.

Oscar Sanez, head of industry group Business Process Association of the Philippines, (BPAP) expects more Indian outsourcers to invest in the Philippines. He also confirmed Wipro’s “soft” opening in Cebu.

“We have been talking to a number of Indian companies since early last year including Wipro,” Sanez said via phone interview.

BPAP last year hosted a delegation from India's National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) in a visit to Manila.

Kiran Karnik, who was head of NASSCOM before stepping down last December, advocated cooperation between India and the Philippines to gain a bigger share of the global offshore outsourcing market. Since then, a number of Indian companies like HTMT and now Wipro have opened operations in the country.

Sanez expects at least three more Indian companies to set up operations in the Philippines this year.

"These are definitely among the top 10 companies in India right now," he said.

Investment advisory firm Tholons said in a recent report that Manila was among the top five prime outsourcing locations. Cebu, meanwhile, was also ranked one of the top emerging destinations for outsourcing firms, behind India's Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune.

The study cited the availability of skilled professionals and lower costs as among the advantages offered by such destinations as Cebu.

Wipro chief executive TK Kurien will also speak in next month's e-Services conference organized annually by the Department of Trade and Industry.

pangyao™

January 4th, 2008, 04:59 AM

Peng Hok

January 4th, 2008, 05:02 AM

^

Yup! Owned by the Quinto family based in Davao City. :)

dinabaw

January 5th, 2008, 08:15 AM

Saturday, January 05, 2008

RP’s first exporter of frozen
banana products secures tax perks

SAGREX FOOD INC. has secured tax incentives and other perks from the Board of Investments (BOI), the agency said Friday.

The country’s first exporter of frozen banana products has invested P118.840 million for the establishment of a processing plant for the production of frozen banana of the Cardava variety.

The proposed products include frozen banana fries, which are sliced ripe bananas ready for frying or microwave, and frozen ripe bananas and ripe whole bananas ready for cooking.

“These are nontraditional products which will be entirely exported to the Middle East, USA, Korea and Europe,” the company said in its application letter to the BOI.

The firm spent almost two years to perfect the said products, it said.

The BOI granted the company pioneer status since the firm will be producing a new product, which has never been processed and exported in frozen form.

The pioneer status entitles Sagrex to a six-year income tax holiday and other perks like zero tariff on capital equipment.

The company’s pioneering product was tested by the Department of Science and Technology Region XI Office, perfecting a technology that allows for exports in fresh frozen form.

The activity falls under Export Activities, Manufacture of Export Products in the 2007 Investments Priorities Plan. It also falls under the Preferred Activities, Agribusiness, Commercial processing of agriculture products.

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/jan/05/yehey/business/20080105bus7.html

oreynj

January 6th, 2008, 03:50 AM

Speaking of Indian companies, any update on the Sutherland's opns site in Davao City..?

oreynj

January 6th, 2008, 04:00 AM

How about Callbox.. will they push thru with their site at NCCC Davao City..? I heard that this company is a big player in the industry.. how true is this.. ?

Il Tenore

January 6th, 2008, 10:15 AM

yeeeey!! frozen bananas to be exported.....

dinabaw

January 6th, 2008, 04:03 PM

Talecraft competition in Davao

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/897/twinscc4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5984/toycon1et2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Last May 2007 I wrote about Talecraft, an amazing new kind of card game that was invented by my cousin, Ria Lu, who’s unfortunately based in Manila. But she’s in town now and has officially brought the game to Davao!

On 12 January 2008, there will be a Talecraft Competition at Spazzio, 3/F Gaisano Mall of Davao. This is open to all ages, as long as you have an imagination. You see, Talecraft is a tool for creating wonderful and wonderous stories. To know more about the game, visit its website: talecraft.komikasi.com.

It’s almost game time, so do register as soon as possible!

http://www.angdabawenyo.com/2008/01/06/talecraft-competition-in-davao/

dinabaw

January 6th, 2008, 04:09 PM

Komikon 2007

*Talecraft at NW:
Transformed

*Talecraft at the
Toycon

*Talecrafting at
Booktopia

*Talecraft at
RODCON

Talecraft at the Komikon 2007

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/1645/komikon6tn4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Talecraft was at the Komikon 2007! The 3rd Philippine Komiks Convention was held on November 17, 2007 (Saturday) at 10am to 6pm at the UP Diliman Bahay ng Alumni. To those who attended, thank you. I hope you all had fun.

PlayingIt was an enjoyable day. It started off with us asking trivias and giving away Talecraft pins to the five people who knew their archetypes. We proceeded to do play sessions at our booth. We had two round tables for play! There were a bunch of people who were interested in finding out about the game. And there were even some who (I love this type of people, by the way) came back a few minutes after playing, wanting to play again because they said they believed they could do better. Their first story was not what they were capable of doing. They could make more interesting stories than that! And they showed us that they could. Stories... Wonderful things.

KelAt 1:00pm, Marcelle Fabie performed a Mentalism Demonstration that really awed the crowd. He predicted the cards his audince would pick, bent forks, and broke spoons. Then he topped off his performance with a segment where he showed a video of a story created using cards he just picked during his performance! Cool, isn't it? Thank you so much, Marcelle. I could still see your audience stare, awed, at the fork you left after the performance. For everyone out there, if you wish Marcelle to perform at your events, email us. We'll give you his contact number.
the crowd

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/618/komikon9ck1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Then at 2pm, our contest began. We had about twenty contestants. And they're all really good! Then, again, what do we expect, it's the Komikon! Most of them would be story-creators. Our final round, with three players, took place at around five already. Judged by Marco Dimaano (Angel Ace), Carlo Vergara (Zha Zha Zaturnnah), and Elbert Or (Nautilus Comics), our three winners are: 1st Place: Dexter Lira, 2nd Place: Joseph Paulo Claravall, and 3rd Place: Patrick Gianan. To all of you, congratulations, and to our judges, thank you.

winners and judges

Ria Lu | November 20, 2007

Back

Talecraft at the NW: Transformed

NW: TTalecraft had an activity at the New Worlds: Transformed event at the Mini-Theater of the Archeology Hall of Powerplant Mall, Rockwell, last July 15, 2007.

People from the Talecraft Group, Tabletop Wars, and folks we met from the Virgin Labfest and the Toycon were there to tell their Tales. To all those who attended, thank you for coming, and we hope you had a great time. We certainly did. What with suggestions of putting chick flicks, bad Filipino movies, and Bollywood in the genres popping up. ("The challenge is to create a 4-hour Indian movie in 2 minutes." they said) They even suggested telling Talecraft in song! Oh, and as a silent movie, too.

NW: T

Ria Lu | July 16, 2007

Back

Talecraft at the ToyCon

Marie at the BoothTalecraft had a booth at the 6th Philippine Toys, Hobbies and Collectibles Convention at Megatrade Hall 2-3 last June 16-17, 2007. We sold some decks there, and played a few games with the people who dropped by our booth. There were people from our Talecraft Yahoo Group that joined us for a few rounds (thanks for dropping by, guys!), and a lot of new faces, too! Too bad, it was a little difficult to hear people sometimes. What with the band playing not far away. But it was fun.

To all of you at the ToyCon, thanks for your support, and we hope to hear more of your stories!

Toycon

Ria Lu | June 18, 2007

Back

Talecrafting at Booktopia

Charisse at PlayThe night was filled with an intimate crowd and beautiful stories. The Talecrafting Event at Booktopia was held last Friday, March 30, 2007. The finalists of our website contest were there to tell their stories. And those storytellers knew their stuff! Three out of the five finalists (yes, we chose five instead of just four) we chose were able to attend the event.

The attendees of the Talecrafting event had very diverse backgrounds: from UP, to Ateneo, to La Salle, to UST; From Accounting, to Engineering, to English, to Fine Arts. And the energy and creativity they put into creating stories made the event a truly wonderful experience.

The first one among the finalists to arrive was Lakan David Inocencio, accompanied by his brother. For those of you who were at the RODCON last February, Lakan was the one who told us about the psychological thriller about the siblings who were never really there. He recently graduated an English Major from De La Salle University. Clearly, this man is a reader, for he uses a lot of references to books from Shakespeare, Dante, Stoker and many other authors. Well, duh, he's an English Major! But if you thought dark chilling stories are all he does, you would have seen another side of him last Friday when he told us his entry: a light, entertaining, funny, truly delightful story of an egotistical boy and his battle with the beautiful Pfiefer. Read his story here.

The Attendees

The next to arrive was Charisse Loraine Rivera, accompanied by her sister. Her entry was a fantasy story about the search for the Soul of Kredos, a huge and precious diamond. It was about a magic-user and getting even, and, well, I'm a fan of stories about getting even. Read her story here. Charisse is an Accounting student from the University of Santo Tomas. Sorry, Cha, we didn't mean to listen in on your conversation with your aunt, but we just found it so amusing when you told her, "I'm in Libis... no, I'm not in a bar... It's perfectly safe. I'm in a bookstore." I guess not everyone hangs out at a bookstore making stories on a Friday night.

At playCharisse told us she has never seen the Talecraft game. And what better way to show her than to play the game! So, while waiting for the others to arrive, we played. The players were Charisse (her sister was shy), Lakan, and his brother, Ismael. Ismael was studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of the Philippines. He was a really good storyteller, too! He made a story about a rogue and a prince on a quest to find a blood-red diamond. In the end, the rogue held the cursed diamond and was transformed into a woman. Their conversation went something like this: Rogue:"What shall we do now?" Prince:"Whatever you want." <wink>

The last of the three finalists to arrive was John Santy Calalay. He came to Booktopia straight from his graduation! Thank you very much, Santy, for squeezing us in your schedule. We wouldn't have been blessed with your oh-so-well-crafted story otherwise. He came to the event with his parents. He had just graduated Fine Arts and Creative Writing from Ateneo de Manila University. Santy, by the way, was declared the winner of the website contest by our judge, Rowena Dimaguila of Booktopia. Read his story here.

The other two finalsists who weren't able to come were Marco Pasamba and Airnel Abarra. You may read Marco's story here, and Airnel's here.

Ria Lu | March 31, 2007

Back

Talecraft at RODCON

Talecraft was at RODCON 2007! For those who don’t know, RODCON is the Read or Die Convention held at Hotel Intercon last February 3 and 4, 2007. Talecraft was given an opportunity to be introduced on the fourth, and it was a great success. Four rounds were played, and four Talecraft Solo decks were given away as prize. Moments after the table was set, the crowds began to gather, and five people were enticed to play the first round.

While the first group of storytellers was telling their tales, several people in the audience were already excitedly waiting to join the second round. Perhaps the crowd faves were from the third round when there were two very interesting stories: one of them involving an outlawed Roman Legionnaire stealing a scroll with the senate’s portrait, and getting away with it; and the other, a story involving an evil albino and an innocent hero, delivered deep and pure in our beloved mother tongue!

Talecraft salutes the players.

An hour overtime, the last round was played by a full seven-player group. The last Solo Deck went to a storyteller who picked the Thriller genre, claimed he never wrote a story of that kind before, and surprised everyone with a chilling psychological horror about siblings who were never there.

Talecraft would like to thank and express admiration to all the storytellers who participated during the game at RODCON, including the player who made the historical story set in the Philippines during Rizal’s time. Until our next event, tell your tale. Master the craft.

http://talecraft.komikasi.com/

wornout

January 7th, 2008, 06:23 AM

as far as i know,

expedia.com
washington mutual
directv-inbound sales
armani group
earthlink
experian- i think nag pullout na...

oreynj

January 7th, 2008, 08:37 AM

Dynatech is in town.. is their ad true..? P20T-P40T for call center agents and P40T-P100T for managerial positions..? anyone out there can explain to me the reason behind the high figures..? this is of course comparing it with the prevailing compensation rates/range here in Davao City for call centers.. parang it's too good to be true..but then again i may be mistaken.:)

dinabaw

January 9th, 2008, 11:53 AM

Wednesday, 09 January 2008
Inventors want patent office set up in Davao City
MindaNews
Tuesday, 08 January 2008 23:32
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/08 January) -- A group of Mindanao inventors is urging government to set up extension offices of the Philippine Patent Office and the Technology Application and Promotion Institute (TAPI) here.

Samuel Abrenilla, president of the Mindanao Inventors Federation (MIF), said the system in the country leaves little room for inventors to go on mass production of their inventions. Among the problems, he said, is the high cost of patenting their inventions and the long wait for the patent office approve their applications.

He said an inventor needs to wait three years before his product is granted a patent. "What the heck is the patent for if it (product) is already obsolete in six months?"

The group wants government to put up extension offices for the TAPI and the patent office in Davao City which would considerably lessen the cost of application for patent.

An inventor has to spend about P60,000 to apply for a patent in Manila, excluding the transportation and lodging costs if they don't have any relatives where they could temporarily stay while processing their applications.

Republic Act 7459 or the Inventors Incentives Act was signed into law under President Corazon Aquino and directs TAPI, a division of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), to provide assistance to inventors.

"The budget of TAPI is about P50 million but it's not only for inventors' fund but also to promote all technology," he said, adding that TAPI only allocates 12 percent for inventors' assistance.

This paltry funding is partly responsible for the dismal showing of inventors in commercial undertakings. In the global arena, Japan is tops in the most number of inventions patented at 500,000; the Koreans notched 100,000 while the Philippines only patented 200 inventions.

"Our budget for technology is really low, its about .001 percent of the GDP (gross domestic product," he said.

Virgilio Sangutan, MFI chair, cited a flaw in the Philippine system, which follows the European and Japan model instead of the United States, where patent is granted to the person who first filed his application.

He said the system discriminates against the inventors who have no money to pay the necessary processing fee.

"That's why other inventors are afraid to make public their idea," he said. "The solution is to avoid this first-to-file system."

Rep. Isidro Ungab (Davao City, 3rd district) vowed to help the Mindanao inventors particularly their call for an extension office of TAPI and the patent office in Davao City.

He said he will bring this up with the Mindanao bloc in the House of Representatives, numbering nearly 60.

Ungab added that representatives from Mindanao meet every two weeks to discuss any agenda and bills that will benefit Mindanawons. (MindaNews)

http://www.mindanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3609&Itemid=50

Il Tenore

January 9th, 2008, 12:59 PM

^^perfect location for a bustling city... I wanna patent some of my inventions too! hehe!!

MtApoStandard

January 9th, 2008, 03:39 PM

http://www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/images/for_umbn.gif

DexterTexter

January 10th, 2008, 01:42 AM

^^perfect location for a bustling city... I wanna patent some of my inventions too! hehe!!

Hala!Anong ininvent mo @IL Tenore?

dinabaw

January 10th, 2008, 03:23 AM

Google
Web
www.sunstar.com.ph

Thursday, January 10, 2008
JIB to offer Aussie course in June
By Joy Romares-Sevilla

THE Joji Ilagan Career Center in Davao City will offer a course covering the curriculum of the Technical and Further Education-South Western Sydney Institute (Tafe-SWSI) in June for the delivery of global certification for those who want to work and migrate to Australia.

Joji Ilagan-Bian, chair of the Joji Ilagan Career Center, said in Monday's Davao Business Writers' Association press forum at Medispa at SM City Davao that the launching is an off-shot to the forged partnership between her school and with Tafe, a vocational education and training institution in Sydney, Australia, last year.

Sun.Star Network Online's coverage of the Sinulog 2008 Festival

"The Tafe-JIB educational partnership will allow the delivery of Certificate 111 Hospitality to Joji Ilagan Career Center in Davao City. JIB will use the Tafe curriculum and teaching methodology for students who will enroll in the course," Bian said.

She said graduates of the course would earn Tafe certificates upon graduation.

The Certificate 111 Hospitality-Commercial Cookery is one of the occupations listed under the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) of the Migration Laws of Australia as of September 2007.

This is one of the most in-demand skills, which will give the student the edge if he intends to migrate and work in the same country.

"Upon finishing the course, one can apply for migration. Under this partnership, the graduate is automatically awarded 60 points for skill qualifications under the qualifying Skilled Occupation List (SOL) for migration purposes," Bian explained.

Bian said this is a great opportunity for people and for students who wish to work or migrate in Australia. Instead of going to Australia, one can study right here in Davao City.

"There is a significant difference when one takes the course here since the student does not have to travel to Australia and pay for accommodation and tuition fees in Australian dollar," Bian said.

She added that taking the same course in Tafe or in any school in Australia, one would have to spend around A$14,700 to A$27,000 per year.

At JIB, one can only spend P50,000 per year, Bian said.

"We are hoping that we can get positive response with this new partnership. With this, the migration path of our students is clear. This course is an investment. We are targeting 150 students to enroll in the course, I'm sure we can meet the target," Bian expressed.

It was learned that JIB pilots to run the course for two years. Australian teachers will train students who will enroll in the course for four hours daily.

Tafe initiated the partnership between the Tafe and the JIB Career Foundation. Tafe representatives invited Bian when the former were in Manila in July last year.

Bian said Tafe offered two other technical schools from the Luzon and the Visayas with the same partnership. However, the school in Luzon and the JIB in Davao were the ones to first launch the courses in their respective schools this year.

"The partnership is another first in Mindanao, a clear indication of the high quality of manpower resource in the island," Bian concluded.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2008/01/10/bus/jib.to.offer.aussie.course.in.june.html

paulkrps

January 11th, 2008, 03:12 AM

upcoming women's accessories in davao:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/nueva.jpg

paging darry, i have some questions.

Peng Hok

January 11th, 2008, 04:01 AM

^^
Yes Tito Paul? :D

kiretoce

January 11th, 2008, 06:42 AM

Call center firm takes good care of its own (http://business.inquirer.net/money/features/view/20080111-111649/Call-center-firm-takes-good-care-of-its-own)

Call center agents are a unique breed.

Because they primarily service callers from the United States, they work the graveyard shift because of the time difference between the two countries. They have to deal with a lot of stress because of the many irate clients. Also, they are given very little room for error when fielding calls.

This kind of work lifestyle brings with it its own set of potential health hazards, which prompted call center company Sitel Philippines to devise the “Our Health, Our Wealth” healthcare program.

The program initially covered the 1,600 employees working at Sitel’s two Baguio City units, but was later extended to include employees at three other Sitel sites in Pasig City, Eastwood, and Pioneer.

Under the program, the call center agents get to attend lectures on how to deal with their unique problems, such as catching sleep during shifting schedule, maintaining a healthy heart, using ear devices properly, and avoiding unhealthy habits such as smoking and taking drugs.

The employees likewise get regular blood chemistry checkup, bone screening and electrocardiogram tests and nutrition surveillance. They are also informed about effective family planning and how to maintain reproductive health.

“It’s a cliché, but we came up with the health program because the people are our main asset,” explained Sitel president Danilo Reyes. “If one is absent, it affects our service delivery, that’s why it is important for us to keep them healthy.”

And the program is bearing fruit.

The Sitel Baguio Clinic reported more frequent visits and follow-ups by employees, increased queries on preventive health measures, family health counseling and referrals.

More female employees now avail themselves of pre and post-natal services, including counseling on nutrition, responsible parenthood and family planning services.

“In the provision of such services, the clinic has been able to monitor fewer incidents of unwanted pregnancies in the company, thereby promoting values formation,” Sitel said in a report. “Male employee participation on family planning has also increased.”

Believing that the program is too good to be kept within the confines of the company, Sitel has included the community and families of Sitel employees in its “Our Health, Our Wealth” program.

Starting January 2006, Sitel has tied up with the Baguio city government, hospitals and other private firms to provide medical, dental, counseling, family planning and reproductive health services to depressed, remote areas in Baguio.

Sitel has also thrown its support behind the Lingap Center and HopeHouse, and is now involved in feeding orphans and providing them with basic needs such as clothes, school supplies, reading materials, diapers and toys.

Sitel employees are likewise encouraged to be socially responsible by allotting an hour’s wage on a certain date for Children’s Hour.

By getting the employees involved in the community, Sitel aims “to not only develop the working capabilities of its employees, but also build their social awareness and responsibility, which fosters their professional growth for the company as well as the community.”

As for employees’ families, the program has evolved to include modules on the importance of breastfeeding, proper diet and food supplementation for children of Sitel employees.

There are also lectures on pediatric immunizations, growth monitoring and tips on caring for sick children.

The “Our Health, Our Wealth” program has come a long way. It has earned for Sitel the first Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence Award given by the American Chamber of Commerce Philippines and American Chamber Foundation Philippines Inc.

Sitel was the only award recipient in the call center industry and bested 50 entries from other business sectors.

dinabaw

January 11th, 2008, 07:57 AM

Business
Eastern Petroleum forges P1.35-B deal with Taiwan’s Formosa Group
By Donnabelle L. Gatdula
Friday, January 11, 2008

Eastern Petroleum Corp. (EPC), one of the country’s most aggressive small oil players, has entered into a P1.35- billion supply agreement with a Taiwanese oil firm to ensure the stability of its supply over the next 12 months.

EPC chairman Fernando Martinez said that the company will source its one year requirement of 36 million liters from Formosa Plastics Group, through its local importer and representative Oilink Inc.

Formosa Plastics is one of Asia’s biggest oil refiners, with an average capacity of 600,000 barrels per day. It is one of Taiwan’s biggest conglomerates with diverse interest in oil, petrochemicals, biotechnology and production of electronic components.

“Through the agreement, EPC is assured of security of supply for the stations. If there is no agreement, we are forced to buy at the market where prices are currently very high. It is part of our strategy to cope with the high world oil prices,” Martinez said.

He said they need to ensure a steady supply of petroleum products amid the continued volatility of oil prices.

The agreement will allow EPC to use a “formula pricing” which will be based on Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS) plus a premium and other costs such as taxes. MOPS is the benchmark used by the oil importers in pricing their products.

Despite the volatile oil market, Martinez said EPC is still bullish in putting up more service stations this year. He said they plan to construct 10 more stations within the year. Each station requires an average investment of P7 million each.

Martinez said the opening of retail stations along the North Luzon and South Luzon Expressways is still being considered.

Aside from major oil players Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. and Chevron Philippines, only Total Philippines, a new player, has put up retail stations along the NLEX and SLEX.

EPC also has 10 auto-gas stations. It will also open outlets in Davao City and two in Gen. Santos City.

Earlier, EPC and a Hong Kong-based partner indicated plans to put up a one million barrel per month “mini oil refinery” in Mindanao as part of the company’s three to five year work program.

Martinez said talks with possible investors on the proposed oil refinery, with a capaciy of 800,000 barrels to one million barrels per month, are ongoing.

“Once operational, oil prices in Mindanao and Visayas would likely go down by at least P1 per liter or may put at par with Manila prices,” he said.

Oil prices in Mindanao and Visayas are about P1.50 per liter higher than the prevailing prices in Metro Manila prices due to transport/freight costs.

“We are aware that only 70 percent of the existing capacity is being utilized by the domestic market but if it would be cheaper for us to refine than importing crude oil, we might as well do it here,” he said.

He added that the company is pursuing the project because it is “viable and is not pre-conditioned to any tariff differential.”

At present, there are only two refiners in the country: Petron Corp.’s 180,000 barrels per day refinery in Bataan and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp.’s 110,000 barrels per day refinery in Tabangao, Batangas

http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27&aid=2008011020

dinabaw

January 11th, 2008, 08:46 AM

upcoming women's accessories in davao:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/paulkrps/nueva.jpg

paging darry, i have some questions.

eto ba yung business ng sis mo sir paul :)

paulkrps

January 11th, 2008, 12:33 PM

yes nyor.

paulkrps

January 11th, 2008, 12:35 PM

^^
Yes Tito Paul? :D

sent you a pm.:)

SugarFreak

January 12th, 2008, 09:47 AM

January 11, 2008
Bacolod now recognized as BPO center: official (http://www.visayandailystar.com/2008/January/11/businessnews1.htm)

The inclusion of Bacolod City in the list of 11 top business process outsourcing sites outside of Metro Manila in a recent study conducted by the Institute for Development and Economic Analysis Inc. was welcomed by Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue yesterday.

Batapa-Sigue said she is happy that Bacolod has been acknowledged as a BPO center, not merely a site for call centers. Batapa-Sigue is the main convenor of the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Educational Foundation for Information Technology.

B-NEFIT, which is seeking registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a non-stock, non-profit organization, is a collective effort of the academe and human resource development, real estate and business and local governments to undertake projects and programs.

Bacolod now hosts three major call centers, namely, Teleperformance, TeleTech and Convergys, and has five special economic zones for IT, two of which have been declared as IT parks.

Batapa-Sigue said the inclusion of Bacolod in the list of alternative BPO sites is an acknowledgement of the initiative even before by the city's IT Focus Team to make Bacolod as an ideal site for BPO services.

She added that Bacolod is blessed with a strong fiber optic backbone and quality human resources.

The IDEA study, commissioned by Bayan Telecommunications Inc., also named Iloilo, Dumaguete and Leyte as the best BPO sites in the Visayas.*NLG

red_jasper

January 12th, 2008, 11:55 AM

CICT exec says no to exclusive BPO coverage

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20080112-111955/CICT-exec-says-no-to-exclusive-BPO-coverage)
First Posted 17:22:00 01/12/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Although it assures long-term investments, "exclusivity" agreements could become a disadvantage to cities looking to attract BPO (business process outsourcing) investors, according to a government executive.

Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) commissioner Monchito Ibrahim confirmed there are cities that offer BPO companies incentive to operate exclusively in a particular city. He cited Dumaguete as an example, having a signed a three-year agreement with call center Teletech.

While this would mean consistent capital investments into the local economy, it also reflects a desire for cities, especially outside of Metro Manila and Cebu, to take part in the lucrative BPO industry.

“This is happening in reality,” Ibrahim said via telephone. “But we are discouraging such agreements because in the end, it limits opportunities for these cities.”

Ibrahim is heading CICT’s efforts to establish more cities as ICT hubs to absorb a glut in investments due to the huge demand from the global BPO market.

He added: “Some cities are finding out that they have a lot more absorptive capacity, meaning they can accommodate more investors.”

In the case of Dumaguete, he said some companies have been moving to other cities like Bacolod and Davao, given its agreement with Teletech.

Maulik Parekh, Teletech Philippines country manager, meanwhile, refers to it as a “managed growth” strategy on the part of these cities.

He reiterated Teletech's strategy of “going where no one else is” and establishing relationships with local governments as well as schools, other than simply setting up facilities.

“Most of these cities are still agrarian in nature. It takes a while to create an industry given the necessary factors such as adequate worker supply,” Parekh said, asked for comments via telephone.

Teletech opened its facility in Dumaguete in February last year, employing more than 600 workers, majority of whom are local residents.

Parekh added: “We never tell the local government to not invite other players. But if we see that they are looking to establish a BPO economy, we tell them that Teletech can commit to helping them achieve it in two to three years.”

lightsaber46

January 14th, 2008, 03:42 AM

RP to use Davos meeting this
month to sell RP BPO industry

By Max V. de Leon
Reporter

THE government will use the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland later this month in marketing the Philippine business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, thinking that the rising oil prices globally will force companies to outsource more of their operations to save on cost.

Also, Trade Secretary Peter B. Favila said the country cannot afford to relax just because the Philippines is already known throughout the world as a prime outsourcing destination, now that the other countries are also taking efforts to promote their respective BPO sectors.

“Other countries are moving so we should move also rather than just wait,” Favila said.

He said when they meet with the top brass of big multinational firms in Davos, the country’s BPO industry will be in its main menu of investment opportunities to be offered.

Favila said the continued rise of fuel cost in the world market is forcing companies to look for ways and means to bring down their operational expenses.

Outsourcing and offshoring, he said, is one of these means and the Philippines, being a known BPO destination, will be benefiting largely from this.

With this, Favila said he already urged the different congressmen in the country to speed up their respective programs in getting their districts primed up to accommodate ICT-enabled service firms.

This, he said, is important since Metro Manila is fast becoming saturated, making the availability of office spaces a potential big headache.

“So I’m talking to the congressmen to get their districts ready to host BPOs,” Favila said.

Favila also ordered the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) to make an inventory of the government-accredited IT parks and buildings as he is beginning to worry that the escalating rental fees due to the scarcity of office spaces might dwarf the growth of the BPO industry.

The Philippines is bidding to capture up to 10 percent of the global outsourcing market by 2010 and employ up to one million personnel.

There are at least 49 Peza-accredited IT parks and buildings in the whole country, although about 80 percent of them are situated in Metro Manila.

The IT parks and buildings accredited by Peza give incentives to their BPO locators like income tax holidays (ITH) for up to eight years and an option to pay 5-percent gross income tax in lieu of all taxes after the ITH coverage.

lightsaber46

January 14th, 2008, 03:53 AM

Teleperformance to open Cainta facility

IN LINE with its two-year expansion initiatives, Teleperformance, a contact center services company, is adding another production seat facility in its local operations.

In an interview last week, Teleperformance Philippines Managing Director David Rizzo said the Utah-based call center operator is expanding to Cainta, Rizal in the latter part of the year.

"We’re planning to open another one [site] this year, probably sometime in the third quarter. It’s approximately 1,500 seats and that facility will be located in Marcos Highway," Mr. Rizzo told BusinessWorld.

The new Cainta site, a one-level, 6,000-square-meter production seat facility, was previously a Robinsons Department Store.

Located along Imelda Avenue, the site will primarily provide voice services.

The Cainta facility will be employing 2,500 people.

Hiring will start in the middle of the third quarter, and training should follow immediately after.

"It’s a very strategic area considering it’s along the highway and has plenty of untapped labor from good schools," Mr. Rizzo said.

Teleperformance Cainta will have the same amenities as the other local sites, including fitness and entertainment areas.

"We have a proven track record in this industry of taking care of its people. We will continue doing that in Cainta," Mr. Rizzo said.

Mr. Rizzo said investments for the Cainta facility would be almost the same as the company’s 7,000-square-meter facility in Sucat, Parañaque.

He, however, declined to disclose exact figures, saying only that it would amount to "several millions of dollars."

Contact Center Association of the Philippines Executive Director Jojo J. Uligan said based on industry’s standard, setting up a contact center facility costs $7,000 to $8,000 per seat.

Mr. Rizzo could not say when the Cainta call center would start operating.

He noted this would be hinged on the direction of another facility, which will rise in Sucat.

"We’ll focus our efforts there once we fully complement Sucat," Mr. Rizzo said.

The 1,200-seat facility in Sucat will start receiving production calls on Feb. 18.

Teleperformance intends to fill the 2,000-employee requirement of Sucat within the year.

Apart from Cainta and Sucat, Teleperformance is currently operating four facilities; two in Pasig and one each in Mandaluyong and Bacolod.

Last October, Teleperformance opened its biggest local call center, the 16,000-square-meter EDSA IT Center in Mandaluyong City.

The company recently transferred 300 employees from the Mandaluyong call center facility to other sites after a technical support account downsized. — Marian Grace S. Ramos

paulkrps

January 16th, 2008, 02:50 PM

Jason Banico , si tj kilala siya:)

jason has moved on to some multinational company. i had the chance to meet of hubports top exec when i was there. now i'm looking forward to a fruitful relationship with them.

tj_brewed

January 16th, 2008, 02:55 PM

^^ opo.....nagtransfer na si Jason and he is not in Davao na for now.

red_jasper

January 17th, 2008, 04:25 AM

US outsourcer eyes expansion in second-tier cities

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20080117-112952/US-outsourcer-eyes-expansion-in-second-tier-cities)
First Posted 09:32:00 01/17/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- APAC Customer Services (APAC) is looking at building its next call center outside of Metro Manila starting this year.

The Illinois-based outsourcer currently employs around 4,000 workers in three sites in Metro Manila -- two in Alabang and its biggest facility located at the Araneta Center in Cubao.

James Griffin, vice-president for international operations and country manager for the Philippines, said the company would like to expand to second-tier cities.

APAC is looking at adding two more sites in the Philippines this year. The company is eyeing Sta. Rosa, Laguna as an expansion site and is likewise looking at opening a facility at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

“We would be coming out with a decision by the end of this quarter. We’ve already conducted due diligence in these sites,” Griffin said in an interview.

Meanwhile, he said he is likewise looking at other cities, mentioning Baguio and Cebu but added: “This isn’t really new since some of these cities already have maybe three or four players looking to invest.”

“Our strategy is to add 1,000 to 2,000 seats in our operations in the Philippines,” Griffin added.

APAC operates five other sites in the US and employs a total of 9,000 workers including those in the Philippines. In the long-run, Griffin expects offshore business to become bigger in terms of employee size.

The company said it has invested $14 million in its 10,000-square-meter facility in Cubao, which houses some 2,000 agents. APAC’s customer base comes from the healthcare, telecom and publishing industries.

tj_brewed

January 17th, 2008, 08:01 AM

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/tonioboi/Photo-0006a-1.jpg

^^ Could this be the reported building that Sitel acquired just recently? weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....i cant help it but smile....:D :D :D i just love this news!

Sitel is soooooooooooo big! kalevel nito ang Etelecare, Convergys, Sykes, Teletech, 247, Dell, IBM Daksh, Wipro, Accenture, and PeopleSupport. :okay:

Ang SITEL lang naman ang:

- International Association of Outsourcing Professionals 2007 Global Outsourcing 100

- Global Services Magazine 2007 Global Services 100

- Frost & Sullivan Customer Care Outsourcing Global Excellence Award 2007

- Marketing Direct Connect Awards - Best Call Centre Campaign in the Private Sector 2007

- Customer Inter@ction Solutions' CRM Excellence Award 2007

- EMEA Golden Headset (Casques d’Or) 2007

- Annual Top 50 Teleservices Agencies 2007

- United Way Circle of Honor 2007

- World Confederation of Business (Panama) 2007 Bizz Award

- Frost & Sullivan Customer Service Leadership Award 2006

- European Call Centre Awards - Team Leader of the Year 2006

- The Top 50 Best Managed Global Outsourcing Vendors for 2006

- Customer Inter@ction Solutions' MVP Quality Award for 2006

About SITEL

The new Sitel is a global Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) leader. Formed by the merger of ClientLogic and SITEL in January 2007, Sitel meets clients’ customer care and transaction processing needs through 65,000 associates in 28 countries. Sitel provides world-class solutions from on-shore, nearshore and offshore locations across 145+ facilities throughout North America, South America, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Sitel’s award-winning services provide clients with the strategic insight, scale and diversity of offerings to ensure the best return on their customer investment. Sitel is privately held and majority owned by Canadian diversified company, Onex Corporation.

Il Tenore

January 17th, 2008, 10:35 AM

^^wow! this is big!! so big!! do you want to work with this call center @tj_brewed?

tj_brewed

January 17th, 2008, 03:55 PM

^^wow! this is big!! so big!! do you want to work with this call center @tj_brewed?

Nope! Coz although it's one of the biggest callcenters in the country...I'll be moving to another company which is bigger and better than Sitel or PeopleSupport :D . How I wish nga that my new company would consider Davao for their next Philippine expansion. We're new here in the country, but we are definitely big in India and UK. :okay:

tj_brewed

January 17th, 2008, 03:56 PM

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/images/news/newspics/01-17-2008/sutherland225.jpg
US-based BPO firm to open two facilities in RP
By JUDITH BALEA
Business (as of 1/17/2008 4:03 PM)

Business process outsourcing (BPO) firm Sutherland Global Services on Thursday announced plans to open two more call centers in the Philippines, increasing its seats to over 10,000 by end-2008.

Company vice president for service delivery Craig Bauwens said that Sutherland has grown to a capacity of about 5,000 seats since start of operations two years ago.

It has five facilities in Makati, Pampanga, Davao and Tarlac and one recently launched in Camarines Sur.

This year, Bauwens said Sutherland will open two more call centers in Davao.

"We are very bullish on Davao as a location for our facilities. Aside from Davao, we are also looking at putting up centers in the provinces of Iloilo and Bulacan," he said.

Bauwens said the expansion is expected to cost $10,000 per seat.

Sutherland remains bullish on the country's BPO industry, its global operations head K.S. Kumar said.

"Philippines is well-poised as a major destination of IT and call center firms. No other country has been as supportive."

^^ WOW!!!!

paulkrps

January 18th, 2008, 03:34 AM

what if, davao becomes the bpo center of rp? imagine, hehehe.

tj_brewed

January 18th, 2008, 07:19 AM

^^ It's one of the BPO Centers already.....but i personally think that we need to work harder to atleast reach the status of Cebu and Metro Manila as the leading BPO centers in the country now.

Peng Hok

January 18th, 2008, 07:50 AM

^^ It's one of the BPO Centers already.....but i personally think that we need to work harder to atleast reach the status of Cebu and Metro Manila as the leading BPO centers in the country now.

You forgot one more in your enumeration whose status we need to work harder for. :D

Il Tenore

January 18th, 2008, 08:16 AM

Nope! Coz although it's one of the biggest callcenters in the country...I'll be moving to another company which is bigger and better than Sitel or PeopleSupport :D . How I wish nga that my new company would consider Davao for their next Philippine expansion. We're new here in the country, but we are definitely big in India and UK. :okay:
aw ok.. yeah! I hope they would expand here in davao...
for sure, you'll transfer here... hehe! just a thought...

abskess

January 18th, 2008, 06:01 PM

Feature: IT as an investment in the formation of communication
By Rose B. Palacio

Davao City (19 January) -- Department of Science and Technology (DOST) acting Officer-In Charge Ed Tesorero said modern technology is an investment in the formation of communication and technology.

Tesorero said the government is providing full support for the full development of information technology industry in the country.

IT has been predicted to increase especially with the business sector while the government' is focus on creating knowledge-based economy.

While our country is into software exports, the participation is only limited to assembling and not on design and application and the government feels that we should look into other possibilities, he said.

He cited the potentials and the wealth of expertise in Mindanao considering that many academic institutions are involved in advanced electronic works.

It is the most effective medium in improving the region's economy with Mindanao now actively participating in Information and Communication Technology.

"We are also looking on software development as an effective medium in improving the region's economy", he added. (PIA) [top]

Rall

January 18th, 2008, 07:09 PM

need info....
my high school kid needs a list of call centers dito sa davao.... its for his school report...
where can we find a list? can anyone provide... many thanks

tj_brewed

January 18th, 2008, 07:14 PM

^^

akala ko mahina ang davao sa ICT? here are the call centers alone, hindi pa kasali ang ICT companies dyan.

1. Sitel
2. Sutherland Global Services
3. G-Com Ltd. (Cybercity)
4. Link2Support
5. WDC International
6. Hubport Interactive Inc.
7. Callbox
8. Six-Eleven Global Services
9. Global Connect e-Solutions
10. Qualiserve
11. Quantum Information Systems Davao, Inc
12. Callwell

Plus other unlisted call center operations

Rall

January 18th, 2008, 07:22 PM

^^

Plus other unlisted call center operations

salamat tj

dinabaw

January 19th, 2008, 10:22 AM

Manila Times -Business
Saturday, January 19, 2008

Phoenix Petroleum buys out BIPC

By Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo, Reporter

PHOENIX Petroleum Philippines Corp. bought out Bacnotan Industrial Park Corp. (BIPC) in line with efforts to enter the Luzon market.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, BIPC and Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp. said they have agreed to sell their 65-percent and 35-percent stakes, respectively, in the park to the Davao City-based Phoenix.

BIPC agreed to divest all of its 3,600,000 shares for P395 million including the 300,000 shares held by its unit Atlas Holding Corp. for P33 million. Trans-Asia sold its 1,800,000 shares in BIPC for P197.6 million as well as its subsidiary Trans-Asia Power Generation Corp.’s 300,000 shares for P33 million.

Phoenix secured the total issued and outstanding shares of BIPC at the acquisition rate of P109.80 per share for a total of 6,000,000 common shares with a par value of P100 per share.

Phoenix’s board earlier approved an agreement with BIPC’s shareholders for the conduct of a due diligence on the acquisition.

Phoenix is likewise eyeing to secure a parcel of industrial land which covers an area of about 40,000 square meters, in Lumbang Calzada, Calaca, Batangas owned by the Phinma Group.

BIPC is the operator of the Batangas Union Industrial Park (BUIP) located in Calaca, Batangas while Phinma is the registered owner of the land where the BUIP is situated.

Phoenix’s wholly owned subsi-diary Petroterminals Philippines Inc. operates BUIP’s depot and terminal facilities and is in the initial stages of constructing its facilities in line with efforts to serve the Luzon market.

Phoenix operates over 20 retail service stations all over the country. It plans to set up 30 more by year’s end and expand its network to 140 stations by 2010.

It is the country’s first petroleum company to go public since the oil industry’s deregulation in 1998.

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/jan/19/yehey/business/20080119bus10.html

Ibex

January 19th, 2008, 07:13 PM

The Phoenix is rising from the ashes...:cheers: someday... an important petroleum company to be reckoned with... watch out!!!^^

odyssey

January 22nd, 2008, 08:30 PM

http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS20080123115099.html

IT services firm Headstrong expands in RP

Global consulting and IT services firm Headstrong is expanding its operations in the Philippines as a result of increased outsourcing and offshoring (O&O) opportunities.
"Our clients see the Philippines as a largely untapped gem when it comes to outsourcing and offshoring. The skills that we need are here," said Mark Kim, Headstrong vice president for delivery North America operations.
In addition to technical skills, "Cultural alignment and flexibility makes the country a viable alternative for O&O services," he said.
"The Philippines is now taken very seriously," he said, "as a quality provider of a range of outsourcing and offshoring services. Coupled with this perception is the benefit, for the Philippines, of accelerating demand globally for these services."
Headstrong’s Manila Global Delivery Center (GDC) provides implementation support, engineering and quality assurance services to international clients. Increased client interest in the Philippines as well as positive outsourcing trends account for the decision to expand the Manila GDC.
Michael Freiman, a Headstrong engagement principal based in New York, said the strength of the Manila GDC is the customer experience. "Customers meet our people here and immediately know they can get the job done. When you come out here, you see it," he said.
"That’s because our people are able to articulate the issues clearly and then demonstrate that they can and they will to get the job done on a collective level."
Both executives observed that long-term and repeat client engagements increasingly require more than process experience and domain expertise.
"Close alignment in terms of management perspective and a deep understanding of the client’s business are becoming much more important," Freiman said. "Expertise is fairly widely available in many of the tier-two O&O centers around the world, so it is important that tierone providers differentiate themselves in other ways."

lightsaber46

January 23rd, 2008, 03:42 AM

IT services firm Headstrong expands in RP
http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS20080123115099.html

Global consulting and IT services firm Headstrong is expanding its operations in the Philippines as a result of increased outsourcing and offshoring (O&O) opportunities.

"Our clients see the Philippines as a largely untapped gem when it comes to outsourcing and offshoring. The skills that we need are here," said Mark Kim, Headstrong vice president for delivery North America operations.

In addition to technical skills, "Cultural alignment and flexibility makes the country a viable alternative for O&O services," he said.

"The Philippines is now taken very seriously," he said, "as a quality provider of a range of outsourcing and offshoring services. Coupled with this perception is the benefit, for the Philippines, of accelerating demand globally for these services."

Headstrong’s Manila Global Delivery Center (GDC) provides implementation support, engineering and quality assurance services to international clients. Increased client interest in the Philippines as well as positive outsourcing trends account for the decision to expand the Manila GDC.

Michael Freiman, a Headstrong engagement principal based in New York, said the strength of the Manila GDC is the customer experience. "Customers meet our people here and immediately know they can get the job done. When you come out here, you see it," he said.

"That’s because our people are able to articulate the issues clearly and then demonstrate that they can and they will to get the job done on a collective level."

Both executives observed that long-term and repeat client engagements increasingly require more than process experience and domain expertise.

"Close alignment in terms of management perspective and a deep understanding of the client’s business are becoming much more important," Freiman said. "Expertise is fairly widely available in many of the tier-two O&O centers around the world, so it is important that tierone providers differentiate themselves in other ways."

lightsaber46

January 23rd, 2008, 03:45 AM

BPO industry to grow 40% in 2008

http://www.mb.com.ph/INFO20080123114945.html

Edu H. Lopez

The business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is projecting an annual growth of 40 percent to $ 7 billion this year from the 2006 level of $ 5 billion despite the peso appreciation.

Oscar R. Sañez, chief executive officer of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) said the cost advantage of the country is still significant while a lot of US firms have yet to outsource their non-core business.

Sañez said the Philippines is not the only affected country by the depreciating US dollars, noting that India, a BPO country competitor, is suffering the same constraint as the Indian rupee is also strengthening against the greenback.

Company revenue losses in 2007 reached up to 12 percent as they used the P46 to P47 foreign exchange rate in their financial planning assumption while the peso even breached the P40 level towards the end of the year.

The industry suffered a "very direct hit" because its contracts are mostly with the US clients, thus measure revenue in US dollars. Like an export company, call centers and BPOs spend in pesos because they operate in the Philippines, he explained.

To address this problem, Sañez said the BPO companies at the start of 2008 have started negotiating new and renegotiated contracts based on foreign exchange rate of P38 to P40, which is the banking sector’s projection for 2008.

He said some bigger firms have also availed of hedging facilities offered by banks designed to help them cope with the impact of the rising peso.

To stay in the business, Sañez said, industry players are also exerting more efforts to improve their operational efficiencies by ensuring that their costs are well managed and their productivity is increased.

"With these, we are on track of hitting our $ 13-billion revenue target for 2010. There is no indication that we need to revise," he said.

Despite these survival strategies, Sañez still sought assistance from the government in the form of tax incentives and support for near-hire training.

"We hope that the government continues extending tax incentives to the industry and supporting our recruitment training," Sañez added

dinabaw

January 24th, 2008, 04:10 AM

Job openings @ Lane Systems

* By Blogie
* • View blog reactions
* • Viewed 13 times, 13 today

This post is a public service announcement.

Lane Systems, one of Davao’s most prominent and longest-running software development houses, is in need of filling the following positions:

Web Development Professionals — Background in ASP.NET and SQL Server preferred. Fresh graduates with similar interests may also apply. The Web Development positions will be focusing on Lane Systems’ business front ends to business solutions.

System Administrator — Preference in people with knowledge in Windows Servers and tcp/ip networks, and with good English communication skills.

Quality Assurance — Graduate of any IT or related courses may apply. QA handles the testing of software, technical writing, and tracking issues on software projects.

If you think you’re qualified, and if you’re keen on working for a world-class IT firm based in Davao City, submit your updated résumé to:

Lane Systems, Inc.
2/F VY Wheels & More Drive
J.P. Laurel Ave. cor. Palma Gil St., Davao City

http://ittalks.robilloblog.com/2008/01/24/job-openings-lane-systems/

red_jasper

January 24th, 2008, 03:33 PM

RP call centers may bear brunt of US recession (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Local%20News&p=54&type=2&sec=2&aid=2008012443)

Thursday, January 24, 2008 09:15 PM

The Philippine call center industry may likely feel the brunt of a looming US recession as large global corporations cut back on investment spending.

Analysts said a US recession would lead to a significant and serious slowdown of growth in the rest of the world, including the Philippines. One sector that could be hit hard by a downturn in the global economy is the outsourcing industry.

“Most call centers here are operated by big US corporations. Those companies which have expressed interest to put up more facilities in the country may need to reassess their business strategy. A US economic slowdown might force US companies to cut their budgets, ” an analyst at a local brokerage house said.

“We benefit when foreign companies expand operations here because it would create thousands of well paying jobs for Filipinos. But with the slowdown in the US economy, I don’t think they would be aggressive enough to beef up operations,” the analyst said. - Zinnia B. Dela Peña

dancethingy

January 24th, 2008, 03:41 PM

odyssey

January 24th, 2008, 10:22 PM

^ It's a wrong assumption coming from the oppositionists thinktank such as Ibon.
If the call center would cut jobs, they'll do it first on places where the operating costs are expensive such as the West, India, and some tiger countries in SEA. Cutting back on countries that have high operational cost would mean expansion on the Philippines' end.
It's another scare tactic of the oppositionists to cause panic amongst bpo employees and discredit the PGMA administration.

red_jasper

January 25th, 2008, 03:01 AM

^^:hm: this mysterious ANALYST should be identified, huh...

dinabaw

January 25th, 2008, 03:28 PM

Montana Pawnshop owned by the Quibods

nayki

January 26th, 2008, 03:03 AM

India BPO outfit opens RP call center
A business process outsourcing (BPO) firm based in India has opened its first Philippine facility, worth $4 million to $5 million, seeking to ride on the local information technology sector’s phenomenal growth.

The Chennai-based Allsec Technologies Ltd. inaugurated a 2,579-square meter facility at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig yesterday after formalizing its acquisition of a Filipino call center.

Allsec Senior Vice-President Paolo Narciso said the $1.5-million acquisition of Kingdom Builders, Inc. (KBI) was made last October, in a move to adapt to customers’ demands. "It is what the customers are asking for. They do not want to be [outsourced] in India; they want to be [outsourced] in the Philippines among many other places," he said.

For his part, Allsec Founder and President Adi Saravanan said the acquisition was made to increase the firm’s customer base in South East Asian markets. "We expect business to do well. And because of our ability to provide solutions from multiple geographies, we can attract more clients," he said.

Among Allsec clients are a student loan consolidator, a personal computer manufacturer, a mortgage and debt consolidation lender, an internet service provider, and an automobile company.

"We want to take advantage of a local management taking care of the business, so we acquired KBI," Mr. Saravanan added.

KBI used to be a 150-seat call center in Ortigas Center, Pasig, providing services like technical support and web development predominantly to American clients.

The required 670 agents and 80 administrative employees for the new Taguig call center have yet to be completed, Mr. Narciso said. "We are expecting to be covered within six to twelve months," he said, adding that the Taguig call center should start operations in two weeks by absorbing 150 former KBI employees.

The Taguig facility will cater to existing and future customers from the US , Australia Southeast Asia, officials said. Allsec is particularly aiming for Singapore-based companies as a customers for its Philippine unit because of "geographic and cultural proximities." —Marian Grace S. Ramos

http://www.bworldonline.com/BW012608/content.php?id=042

mambo

January 26th, 2008, 04:14 PM

sino kaya yong mga customers gusto pinoy hindi bombay

chocolato1000

January 26th, 2008, 05:38 PM

^^ I don't get it. Don't these companies want to put call centers here to cut costs because wages here are lower???? So won't outsourcing their call centers save them money? During recession isn't that what companies try to do?

^ It's a wrong assumption coming from the oppositionists thinktank such as Ibon.
If the call center would cut jobs, they'll do it first on places where the operating costs are expensive such as the West, India, and some tiger countries in SEA. Cutting back on countries that have high operational cost would mean expansion on the Philippines' end.
It's another scare tactic of the oppositionists to cause panic amongst bpo employees and discredit the PGMA administration.

^^ from simple definition of recession means that the general economic activity - GDP, industrial output, stock prices etc. declines, thus investments (including offshore) are not robust. since recession extends to about three quarters of a fiscal year, american BPO expansion in the philippines are therefore affected.

dinabaw

January 27th, 2008, 10:48 AM

PIA Press Release
2007/09/05

Commentary: Aggressive advocacy for IT industry

by Prix D Banzon

Davao City (5 September) -- A more aggressive advocacy is needed to change the mindset of people in the South as far as the IT industry sector is concerned.

Lizabel Holganza, external vice president of ICT Davao in an interview during the Talk Mindanao at SM City Davao, said the sector has not been given much focus that up to this time it is not entered as a single preferred investment area of the city.

Although they were advised that such area is already covered under Telecommunication, she said it would be best that specifically the ICT be covered also with incentive.

She bared that they are into committee hearing as the group made representation with the city council to push for an incentive package for ICT investor.

"When incentives are in place it will make us attractive to investors," she said.

She said doing business in ICT has become so reasonable that is why it is high time to come up with strong advocacy.

"We need a resolution to revise the Executive Order so that ICT be included in the city's incentive package but there has always been an obstacle," she said.

She said they already had their first hearing last August 29 and they could only hope that things will move positively.

Holganza said that the ICT business is not energy intensive compared to manufacturing and secondly the resource is already here.

"All that has to be done is change the mindset of people," she said.

She said a lot of people without their knowing are IT enable and it will help them a lot in terms of economic venture.

The demand for the technology is great and the revenue generated is so huge, she said.

She also said that with the incentives it would encourage those individual contractors to come out and eventually become part of the sector that will push the IT sector of the city to high grounds.

Andre Fournier, chair of the ICT Committee of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCCII) said that they saw hope with the city's Vice Mayor Sarah Duterte for her openness to the industry.

Fournier said they will continue with their policy advocacy to the Davao City government for the lgu to come up with concrete steps to support the industry. (PIA XI) [top]

http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&fi=p070905.htm&no=04&r=R11&y=08&mo=01

Il Tenore

January 27th, 2008, 04:10 PM

The Phoenix is rising from the ashes...:cheers: someday... an important petroleum company to be reckoned with... watch out!!!^^
Phoenix just spreaded it's wings into our city!! so fast!

of course... coz it's local...

dinabaw

January 28th, 2008, 05:01 AM

Silicon Gulf: Davao as an ICT Hub

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/6540/silicon4byandotlm0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

* By Blogie

Silicon Gulf is a nickname for Davao City and extends to the Davao Region, at Southern Mindanao, Philippines. The nickname refers to the growing number of Information Technology and IT Enabled Services (or ITES) companies sprouting in the area. The name was adapted from Silicon Valley, referring to the high tech cluster located in the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California.

source: http://www.silicongulf.net/

The Silicon Gulf concept was officially launched in October 2006. Its originator, Jason Banico, unfortunately has had to leave Davao for a spell… But he will hopefully be back in the foreseeable future. He has since turned over the cudgels to Christopher Cubos, who will certainly have my whole-hearted support in this.

Recently, Cubos organized an I.T. party — a social get-together for the city’s I.T. professionals and college students who are taking up Computer Science and related courses. There was a t-shirt design contest, and the design was to speak of “Silicon Gulf” as a realizable goal for Davao. This and upcoming activities will surely encourage more and more interest in, and further initiatives towards, Davao as a true ICT Hub. Small steps, but ones that will have a sustaining effect.

I have taken it upon myself to acquire the domain silicongulf.org, the purpose of which is to augment whatever endeavors there will be to broadcast the Silicon Gulf concept. Currently, however, SiliconGulf.org is being used as an aggregator site of Davao I.T. blogs.

http://ittalks.robilloblog.com/2007/12/10/silicon-gulf-davao-as-an-ict-hub/

dinabaw

January 28th, 2008, 05:11 AM

Silicon Gulf: Pinoy version of Silicon Valley

Have you ever heard of a place named ”Silicon Valley”? Well if your an IT student, then you should be familiar with this place. The place is full of high-tech gadgets and IT centers. It is also the center for innovation and software development. Isn’t that place so cool? Luckily, some famous IT people here in Davao got the initiative to create a remake of Silicon Valley in the US and they named it “Silicon Gulf”. Instead of using the word “Valley”, they used “Gulf” to represent the geographical location of where Davao is. Silicon Gulf was formed because of the growing number of IT companies and schools all over Davao. The primary aim was to unite all IT students and professionals and to make Davao as the center for IT research and development. As of now, the group meets at Fwends Diner located at Metro Avenue behind Gaisano Mall of Davao. We have some bonding sessions and IT seminars and tutorials. All you need to know about Information Technology and Computers is here. I am very happy and proud to be a part of this group and i hope that many more will join us.

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/2567/silicon4byandothx5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Official T- Shrit and Logo Design

http://shanswizard.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/silicon-gulf-pinoy-version-of-silicon-valley/

Il Tenore

January 28th, 2008, 11:59 AM

^^ nice logo.....

paulkrps

January 28th, 2008, 07:04 PM

bongskie09

January 28th, 2008, 09:34 PM

It's an obvious fact that many big-time call center companies nowadays are seriously considering Davao as their next base. But as reported recently in the news, the BPO industry may take the brunt on the effects of the impending recession in the United States as this might put a hold on their expansion overseas particularly in the Philippines and more so in Davao (just like what happened during the late 90's financial crisis wherein a lot of big-time projects were suspended or competely cancelled).

Harinawang huwag mangyari... IMO tough, it's all the more that they need to set-up their offices in places like ours to take advantage of the cheap labor and lessen their operating cost thus saving money and their business.

dinabaw

January 29th, 2008, 03:41 AM

just heard from my nephew Sutherland bought Link2Support , is it true?

paulkrps

January 29th, 2008, 02:33 PM

with the things that's happening in the states now, expect there'll be merging and realigning.

davaoeagle

January 29th, 2008, 07:58 PM

Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Neda sees growth in BPO industry
By Joy Romares-Sevilla
Sunstar Davao

THE top official of the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) in Southern Mindanao said investments in the business process outsourcing (BPO) are seen to rise this year due to the reduced economic activities in the United States.

"Because of the recession na nangyayari sa US, BPO industry in the Philippines is expected to rise. Ganun naman talaga, whatever loss of the US would be the gain of the Philippines," said Nicasio Angelo Agustin, Neda Southern Mindanao regional director and vice-chair of the Regional Development Council (RDC).

"I believe that the performance of our BPO industry this year would be better. The conduct of BPO-related businesses will be very costly in the US, we have a cheaper labor cost here kaya lalakas tayo," Agustin added.

Agustin, on the other hand, said that the services sector in Davao Region, which included the BPO industry, remained to be the main factor to boost the region's economic performance last year.

At the same time, he said investment trend in the region gears toward an upward direction.

"We should also watch out for the investments in the construction sector, it is expected to rise this year. Last year kasi medyo bumaba," Agustin said.

Agustin said Neda-Southern Mindanao is still finalizing the economic situation report in the region.

bongskie09

January 29th, 2008, 08:03 PM

Wow great news... It's like hitting two birds in one stone -the entry of several BPO companies which would spiral to increased number of construction activities most notably the talls! :banana:

tj_brewed

January 30th, 2008, 10:06 AM

I agree!

tj_brewed

January 30th, 2008, 10:12 AM

^^ Businesses in Davao are bound to go big! :okay:

tj_brewed

January 30th, 2008, 12:21 PM

the big and established call centers chose to build sites in Davao City! nice! good for Davao!

tj_brewed

January 30th, 2008, 07:39 PM

Thursday, January 31, 2008
Body to draft 10-year plan for ICT
By Joy Romares-Sevilla

THE Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) announced that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Task Force in Davao City would draft a 10-year plan for ICT development.

Simeon Marfori, DCCCII president, said in Wednesday's edition of the Club 888 press forum at the Marco Polo Davao that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has already signed a memorandum ordering the ICT Task Force to start working on the ICT development plan.

"The creation of the 10-year plan will rationalize the resources that we have, magiging maayos at maganda if we will have a development plan for the ICT. We are asking something like this before and hopefully, it will be completed as soon as possible," Marfori said in an interview, adding that he has no idea how long will it take for the ICT Task Force to complete the conceptualization of the plan.

Marfori said the ICT Task Force is composed of some members of the City Council, representatives from the regional office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Davao City Investment and Promotion Center (DCIPC), and from the private sector such as the DCCCII and the ICT Davao Inc.

Marfori considers the ICT industry as one of his key priorities aside from the agriculture and tourism sectors which the chamber will give focus to this year.

"ICT is the fastest growing sector in Davao. We will continue what we have started to further develop ICT. We have unique advantages over other regions in Mindanao and we hope that Davao will be the ICT hub in Mindanao," he said.

://Sunstar

Il Tenore

January 31st, 2008, 01:45 AM

^^after ten years, a dream will be a reality.... am I right?

tj_brewed

January 31st, 2008, 06:55 AM

^^ well, it's already a reality that Davao is one of the ICT Hubs in the country. The 10 year development plan is just a timeline with certain projects which would fully strengthen our edge as the ICT Hub in the island of Mindanao and the region.

Peng Hok

January 31st, 2008, 07:01 AM

^^
Kuya Jech, do you know someone who works in Convergys in Libis? :)

Il Tenore

January 31st, 2008, 10:34 AM

Il Tenore

January 31st, 2008, 10:49 AM

^^and will grow bigger and bigger!! can't wait!!

icarusrising

January 31st, 2008, 11:49 AM

IBM notes Clark free port
IT competitiveness

By Jacob Cunanan
Correspondent
The Business Mirror

CLARK FREE PORT—Information Technology (IT) giant IBM has cited the Clark Freeport’s edge in IT, noting that this former US military facility has become a strategic location for its expansion programs.

IBM Philippines president James Velasquez said in an interview in the local cable television program Aksyon Central Luzon Special Edition that Clark has “become a strategic place for IBM to focus its efforts in.”

Velasquez said IBM is eyeing Clark in line with its ongoing GEO Expansion program that taps top regions outside Metro Manila with IT opportunities.

“We are committed to bring out our IT and business solutions to Clark’s business landscape, majority of which are classified under small and medium enterprises [SMEs],” he said.

Velasquez said the SME/mid-market is one of IBM’s largest and fastestgrowing market opportunities, adding that “IBM recognizes the contributions mid-sized businesses make in innovation within their industries as well as being the driving economic engine for the global economy.”

Clark Development Corp. (CDC) president Liberato Laus likewise cited IBM for bringing IT solutions to locator and investor firms based at Clark.

Laus, during IBM’s product and services launching at the Holiday Inn Clark-Philippines dubbed IBM@Clark: Technology and Business Solutions for Clark Business Leaders, noted the free port’s competitiveness in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry.

“We are ICT-prepared [in Clark] as technology advances run at a fast pace,” Laus said.

In April last year the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) had given Clark a 9.23 score (10 being the highest) in ICT readiness.

The DTI and CICT, Laus said, certified Clark has met most of the crucial requisites of being an ideal destination for ICT locators.

“Clark is positioning itself as a viable outsourcing center for ICT and ICT-enabled services due to its strategic location, highly skilled and trainable manpower pool and available investment areas with adequate facilities,” Laus said.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/01312008/economy05.html

IslandSon.PH

January 31st, 2008, 12:06 PM

RP to rise as global BPO powerhouse – JAZA
By Zinnia B. dela Peña
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Philippines is poised to become a leading global player in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry given its highly educated and concentrated workforce and excellent quality of service, Ayala Corp. chairman and chief executive officer Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II said yesterday.

He cited the Philippines’ capacity to become a powerhouse in knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) during the launch yesterday of Integreon’s first facility in the country.

LiveIt Solutions Inc., the holding company for Ayala Corp.’s investments in the BPO sector, acquired a majority interest in Integreon, a global leader in corporate, legal and financial complex KPO, in October 2006.

The Philippines is stepping out of India’s shadow to become a competitive KPO and BPO destination especially with the rising value of the Indian rupee against the dollar. There has been a steady stream of Indian companies setting up shop in the Philippines due to increasing attrition and rising costs of doing business in India.

Zobel de Ayala II noted that the “Philippines is well positioned to gain a significant share of outsourcing service knowledge-intensive businesses” as he sees a rapid growth in the KPO business in the country.

“Our greatest asset is that Filipinos are well educated and have an excellent ability to operate successfully across both multiple cultures and knowledge domains,” he said.

He said that while the Philippine economy is doing well, a slowdown in the US economy would certainly affect export industries. He, however, believes that the BPO sector would continue to grow, albeit on a slower pace.

As proof of its bullishness on the BPO industry, the Ayala Group, through LiveIt plans to expand facilities and acquire more BPOs to expand geographic footprint. “We’re open to the idea of investing more to support our companies and our goal to become one of the leading global players in the BPO sector,” said LiveIt chief executive officer Fred Ayala.

Integreon opened its first Manila office and plans are now underway for the establishment of a second facility still within Metro Manila.

The first facility can house 100 seats while the second facility is expected to accommodate 200 to 250 seats, said Integreon Phils. country manager Joseph Tabuena.

“The Ayala Group is convinced that the time is right for the Philippines to reposition itself to become a leading global provider o outsourced high-value, professional services,” Zobel de Ayala II said.

With higher education priority, the literacy rate in the country is 95 percent, among the highest as English is taught in all schools, making the Philippines among the world’s largest English-speaking countries. Aside from this, wages in the Philippines are lower than in the US that foreign outsourcing programming and business processes to the Philippines save at least 30 to 40 percent on business costs.

Company officials are also confident that Integreon is poised to gain a significant share of the outsourcing business given its strong track record in delivering the highest levels of quality outsourcing services for the world’s largest financial services institutions, law firms, consultancies, publishing and media companies, and global corporations.

Integreon president Liam Brown said the firm’s presence in the Philippines enhances its ability to seize opportunities in the offshore legal services sector which is expected to grow to nearly $500 million.

E-Discovery, which involves the process of securing electronic data for litigation purposes and is seen to rise to $3.4 billion within five years, as well as in offshoring research and analytics in banking and financial services, which is forecast to grow to $620 million within five years.

Brown said Integreon expects its revenues to rise by 300 percent this year given the opportunities in the KPO sector.

Aside from Integreon, LiveIt also controls eTelecare, which is its primary investment in customer care.:banana:

dancethingy

January 31st, 2008, 12:11 PM

HEY Y'all, heard from my hubby that AMERICAN CALL CENTERS ARE GOING PUBLIC THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! get ready to invest.

lightsaber46

February 1st, 2008, 04:06 AM

US recession to boost local real estate, BPOs
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/feb/01/yehey/top_stories/20080201top2.html

A looming recession in the United States is expected to boost the Philippines’ booming property market and its outsourcing industries, real-estate consultants CB Richard Ellis said Thursday.

“We see no end to the demand for commercial real estate,” CB Richard Ellis Philippines Chairman Rick Santos told a news conference.

“We haven’t seen this much interest since pre-1997 [before the Asian crisis],” he said.

A report by the company said that while the call-center industry in the Philippines may feel the brunt of a US recession, it will be offset by an increase in the business process outsourcing (BPO) business as US companies increase their outsourcing of back office operations. (See related story page B1.)

Manila and other major Philippine cities are seeing building booms in office and housing to cater to the large pool of accountants, engineers, architects, and animation professionals that give US firms a lower-cost option.

Outsourcing companies in the Philippines project an annual growth of 40 percent to about $7 billion this year, from $5 billion in 2006, despite the peso’s appreciation, it added.

The company’s country vice-chairman, Joey Radovan, said outsourcing firms now account for more than 60 percent of occupancy of the three million square meters of office space in the Makati City, the financial district of Metro Manila.

Some 613,804 square meters of new commercial space are to be completed this year across the metropolitan area, and all are committed to tenants through pre-leasing, the report said.
-- AFP

chocolato1000

February 1st, 2008, 10:35 AM

Convergys reports $2.8B in revenue for 2007

MANILA, Philippines -- Call center operator Convergys Corp. cited further gains in its HR (human resource) and customer service businesses, driving revenues to more than $2.84 billion last year.

In an issued statement, Convergys said t increased its revenues from $2.78 billion in 2006. Fourth quarter revenues, however, were lower at $713 million from $720 million the previous year.

Customer Management revenues increased to $473.6 million from $468.1 million while HR Management revenues increased to $64.0 million from $57.9 million.

Growth in both segments offset the decline in the company's Information Management business, which lowered from $194 million to $176 million.

Dave Dougherty, president and CEO of Convergys, cited revenue growth in nine of the last 10 years. Net income, meanwhile, was $169.5 million compared to the previous year's $166.2 million.

Convergys forecasted 2008 revenues to reach as high as $3 billion. The Ohio-based company employs more than 11,000 agents in nine delivery centers in the Philippines.

Dougherty said: We'll accomplish this by accelerating revenue growth in Customer Management, implementing key programs in HR Management, and preserving double-digit profitability in Information Management."

Nonetheless, Convergys said the impact of revenue growth and cost saving initiatives was offset by increased labor costs and investment in ramping existing and new client contact center operations due to related to demand.

Foreign exchange related expense due to the weakened US dollar adversely impacted results in the quarter by approximately $2 million, the company added.

dinabaw

February 1st, 2008, 02:05 PM

^^

Damosa Gateway

Davao City’s newest entertainment center, Damosa Gateway, has come into its own after only about a year in existence. It is being managed by one of the city’s most established property developers, Damosa Land, which also put up Davao’s first information technology business center beside the Gateway.

What used to be a dusty, lonely part of town is now a vibrant collection of shops, restaurants, company offices and other business entities. Take a look at their parade of international cuisine: Japanese (Tsuru), Indian (Taj Minar), Spanish (Hola España), Vietnamese (Hanoi), Filipino (Avenue S, Charlie’s), fast food (Crazy Bowl, Giacomino’s). There’s also a coffee shop, called Coffee Dream. Let’s not forget the Continental restaurant and wine cellar, Swiss Deli, which is just a stone’s throw away.

This setup is perfect for Microtel Davao’s guests. Microtel, a international chain of upper-class inns, opened a 51-room property right beside Damosa Gateway last 1 October 2007. This business hotel does not have an in-house restaurant, so the presence of the Gateway’s shops is very complementary indeed.

Aside from food places, there are also a pharmacy, boutiques, an Internet café, and a bank (RCBC Savings). Although Damosa Gateway is located quite a distance from the city center, it has the makings of a self-contained community.

Established in 2001 and slightly towering over the Gateway is the island’s foremost Japanese-language educational institution: Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku (Mindanao International College). Inside its compound as well is the Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai School of Davao, which is MKD’s counterpart school for the elementary and high school levels.

I believe that a huge part of what pushed the development of this area in Davao is the establishment of Link2Support.This IT-enabled company is reportedly Mindanao’s largest call center. In Davao, it employs about 500 agents, with plans of expanding that number in the near future. Of course, credit is also due to Damosa Land, whose forward-thinking pioneers have brought vibrancy to this northern section of Davao City.

http://www.angdabawenyo.com/2008/02/01/damosa-gateway/

Il Tenore

February 2nd, 2008, 12:53 AM

^^the rooms in Microtel are big! we went there last October..

odyssey

February 2nd, 2008, 09:43 PM

AIG Business Processing Services to invest up to $5.5M in RP
By Ma Elisa P. Osorio
Sunday, February 3, 2008
http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27&aid=2008020223

AIG Business Processing Services, Inc. will invest up to $5.5 million in the country for the expansion of its business process outsourcing (BPO) unit.

During the inauguration of the company’s second operations center, Charles R. Schader, AIG senior vice president for claims said the investment will double their operations increasing the number of seats in their BPO to 250 from 160.

“We are confident that our expansion will bring in more employment for the Filipinos,” Schader noted.

”We would like to see first how the investment would turn out but definitely we see a lot of potential for the Philippines,” he added.

The BPO facility, which is located in the Paragon Corporate Center in Alabang, will not only process transactions from the Philippines. It will likewise service the US based clients of the firm.

AIG has BPO facilities in the US as well as other Asian countries. However, Schader said the operations in the other countries like Kuala Lumpur is not similar to the operations here.

AIG’s BPO is a service center providing back-office and call center support to AIG businesses worldwide.

It will specialize in complex insurance transactions supporting new applications, underwriting support, policy changes and claims.

The Alabang office will support the claims business in North America which is currently expanding and requires greater capacity.

The expansion will provide the additional capacity along with high-quality services and a more robust disaster recovery platform.

AIG is a world leader in insurance and financial services. It is a leading international insurance organization with operations in more than 130 countries.

abskess

February 4th, 2008, 06:40 AM

^^pix please....:)

Il Tenore

February 4th, 2008, 08:43 AM

nako po! I don't have them... sorry!

icarusrising

February 4th, 2008, 11:22 AM

Call centers unfazed by risks

By Max V. de Leon
Reporter
The Business Mirror

THE local call-center industry overshot its 35-percent growth target for 2007, posting instead a 57-percent increase in revenues to about $3.3 billion from only $2.1 billion in 2006 despite problems posed by the peso appreciation and high power costs.
In terms of number of seats, the industry grew by 26.3 percent to 120,000 from 95,000 in 2006, according to Jojo Uligan, executive director of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP).

With the number of seats growing, the industry’s full-time employees also increased to 198,000 individuals in 2007 from only 160,000 a year before, or a 23.7-percent increment.

Uligan said the voice segment of the country’s business-process outsourcing (BPO) sector managed to achieve these growths despite challenges.

“We hit our targets even if the exchange-rate fluctuation affected our revenues,” Uligan said.

This year, Uligan said they are targeting a modest growth of 35 percent to 40 percent despite the prospects of more business coming in from the US, where corporations are projected to beat the recession blues by resorting to more outsourcing in order to cut costs.

Uligan said they agree with experts that US firms will be looking to outsource more of their operations for better cost efficiency.

“If they [US firms] outsource to us, they will be able to save on cost while maintaining the same quality of services,” Uligan said.

With this—unlike the country’s merchandise exporters, which are looking at reduced shipments to the US—Uligan said they are looking at a possible US recession from a positive angle.

The US is the top market of the local call-center industry, representing 90 percent of its business.

Also seen as another growth driver for the year are the industry’s promotional works in other big markets such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

He said more contracts will be derived from these countries although the share of the US will not be slashed that much.

The call-center industry is the biggest contributor in the revenues of the BPO sector at about 65 percent in 2006.

While the final numbers for the whole BPO sector are not yet in, Uligan said the share of the voice segment probably grew more in 2007.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/02042008/headlines01.html

mydavaocity

February 4th, 2008, 11:28 AM

Lane Systems is looking for qualified individuals for these positions:

Web Development Professionals
System Administrator
Quality Assurance

For more info go to this link (http://workwithria.wordpress.com/2008/01/28/job-openings-at-lane-systems/)

kevinb

February 5th, 2008, 02:25 PM

Speaking of Indian companies, any update on the Sutherland's opns site in Davao City..?

Sutherland's site in Davao is already operational, as well as the Camarines Sur site.

lightsaber46

February 6th, 2008, 05:56 AM

Baguio City removed from RP list of IT hubs
http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20080206116318.html

Due to lack of telecommunication infrastructure facilities

By DEXTER A. SEE

BAGUIO CITY — Players in the Information Technology (IT) industry have removed this mountain resort city from the list of the major IT and call center hubs in the country due to the lack of sufficient telecommunication infrastructure facilities that would guarantee continuous service to foreign and local clients.

This was reported by Trinidad C. Trinidad, executive director of the Baguio-Benguet Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (BBCCII), who said that it is now high time for the government to adopt appropriate measures that would attract telecommunication investors to come to this city and build the needed facilities for advanced IT operations.

She said that IT and call center companies expanding their operations in the Philippines go to Cebu, Davao, Clark or Subic because of the presence of three or more service providers that could guarantee their uninterrupted service to their clients in the different parts of the world.

In this city, it is only the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Smart Telecommunications Co. which are considered as advanced telecommunication service providers of the call centers here.

Trinidad said that the delisting of this city as one of the IT and call center hubs in the country is a big setback and contrary to the repeated pronouncements of national and local officials that this city is fast becoming the IT and call center hub of the north.

While business in this city remains in good shape despite the economic slowdown in the United States (US) and unabated oil price increases, Dennis Sy, president of the Baguio Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BFCCI), said that the government, both national and local, must adopt appropriate programs and projects that are designed to boost investors’ confidence in a certain area like Baguio City so that the desired economic growth in the areas outside Metro Manila can be achieved.

In the case of this city, businessmen have time and again prodded local officials to formulate a local investment plan to serve as a plus factor for prospective investors to locate their businesses here especially in the telecommunication industry in which the city is falling behind.

Trinidad said that IT and call center companies have greatly helped in providing employment to thousands of residents, but the delisting of the city as one of the IT and call center hubs in the country could adversely affect the economic gains which the city has achieved in the past several years.

Ironically, telecommunication companies are having second thoughts of investing billions of pesos for the improvement of their facilities to cope with the advancement of technology because of the allegedly huge capital needed due to the mountainous terrain and the low return of investment caused by a small market.

abskess

February 7th, 2008, 05:11 AM

^^thanks for posting My:) welcome :)

davaoeagle

February 7th, 2008, 09:27 AM

PIA Press Release
2008/02/07
Japan absorbs Davao IT graduates
By Mai Gevera

Davao City (7 February) -- Now expanded in Davao City, passers and top scorers of the PhilNITS Certification Program are being hired by Japanese companies to work abroad or in the company's local base in Manila.

Shinichiro Kato, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) expert, announced yesterday the absorption of the Davao IT experts who took the certification exam last October 2007.

"Out of the 30 exam takers, only one reached the passing rate but majority of them landed on the average level.", he said.

However, the exam results awed the Japanese companies as they never expected Davao City to be producing experts in the said field.

Known to be an agriculture haven of the Philippines, Dabawenyos are now seen to be also fairing well in the field of information technology.

In the recent visit of top executives of Data Horizon in this city, five PhilNITS takers are set to be hired and to start working in Japan.

"This is just one of the many benefits that an IT graduate or expert will receive if he takes the PhilNITS certification. Aside from that, there are plenty of scholarships and trainings given by Japan for Filipino IT experts." said Loy Torres, the first Dabawenyo PhilNITS passer in the 2003 exam.

Also, Kato stressed the trust of Japanese companies on this particular exam such that they only rely on PhilNITS passers and takers to qualify for a work visa.

Japanese consider this exam a tough one, however, Davao takers are actually fairing well and showed great potential in the field of both hardware and software technology.

Kato announced the recent policy implemented in Japan that enables companies to start hiring Asian it experts to address the ageing population of the said country.

It was shown that of the 600 passers of the said exam since it started; about 10 percent of the said number are already working abroad and are enjoying good compensation while the rest are handling good jobs in the local IT market.

Meanwhile, JETRO is also promoting Davao City, next to Manila and Cebu to be the business hub of Japanese companies.

A number of companies and associations are set to visit and check the Davao market this month such as the Sanko Consultancy, Moason Japan, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Nagano City, Shizuoka Prefecture IT Association, I-Mergeonline International, Blue-Eyed Doragon Technology, Fujitsu, and Subic Software Solution.

"Aside from letting these companies absorb local IT experts to work abroad, we are also encouraging these companies to establish their base in this city," Kato said.

Also the Department of Trade and Industry is now initiating efforts to spread to the different IT schools in Davao about the conduct of the PhilNITS certification exam.

It has started holding school forum urging IT students and graduates to take advantage of the said certification exam and explore the many opportunities that one can get from it.

More and more students and graduates are set to take the next certification exam on April 6 this year to be held at the University of Immaculate Conception. (PIA) [top

SugarFreak

February 7th, 2008, 01:32 PM

January 28, 2008
Bacolod: One Sanparq obtains PEZA registration (http://www.visayandailystar.com/2008/January/28/businessnews4.htm)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t226/cosmosnegros/sanparkbacolod.jpg

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority has issued a certificate of registration to A. U. & Sons Merchandising Inc., developer of the San Antonio Park Square , in Mandalagan, Bacolod City .

The registration allows AU & Sons to establish, develop, administer, manage and operate One Sanparq as the first and only Build-to-Suit Information Technology Center in Western Visayas .

One Sanparq will be the Bacolod site of Convergys, a business process outsourcing company, which has been operating in the Philippines since 2004, and employs over 11,000 Filipino workers nationwide.*

tj_brewed

February 7th, 2008, 09:25 PM

SITEL, worldwide leading call center, comes to Davao
PIA Press Release
2008/02/08

Davao City (8 February) -- Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) newly-designated OIC-regional director and labor attaché 11, Atty. Jalilo O. dela Torre bared today that SITEL, a world's leading call center company plans to invest and establish its company here in Davao.

Labor Attache and OIC-regional director dela Torre, who just assumed office last February 1st said that with SITEL's plan to expand its services here in Davao, Dabawenyos would expect more employment opportunities to be provided by one of the biggest call center in the world, he said.

Meanwhile, OIC-assistant regional director Ofelia Domingo said just very recently, SITEL's Human Resource Development for Northern Mindanao, Ms. Irene Roa, presented its company profile during their visit here in Davao.

The presentation was held at the Holy Cross of Davao college gym with the support of DOLE regional office and PESO manager Arnold Barillo, and participated in by partner stakeholders, PESO managers, students and DOLE personnel coming from the various parts of Mindanao region.

Director dela Torre shared a success story of DOLE-CAR in its linkages with SITEL and other stakeholders in making Baguio City as an ICT friendly City that boost employment generation in the area.

SITEL is now looking for a competitive agent who can help in upholding and bringing out the name of the company here in Davao City, an agent who can help in providing fully integrated customer care and back office processing services.

Ms. Roa, in her company presentation said "one thing I can assure is that: customer can expand professionalism, service consistency, support and information in every transaction."

We are set to establish a well-managed call center that can serve customer quickly, honestly and efficiently and effectively in call handling, faster response to callers, phone etiquette, basic logic in telephone problem solving and many more outsourcing services, Mr. Roa further said. (PIA) [top]

paulkrps

February 7th, 2008, 09:28 PM

kimber posted this in another thread.

with the sprouting of call centers anywhere, i was wondering, how's our english. anyway, enjoy the article.

The language of a world-clash Pinoy (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/feb/08/yehey/opinion/20080208opi7.html)

Call centers may be sprouting like mushrooms in the last few years, creating a need for young Filipinos with a good command of the English language. But if you look around, instead of improving in grammar, a rather comical distortion of English has spun off, through the inventive “innovation” of Pinoys.

It’s quite hard to explain, so allow me to try using the language I am talking about. Decipher it with this story:

Lhani was a freshly graduated girl, who couldn’t get a jab, so she decided to enter Law school. It was tough, so she tells herself, “You are smart, so keep that bear in mind!” She passed away the entrance exam without a leak, because for her, honestly, it’s the best policy. When she came to class, she it a blessing in the skies because of a handsome profession named Sir Ten Lee. She thought, “When it rains, it’s four. Every cloud has a silver lightning!”

She pretended to have difficulty in class, so she could stay from time after time for tutoring, until the professor would say, “we must wrap up for this is already mute and academy. I adjourn this meeting as annulled and void.” He would also tell her to rest and call it tonight. Eventually, their relationship became deeply. From formal conversations it became personal like, “tell me who you’re friends are and I’ll tell you mine.” Lhani was head in shoulders in love, so she asked what the real score was, or if he just intended to play in the field. Sir Ten Lee said she was beautiful for true beauty is in the eye of the tiger. But they must not rush and just burn the bridge when they get there. He asked her if she would join him stargazing inside the telescope. Lhani loves it, and she always goes to the conservatory sometimes. Before taking her home, he asked her, “Can we do this again for the second time once more?” She was so touched by an angel! Before he left, she kissed him and asked him to call her when he gets home along the way.

Lhani went back to school and found a new professor in lieu within Sir Ten Lee. She said Sir Ten Lee had an emergency in the provincial. This replacement professor asked them to arrange themselves alphabetically by height, and then form a straight circle. She was so strict and often told her students, “Don’t just say the topic, disgust it! As a punishment, she would tell them, “I would like to see you in my office right now, after a while,” then make them sing the alphabet from one to ten, or recite the code of ethical as loud as they can quietly.

Lhani called Sir Ten Lee’s phone to look for him but a girl answered, “Hello? This is Rhoxanne, his girlfriend. Please hang yourself. He is out of town, would you like to wait? Lhani could not believe it and asked, “What? Are you drugs? Can you repeat it again for the second time once more?” And then she cried buckles of tears after knowing she was two times.

Sir Ten Lee returned, and told Lhani, “Can you please go there besides me?” She shouted, “How dare you are! The nerves! I can’t take it anymore of this, you broke my heartache, you son of a pistol!” He reached for her, but she hit him, “Don’t touch me not!” Sir Ten Lee got fished off and said, “What’s the mother? Why don’t you cut me some slacks!?!” Angrily, she answered, “You said you will text me everyday at least once a week! I called to say I love you then I find out about your another!

Lhani challenged him to choose between the two girls, but he said, “it’s hard to compare; you’re like orange and lemons.” She can’t forgive and let’s go easily, so she never wants to see him again forever. Lhani got a refund and left. Mortal of the story? You can’t fight a woman in tuition.

I hope I heat the nail on the head and get my message across. If not, you might be a few and only one of those who is use to this bizarre, everyday conversion.

Il Tenore

February 8th, 2008, 01:31 AM

^^what happened? it's all wrong! hehe!

paulkrps

February 8th, 2008, 01:37 AM

^^exactly. so how's our english?:lol:

Il Tenore

February 8th, 2008, 01:42 AM

I really don't know! hehe!!

dinabaw

February 8th, 2008, 03:02 AM

davaoeagle

February 8th, 2008, 03:05 AM

^^

With a lot of progression, who wouldn't? :lol:

tj_brewed

February 8th, 2008, 07:07 AM

Peng Hok

February 8th, 2008, 07:22 AM

^^

With a lot of progression, who wouldn't? :lol:

Seems like this word has reached its unstoppable progression indeed. :lol:

Peng Hok

February 8th, 2008, 07:27 AM

a forumer said "we will follow suite" :lol:

Uttering that while inside the hotel suit :lol:

tj_brewed

February 8th, 2008, 10:20 PM

US firm opens call center, recruits agentsBy Antonio M. Ajero

CALLBOX, a successful contact center in Iloilo City, has established a branch in Davao City and is now recruiting agents during a two-day job fair at the Ateneo de Davao University on Friday and Saturday.

Callbox owners Glen Norris and Rom Agustin are in the city personally supervising the setting up of the call center at the 8th and 9th floors of Landco building along J. P. Laurel Avenue near Victoria Plaza Mall.

Norris said the company, which they started in California, would hold another jobs fair on February 22 and 23 at the Landco building.

Agustin said the company would hire as many qualified job applicants.

In Iloilo alone, Callbox is on its 4th year of operation and has 550 agents servicing more than 300 clients all over the world.

Norris said Callbox will stay in Davao City for as long it is able to recruit its needed manpower here.

The partners said they chose to locate in Iloilo and Davao, rather than in Manila, Cebu or Clark (Pampanga) because of the better business atmosphere and availability of qualified applicants for agents.

"It's not a question of clients," Agustin bared, saying the company has been politely turning away clients as the firm still lacks the manpower to service them.

Norris said there is a shortage of agents now because of the dearth of qualified applicants.

"We (industry) would need about half a million agents during the next two years," Norris said.

He said the Davao operation starts in a few weeks.

Those who qualify for recruitment will be trained by Callbox instructors from Iloilo, but only for a while, as Dabawenyos call agents themselves will be trained to become trainers.

Norris and Agustin suggested that government and education leaders do something about the educational system of the country.

Agustin was born in Manila and started primary school there before his family migrated to the United States.

He lamented over the low quality of graduates turned out by Philippine schools as reflected in the kind of applicants seeking jobs at Philippine call centers.

Unless Philippine schools can turn out better qualified graduates, he said, the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry would be forced to locate in India, Mexico and other countries proven to be with better educational systems.

Agustin also suggested that government weed out diploma mills among Philippine schools responsible in turning out low quality graduates.

Work in call centers being knowledge-based is very demanding, he said. "It is not just about proficiency in English; it also being able to handle highly sensitive negotiations and close big transactions," he said.
:banana:

another center na naman po! Truly, Davao is Mindanao's ICT Hub!

Il Tenore

February 8th, 2008, 11:36 PM

^^ I second the motion...

lightsaber46

February 9th, 2008, 03:09 AM

BPO firm offers 5,000 seats
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business1_feb9_2008

A start-up American call center operator has committed to invest $30 million and generate 5,000 home-based customer support positions throughout the Philippines within three years.

“Our goal is to get to several hundred seats very quickly,” Brian Silverman, chief executive of Callworkz, said in a news briefing at the Peninsula Manila Hotel in Makati City yesterday.

Silverman, a former executive of hosted call center solutions provider Five9, said Callworkz aimed to increase its business to 5,000 seats in three years, translating into around $120 million in annual revenues.

Callworkz provides services for the outsourcing needs of international companies through a home-based model that allows call center agents to work from their homes. The company expects the model to be the key to eliminating high employee turnover in the competitive call center industry.

Junie Pama, the Filipino chief operating officer of Callworkz, said the company was looking for experienced call center agents, who are willing to be retrained for home-based work, and who have a computer, a headset and Internet connectivity at home.

He said Callworkz would shoulder the cost of Internet connectivity, which will link the home-based computer of the agent to the United States-based infrastructure of Callworkz.

Silverman said Callworkz planned to alter the traditional employer-employee relationship in the Philippines, by giving their call center agents an opportunity to be both employees and owners at the same time.

“Qualified agents at Callworkz can expect attractive compensation/incentive packages, including highly competitive salaries, bi-annual performance bonuses, and aggressive stock option ownership program for all employees sharing in the profitability of the company,” he said.

“Our uniqueness and our combination of compensation-based programs, equity ownership and social responsibility will guarantee the attraction and retention of only the best agents,” Silverman said. “This in turn will promote satisfaction of our clients ensuring their loyalty and growth further adding to the profitability of Callworkz.”

Silverman said Callworkz would also give employees a rewarding experience in participating in corporate social responsibility.

He said that from a social perspective, the company would donate part of its proceeds to help the next generation of Filipinos, via the effort of the Knowledge Channel Foundation, which is involved in the improvement of educational programs.

“From an individual perspective, all employees at Callworkz will be encouraged to donate part of their time to the same worthy cause. We’re an organization backed by credible executives and investors who have chosen to market the Philippines exclusively,” he added.

Silverman said Callworkz aimed to help the Philippines achieve its goal of generating more than 1 million jobs in the thriving business process outsourcing sector by 2010.

“While we initially will be focusing in Metro Manila, as we expand we will continue our job creation and social responsibility programs throughout the country, capitalizing on newer and innovative technologies,” he said.

The Business Processing Association of the Philippines said the industry grew 40 percent year-on-year to about $4.5 billion to $5 billion in terms of revenues in 2007, employing more than 300,000 individuals, mostly in call centers.

BPAP expects the local BPO industry to grow by another 40 percent to $7 billion, which is within the government’s target of expanding the sector to a $10-billion industry, employing more than 1 million people by 2010. Roderick T. dela Cruz

kc5169

February 9th, 2008, 05:31 AM

While all this growth is great for the short term, I see the bpo market in the philippines maxing out in about 2010. Then it will start to go downhill. There are a few laws that are trying to be passed about outsourcing. Also a lot of companies are seeing that even though they are saving money, the end result is that its hurting them. When a consumer finds out their call is going overseas, while they might not say anything, most do not like it. They dont want their personal information going outside the house let alone the country. If I were you, keep your original course from college always in mind, cause I dont think the industry will last very long or at least long with the growth its been currently giving.
The industry will shift from india to the philippines, then I think it'll goback to the host country and be subcontracted to other agencies there in the US, UK, Canada or australia. Most locals just do not want their information going overseas. While this statement will definitely upset some people in the industry now, its the sad truth. Some companies have tried the philippines and are just moving back to their host country.l

lightsaber46

February 9th, 2008, 06:41 AM

Taipan Lucio Tan’s Eton Properties plans to build a low-rise call-center complex in a 12-hectare property, a former paper factory, in Novaliches’ Quirino Avenue.

http://www.cocktales.com.ph/category/moneygoround/page/4/

red_jasper

February 9th, 2008, 07:45 PM

‘Next-wave cities’ to take limelight in RP’s largest outsourcing confab (http://www.mb.com.ph/INFO20080210116648.html)

To reflect the growing trend among BPO firms which have started to locate in the countryside, a government-organized conference is emphasizing the readiness of "tier-two" cities to host outsourcing work.

This year’s 8th e-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition is drumbeating the emergence of local regional hubs or "next-wave cities" as alternative sites to established but overly saturated areas like Metro Manila and Cebu.

The confab, to be held February 11 to 12 at the SMX Convention Center in Roxas Pasay City, is organized annually by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) — the DTI agency in charge of export promotion — in cooperation with the Bureau of Investments (BoI) and the Regional Operations Group (ROG) of the DTI.

Felicitas Agoncillo-Reyes, DTI assistant secretary and CITEM executive director, said the event would serve as a venue for BPO firms to examine the current shift among service providers of locating to offshoring hubs outside the business districts of Metro Manila, and other tier-one cities.

"We believe that this geographical expansion is an important development, and presents great opportunity to tier-two BPO hubs," Agoncillo-Reyes said in a statement issued to the media.

According to the government, the BPO industry employs more than 300,000 Filipinos and generated approximately billion in revenues last year, a 34-percent increase over 2006. The industry is expected to grow another 30 percent this year, to $7 billion.

The trade department, through Undersecretary Carissa Cruz-Evangelista, who heads the DTI Regional Operations Group, has identified a list a "next wave cities" that cans serve as outsourcing destinations.

Among these cities, 150 have confirmed their participation in the event: Urdaneta and Dagupan Cities, Pangasinan; Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority; Poro Point, San Fernando City, La Union; Berthaphil Inc.’s developments in Clark Field, Pampanga; Cagayan De Oro City, Misamis Oriental; Bacolod City, Negros Occidental; Legazpi City, Albay; Santa Rosa, Laguna; Iloilo City; Davao City; Cainta City, Rizal; Balanga City, Bataan; Batangas City; and the Province of Leyte.

A "next wave cities" forum will also be held on February 12. It will serve as a venue for the cities to present their outsourcing and offshoring investment capabilities, along with their available human resources, competitive cost, strength and quality of infrastructure, and business environment, and risk management in their respective localities.

e-Services organizers said key industry associations are supporting the conference. They include the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPA/P), the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP), the Animation Council of the Philippines (ACPI), the Medical Transcription Industry Association of the Philippines Inc. (MTIAPI), and the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA). — Melvin G. Calimag

paulkrps

February 10th, 2008, 12:33 AM

Uttering that while inside the hotel suit :lol:

at least while in there, you have to wear a tie and suite.:lol:

dinabaw

February 10th, 2008, 05:25 AM

Welcome to Davao Tech Jobs! This Web site is your online resource for I.T. jobs, employment opportunities in the I.T. industry, and related services.

For job-seekers, this site will provide you with the latest in job openings in technology firms and I.T.-enabled services companies.

For employers, Davao Tech Jobs is at your service: send us your manpower requirements and we’ll have them posted here immediately.

In the coming weeks, online services will be added to the site: a résumé builder, company profiles, and more! We are open to suggestions, comments, constructive criticism. To subscribe to our blog feed, please

http://www.davaotechjobs.com/2008/02/welcome/

Il Tenore

February 10th, 2008, 09:25 AM

just passing by to say...

Good Afternoon Davao!!

dinabaw

February 11th, 2008, 07:49 AM

so let us see how many IT companies housed in every bldg.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/tj_brewed/kadayawanvisit2oo7/day35.jpg

Pryce Tower
1.Sitel
2. Sutherland

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/tj_brewed/kadayawanvisit2oo7/day36.jpg
Landco Corporate Tower
1. Callbox

photos borrowed from tj_brewed

tj_brewed

February 11th, 2008, 08:05 AM

so let us see how many IT companies housed in every bldg.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/tj_brewed/kadayawanvisit2oo7/day35.jpg

Pryce Tower
1.Sitel - best performing global center for 2008 as per Global Outsourcing and NEO IT

2. Sutherland - one of the biggest contact centers in the country.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/tj_brewed/kadayawanvisit2oo7/day36.jpg

Landco Corporate Tower

1. Callbox - a new international contact center player in the city
2. Lane Systems - software and networking solutions
3. Mozcom - offers internet connection and other web solutions

^^ Feel free to add po :okay:

dinabaw

February 11th, 2008, 08:06 AM

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6694/reco0173rc6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Damosa IT building 2

1. Link2Support expansion

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/sscnaxju/Image200.jpg
Damosa Bldg. 1

1. Link2Support

tj_brewed

February 11th, 2008, 08:07 AM

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6694/reco0173rc6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Damosa IT building 2

1. Link2Support expansion

Do we have a latest shot of this building? How does it look like now? I beliegve this shot was taken during its construction stage aight?

dinabaw

February 11th, 2008, 08:11 AM

Do we have a latest shot of this building? How does it look like now? I beliegve this shot was taken during its construction stage aight?

yeah old pic teej 100% complete na yan, i think si @nick4ubaby naay latest ana but i can't find it :okay:

Il Tenore

February 11th, 2008, 02:35 PM

^^I want to see the latest picture....

dinabaw

February 11th, 2008, 03:12 PM

^^ demand of the demanding :lol:

paulkrps

February 11th, 2008, 03:15 PM

[CENTER]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/tj_brewed/kadayawanvisit2oo7/day36.jpg

nice ambiance ang blu gre dire. nice prices too.:lol:

odyssey

February 12th, 2008, 12:28 AM

Evalueserve eyes RP as fifth hub
By MA. ELISA P. OSORIO
The Philippine Star
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=108824

Evalueserve, a leading provider of knowledge process outsourcing (KPO), announced Monday it is eyeing the Philippines as its fifth hub.

"We are here to evaluate the Philippines if we can make it our fifth hub," visiting Evalueserve chief executive officer Marc Vollenweider told reporters Monday.

Evalueserve already has four research centers worldwide. They are in Gurgaon, India; Shanghai, China; Valparaiso, Chile; and New York, US. The company employs over 2,000 professionals globally.

"As of the moment the Philippines is the only location they are considering," Vollenweider said, adding that we have already received the result of the study conducted by the research firm that we hired.

Vollenweider said their company is looking for a country that has low attrition rate.

"We want our employees to be loyal to us because we spend 10 percent of our working time training our employees," Vollenweider said.

In India, he said the attrition levels are very high at 30 to 50 percent every year. Vollenweider said the Philippines can take advantage of the current situation in India.

"The Philippines has a potential opportunity. It is an English speaking country that is a good alternative to the overheated Indian job market," Vollenweider said.

Vollenweider said the ideal attrition level is anywhere between 10 to 15 percent.

The attrition level in the Philippines is below 10 percent.

"The reason why I’m here is to figure out who would be interested in joining us," Vollenweider said.

Evalueserve provides custom market research, business research, analytics, investment research, intellectual property and legal process services, and marketing and sales support services.

Vollenweider explained that they would be hiring highly skilled employees to perform specialized services. As such, he said their company would be providing world-class training.

Should they decide to invest here, he said they would be hiring 500 to 600 people in five years. When they entered Shanghai, Vollenweider said it took them two years to hire 130 people and a year to get 100 people set up in Latin America.

lightsaber46

February 12th, 2008, 03:10 AM

Nearly $1B needed for outsourcing industry to hit 2010 revenue target
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW021208/content.php?id=004

THE PHILIPPINES needs to invest nearly a billion dollars in education, training and infrastructure in order to capture its targeted revenues of $13 billion for the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry by 2010.

Tholons, Inc., an international investment and advisory firm on information technology, business, and knowledge services, said these investments should come from the Philippine government and the private sector.

"The Philippines needs to invest about 6%-7% of the $13-billion target. These are investments in terms of infrastructure, office buildings, technology, education and training of people as well as investments for smaller cities," Tholons Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Avinash Vashistha told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the e-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition 2008 in Manila.

He stressed the Philippines, which is positioning itself as a premier global BPO player, should focus next on outsourcing of legal, finance and accounting, as well as engineering services.

The United States, he added, should be the Philippines’ key market, but the country should also focus on other English-speaking markets like Canada and the United Kingdom. Mr. Vashista also said the Philippines should focus on promoting other cities to prospective locators.

Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) Chief Executive Officer Oscar R. Sañez said the industry is on track to achieving the goals set in the BPA/P Roadmap 2010 launched last year.

He said the local BPO industry is targeting an annual growth of 40% until 2010, which is equivalent to $13 billion in revenues. For this year, the industry is targeting revenues of $7 billion.

A report released yesterday said the industry saw a 50% increase in revenues to $4.9 billion last year from $3.3 billion in 2006.

This translated to 300,000 jobs, up 27% from 2006, the report said.

The report said further that revenues of the contact center segment grew by 53%, back office or non-voice BPO by 32%, software by 56% and engineering services by 124%.

The BPA/P official also stressed the need to address challenges to growth such as improving the quality of education, having a more stable currency, imposition of tax incentives, recruitment of the right people and political stability.

In a previous interview, Mr. Sañez said the local BPO industry is looking at expanding its hold in the United States and non-traditional markets through a "more organized and aggressive" marketing program in 2008.

"There are still untapped companies and services in the US market that have yet to be outsourced. We are also strengthening our presence in the European market through major marketing programs. We are also targeting Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Canada," he had said.

Mr. Sañez also said the industry could take advantage of an economic slowdown in the US which could lead to cost restructuring of firms there.

He stressed the country’s high-value services, large pool of talent, competitive infrastructure and fiscal incentives should help attract more BPO investors.

The two-day e-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition 2008, which ends today, has gathered BPO players from the US, India, Japan, Russia, and the United Kingdom. — Bernardette S. Sto. Domingo

lightsaber46

February 12th, 2008, 07:22 AM

BPO sector asks anew for incentives amid peso’s rise
http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view/20080212-118250/BPO-sector-asks-anew-for-incentives-amid-pesos-rise

By Ronnel Domingo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:27:00 02/12/2008

The Business Processing Association of the Philippines on Monday reiterated call for the government to grant incentives to help investors keep afloat in the face of a strengthening peso.

Oscar Sañez, BPA/P chief executive, told industry players from here and abroad that the strong peso was one of four main challenges that the dollar-earning sector is facing this year.

Sañez spoke at the opening of the two-day e-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition being held at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

BPO sector revenues reached $4.9 billion in 2007 and the industry hopes this would grow to $7 billion by end-2008.

“The question that the industry asks [about the peso’s strength against the dollar] is: How much longer?” Sañez said. “Incentives would help keep industry players above water while this prevails.”

In a position paper giving support to pending bills in Congress related to the rationalization of incentives, BPA/P had said keeping the perks would help the country overtake India as “the most attractive” business process outsourcing destination in the world.

Last January, Sañez said government’s policies on incentives needed to be geared to help the BPO sector as it positions itself to corner the next wave of growth in the global offshoring and outsourcing market.

Also, BPA/P’s Roadmap 2010 report, which was launched last October, pointed out that incentives were a major consideration for investors deciding to locate in the Philippines.

“Consequently, the industry believes it is imperative that the government support the industry by putting in place a menu of incentives with highly competitive investment packages for investors,” Sañez said.

He explained that the goal was to increase the Philippines’ global market share from a “meager” 5 percent, a fraction of the 45 percent enjoyed by India.

“Most Asian countries such as India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam offer different incentives to foreign investors,” Sañez said.

“Investors [that go to] India have traditionally enjoyed a 10-year income tax holiday while in the Philippines it is six to eight years,” he added.

mydavaocity

February 12th, 2008, 09:29 AM

Guys, please visit Davao Jobs (http://www.davaotechjobs.com).

Il Tenore

February 12th, 2008, 11:10 AM

^^ demand of the demanding :lol:
I'm really demanding! hehe!!

WawaY[625]

February 12th, 2008, 06:06 PM

nakalimutan nyo yung blue building na repaint to green na white na naman ngayon :lol: anong call center nga yun? yung sa lanang nga, between DCWD and Damosa

tj_brewed

February 13th, 2008, 06:06 AM

;18367152']nakalimutan nyo yung blue building na repaint to green na white na naman ngayon :lol: anong call center nga yun? yung sa lanang nga, between DCWD and Damosa

meron?

dinabaw

February 13th, 2008, 09:02 AM

^^ naa man nalimtan lang ang pangalan :D

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/tj_brewed/DAVAO/kadayawan/IMG_0348.jpg
忘記了 bldg.

1.G-Com within Davao's Chinatown

chocolato1000

February 13th, 2008, 01:13 PM

DTI names four more ‘next-wave’ cities

MANILA, Philippines -- Balanga, Cainta, Legazpi and Urdaneta are the latest to be added into the government’s list of cities groomed as investment destinations for business process outsourcing (BPO).

Representatives from each of these four cities presented the respective local initiatives at the ongoing eServices conference.

Since 2005, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has included about 45 so-called "next wave" cities list.

The Commission on ICT (CICT), meanwhile, has certified 20 of these cities as ICT hubs, based on criteria such as worker supply, telecom infrastructure and other factors necessary to sustain a local BPO industry.

The goal of this campaign is to expand the BPO industry nationwide in anticipation of further investments from the global market.

"We are not concerned about demand. It’s the competitiveness we want to maintain," said CICT chairman Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua, in a briefing.

The BPA/P (Business Process Association of the Philippines), which is working with DTI and CICT, is targeting to grow industry revenues from $5 billion (as of 2007) to at least $12 billion by 2010.

Cebu and Davao were among the first to be recognized by the DTI as investment destinations outside of Metro Manila. Since then, Cebu has attracted more 30 investors (including Accenture, IBM and India's Wipro) while Davao currently has seven locators (including call centers PeopleSupport and Link2Support), according to DTI's report.

Overall, there are at least 90 companies that either invested or expanded their operations in these cities, according to DTI.

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

tj_brewed

February 13th, 2008, 09:30 PM

Microsoft considers Davao as expansion area
by Prix D Banzon
PIA

Davao City (14 February) -- Microsoft Philippines considers Davao City as an expansion area for its office in the country after IT key players sounded off during the BIMP EAGA IT Summit late last year that they want more multi national companies come to the city.

George Parrilla, marketing manager of Microsoft Southern Philippines said they are considering their coming in to Davao City although he did not give a fix time when to come.

"We are considering this and Davao is a major area for Microsoft. But Microsoft already

is present in Davao and in fact an office for Southern Philippines has been created but based in Cebu City," he said.

Parrilla although said that when there is an office here in Davao, client-training on new softwares and other related concerns will be conducted here on a weekly basis.

"We conduct training for our partners but this is occasional and has to be organized," he said.

In Cebu and Manila, there training is done within their offices where there are designated areas and facilities for this, he said.

Parrilla said there are cases that they do market study for certain areas in Mindanao and they are looking at other areas for expansion in the future.

He said among those that they need to consider is the readiness of the market, awareness on Intellectual Property Rights, and availability of infrastructure.

He said with the steady business now in Cebu why not Davao as an expansion area.

"It will help the local industry," he said. (PIA)

abskess

February 14th, 2008, 01:15 AM

^^good! :)

Peng Hok

February 14th, 2008, 03:22 AM

;18367152']nakalimutan nyo yung blue building na repaint to green na white na naman ngayon :lol: anong call center nga yun? yung sa lanang nga, between DCWD and Damosa

Ay oo. Local based call center yun diba?

odyssey

February 14th, 2008, 04:33 AM

http://www.bworld.com.ph/BW021408/content.php?id=053

Animation to grow by 25%

THE LOCAL animation industry could grow its revenue by over 25% this year, but this growth is hinged on the number of qualified technology-enabled artists.

In a recent phone interview, Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) Chief Executive Officer Oscar R. Sañez said the 200-member organization projects a revenue increase of $40 million. "This will definitely increase this year. We estimated an increase to $150 million in 2008 from $110 million [in 2007]," he said.

Mr. Sañez admitted that the current share of the Philippines in the $26-billion global animation market is still "insignificant," but clarified that "the value of the service is big." "If we are able to get high-value contracts; it remains a high potential market," he explained.

Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPI) President Grace A. Dimaranan projects a more conservative 20% average annual revenue of the sector. "This is big global market with a huge untapped potential," she said in a separate phone interview.

"A lot of people want to do animation, but what are needed are those who have technical skills in software and programming," she said. "Last year, we had to beg off from three full-length feature films because we lack the work force."

ACPI aims to double the number of animators to 16,000 this year from 8,000 last year to fill the labor gap.

Creative Media and Film Society of the Philippines President Maria Imelda Marcos called for more high-value services. "We are already seeing a lot of competition; of course we are still preferred, but we got to compete now on value," Ms. Marcos said. "The reality is, we are no longer a cheap labor [market], and since we cannot compete in that level we should offer value-for-money services." — Marian Grace C. Ramos

Back to top

dinabaw

February 14th, 2008, 02:07 PM

^^I want to see the latest picture....

oke , oke :lol:

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3783/reco0180bt5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Damosa IT bldg. 2

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/2743/reco0184if1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
another IT company housed in this twin tower in Lanang .

Christendom

February 14th, 2008, 02:15 PM

PIA Press Release
2008/02/14
Business climate in Bacolod City impresses call center execs (http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p080214.htm&no=49)

Bacolod City (14 February) -- Teleperformance, one of the pioneer call centers in Bacolod City and said to be the 2nd biggest in the industry has met with the local executives of the city to discuss future plans of the company.

Teleperformance Executive Vice President for Philippine Operations Trevor Friensen, who is in Bacolod for the first time, was impressed by the business climate of the city.

Friensen and the other Teleperformance executives informed the mayor of their expansion plans with the coming in of new accounts in Bacolod which means hiring more call center agents to fill in the posts. Presently, Telepeformance has 400 call center agents in their Bacolod office.

New call center Manager for Bacolod, Don Sausa was also introduced to the Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia. The executives of Teleperformance are particularly impressed with the peace and order situation and the local chief executive's accessibility to the business community.

Bacolod Councilor Wilson Gamboa, SP Chairman of the Committee on Traffic, was also consulted on the possibility of having public utility jeeps pass by the call center for the convenience of the employees of the call center. Gamboa promised to bring the matter to a public hearing with PUJ Operators. (CMO/PIA/EAD) [top]

dinabaw

February 14th, 2008, 04:25 PM

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/2443/image250zw6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Malayan House

2nd flr. Global Infotech Solution

davaoeagle

February 15th, 2008, 09:42 AM

Microsoft to launch campaign for coop and agribiz industries
By Joel B. Escovilla
Mindanao Times

MICROSOFT Philippines will launch this year a more focused campaign to attract the cooperative and agribusiness industries, wading through the rather unchartered waters of the Mindanao business landscape.

George Parilla, marketing manager Microsoft-Southern Philippines which covers Visayas and Mindanao, said that the company has previously taken for granted the large untapped market of the cooperative and agribusiness companies in Mindanao.

Microsoft has patterned a different marketing strategy for Visayas and Mindanao to cater to small and medium businesses, unlike in Manila where large and multinational corporations are located, but there are also some differences.

“It’s the type of industries in Visayas and Mindanao, the agricultural companies in Cebu are located on export processing zones, more geared for exports, while here in Mindanao, it’s more large scale plantations,” he said.

Today, Microsoft, along with its resellers and partners in Davao City, will meet with the Cooperative Managers Association in Mindanao, to convince them to convert to the Small Business Server (SBS), which allows small businesses to choose the best solution depending on their needs.

Microsoft has 100 resellers and partners in Davao City alone.

The SBS comes with the Expanded Client Access License rights, which includes additional Exchange Server 2003 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 workgroup edidtion server. The standard server will cost the client P40,000 while the premium server will cost P80,000.

Parilla said the server can support up to a maximum of 75 users.

“That’s the standard size of a big cooperative, any larger and they would already have been a bank,” he said. “Cooperatives are prevalent (in Mindanao) and some are bigger than banks.”

Erick Olavides, sales manager of Microsoft, Southern Philippines, said the SQL allows the cooperatives to store and categorize large database in the server without worrying too much about security. Also, the application also allows the cooperative to connect to larger banks, providing them leeway to offer ATM cards to their clients.

“And we have partners here in Davao City who can tailor-fit the solutions for the cooperatives,” he said.

Olavides hoped the event would jumpstart a series of consultations and meetings with the association of cooperatives, agribusiness, and small businesses in Mindanao this year.

But because Microsoft deals directly with the resellers and partners, the company still relies on their requests for seminars and client meetings.

“We are a co-partner business so it depends on what our partners will say,” he said, adding that today’s meeting with the cooperative association was a result of the request of one of their partners.

Parilla said that Microsoft’s partners will help the agribusiness companies customize their applications to map out supply chain from farm to market, for example, or record the cost of shipping.

“There are opportunities here and we have to position ourselves and prepare the foundation and infrastructure,” he added.

chocolato1000

February 15th, 2008, 01:08 PM

RP needs to work more on building national BPO brand

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines has all the goods when it comes to business process outsourcing (BPO), but further awareness of its services is needed especially in markets outside of the United States.

Mark Hillary, who blogs about outsourcing and was a speaker during the recent e-Services conference, ended up with this view after finally making a visit to the Philippines. Hillary also represented the National Outsourcing Association during the conference.

After two days of meeting with local companies, Hillary said he was impressed with the things he has seen so far.

“Definitely a lot of the companies here are trying to get themselves in the radar of foreign customers. At the same time, the government seems really focused on growing the industry,” he said in an interview as the conference was winding down.

His only recommendation was that the industry here should work on a “national brand” and market the Philippines to clients outside of the US.

“It’s something Nasscom did for India for many years. India first and individual companies second,” he said, referring to the National Association Software and Services Companies, the governing industry body in India.

“Some of these individuals obviously got big enough to market themselves as a single brand,” he continued.

He also lauded the industry’s thrust toward expanding into more high-value services outside of call centers, which bring in the most revenues among subsectors of the BPO industry.

Hillary said: “There is definitely awareness here not to get stuck under just one roof. Some of the people who’ve flown in here are not looking to invest in call centers. That’s quite an exciting prospect.”

“If they (local companies) can just raise the brand awareness in the UK and the rest of Europe, definitely they can win some decent contracts,” he added.

On competing with India, he said: “India has really mastered the art of software development and I don’t see the Philippines going there. It’s definitely more into IT-enabled services.”

Hillary, however, stressed that there is no need to compare the Philippines with India because the latter is way ahead in outsourcing. But he did have encouraging words to say.

“India needs to watch out,” he said. “As far as IT-enabled services are concerned, there are really positive factors here that put you in a better position than India. Even though there is not much awareness, you definitely tick all the boxes.”

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

Il Tenore

February 15th, 2008, 02:39 PM

oke , oke :lol:

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3783/reco0180bt5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Damosa IT bldg. 2

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/2743/reco0184if1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
another IT company housed in this twin tower in Lanang .

nice!! thanks!

kiretoce

February 15th, 2008, 06:43 PM

RP BPO industry cited in Oxford Business Group report (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20080215-119141/RP-BPO-industry-cited-in-Oxford-Business-Group-report)

MANILA, Philippines -- The country’s growing outsourcing industry was cited in the first Oxford Business Group report on the Philippines.

Covering the Philippine economy and industries, including mining and politics, the 200-page report details the results of year-long research and interviews done by the United Kingdom-based research, consulting and publishing firm said Caroline Couronne, country director of Oxford Business Group, in a briefing.

The report highlighted the hiccups which the information technology industry has experienced through the years. But it also pointed out the “runaway success” of the local outsourcing and offshoring industry. It also noted the increasing broadband Internet coverage in the country, led by top telecommunications firms.

The report also made mention of programs of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) to improve access for the general population. T suggested that the IT industry and the government in general should resolve two key issues affecting the local IT industry: the national broadband network (NBN) scandal involving Chinese supplier ZTE Corp., and the need for a Department of Information and Communications Technology.

“The ZTE scandal not only delayed the arrival of enhanced access to the Internet for the majority of Filipinos, but also created a rift in relations between the industry and the government,” the report said. “There are signs, however, that the rift is being healed, and that the private sector, seeing healthy heretofore unmet demand in the market, will cooperate with government requirements to roll out better Internet services across the country, in whatever form is most appropriate.”

On the creation of an ICT department, the report said that the industry in general believes that the creation of this high-level office would enhance transparency in the IT industry, and help government push its ICT agenda.

“However, given strong growth in areas such as Internet penetration and a palpable desire in both the public and private sectors to further the market, the Philippines’ IT sector has nowhere to go but up,” the report said.

dinabaw

February 16th, 2008, 12:24 PM

Christendom

February 18th, 2008, 01:09 PM

February 18, 2008
Sustain BPO readiness, ‘next wave cities' told (http://www.visayandailystar.com/2008/February/18/businessnews2.htm)

Bacolod and other “next wave cities” outside Metro Manila were urged by industry and government leaders to sustain their readiness and competitiveness for the business process outsourcing sector, Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue said yesterday after leading the Bacolod delegation at the e-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition last Feb. 11 and 12 at the SMX Convention in Pasay City .

Batapa-Sigue said Chairman Anthony Roxas - Chua III of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology and Executive Director Oscar Sañez of the Business Processing Association of the Philippine emphasized the need for all “next wave cities” to work hard in the areas of talent development, business environment and government support.

The “next wave cities,” according to the Department of Trade and Industry and outsourcing advisory company Tholons, include Bacolod , Baguio , Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Clark/Angeles, Davao , Dumaguete, Iloilo , Legaspi, Lipa, and Sta. Rosa; the municipalities of Bacoor in Cavite and of Cainta in Rizal; and the province of Camarines Sur.

The BPAP also identified the so-called tier-two Information and Communication Technology hubs as Urdaneta and Dagupan in Pangasinan province, the Subic Bay Freeport, Poro Point in San Fernando City in La Union, the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga province, the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Legazpi, Santa Rosa, Iloilo, Davao, Cainta, Balanga, Batangas, and the cities in Leyte province.

At the Next-Wave Cities Forum, Batapa-Sigue and Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas presented the key takeaways of their respective cities.*

Il Tenore

February 18th, 2008, 01:55 PM

Good Evening Davao techies! hehe!!

WawaY[625]

February 18th, 2008, 02:03 PM

^^ LOL twin tower jud? basi twin midgets :lol:

odyssey

February 19th, 2008, 06:03 PM

http://www.bworldonline.com/BW022008/content.php?id=043
eTelecare adds 400 seats
PUBLICLY LISTED complex business process outsourcing (BPO) service provider eTelecare Global Solutions is going to expand its local operations by 400 seats.
eTelecare told the Philippine Stock Exchange in a disclosure yesterday that it would undertake the expansion to accommodate a major communications industry client that utilizes the firm’s delivery center here.
The company did not disclose the identity of the client.
eTelecare President and Chief Executive Officer John Harris said in the disclosure that the 400-seat expansion highlights the customer’s confidence in the firm.
"We continually strive for market leadership through our differentiated service and the high-quality people and processes we employ," he said.
"Significantly increasing the number of agents clearly reflects this customer’s confidence in our ability to deliver high-quality service," he added.
eTelecare said the firm’s additional inbound customer service associates would provide customer care.
The full program ramp-up is expected by this summer.
MUM ON DETAILS
eTelecare did not say how much the expansion would cost.
But Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) Executive Director Jojo J. Uligan previously estimated that a contact center facility in the country costs between $7,000 to $8,000 per seat.
The contact center firm also would not divulge which of its existing sites would be expanded.
Claiming to be the largest call center operator in the country, eTelecare employs over 10,400 people and has seven delivery centers in Libis, Quezon City; Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City; Clarkfield, Pampanga; and Ayala Avenue, Makati City. — MGSR

odyssey

February 19th, 2008, 06:07 PM

American firm to put up $50-M film studio in RP
http://www.bworld.com.ph/BW022008/content.php?id=045
A US-BASED holding company with interests in film entertainment is set to put up a start-up film studio in the country.
In a statement, Los Angeles-based Radiant ERA Holdings LLC said it would invest $40 million to $50 million over the next five years to capitalize on the high-quality talent in the local entertainment industry.
Radiant Studios, Inc., the holding firm’s local unit, will be involved in both live action production and animation.
The live action films would be produced through Torch Media, its live action production arm.
Animated films, meanwhile, will be produced through Glow Animation, its animation business.
Radiant ERA Holdings LLC Chief Operating Officer Jovie Saddul said in the statement that the company would complement the supply of local talent by introducing internationally accepted film production standards that would elevate the country to global industry competitiveness.
TALENT POOL
"There is no doubt about the talent found here in the Philippines. Being from the industry and having a 17-year track record, I’ve seen the possibilities of what kind of quality that can be produced locally," he said.
"Through Radiant Studios, we want to bring the Filipino talent a couple of steps closer to the global marketplace because I believe in the talent and the potential," he added.
"It just needs to be honed in the right way."
BUDGET FILM
The first local project of Radiant Studios is a less than $5-million romantic comedy that will feature both local and Hollywood performers.
It is set to be launched for theatrical release here between June to July.
Glow Animation, Radiant Studios’ animation arm is also preparing an animated feature that would be released worldwide next year.
It is also in the process of constructing a three-dimensional animation facility, which is targeted to be finished by October at the latest.
"We’re looking at eight to ten movie slates with more or less the same production budgets of an average of $5 million each covering both live action and animation in the next five to six years," Mr. Saddul said. — M. G. S. Ramos

dinabaw

February 20th, 2008, 03:01 AM

Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Robillo: Davao Tech jobs
By Oliver Robillo
IT Talks

WITH the growth of Davao City's IT industry comes higher demand for software engineers, programmers, systems administrators, web developers, graphics designers, etc. For years now, the city has been a source of skilled manpower for Manila and Cebu-based IT firms. Even in technology companies abroad, more and more Dabawenyos continue to find gainful employment.

With this as the background, it's high time that a Davao-based service for human resource management comes into existence. Enter DavaoTechJobs.com. At present, this website is a blog for publishing employment opportunities in the IT industry. In the near future, however, Davao Tech Jobs will be transformed into a full-fledged Web portal for the benefit of hiring companies and jobseekers alike.

Post here your Valentine's Day greetings

Even in its present form, Davao Tech Jobs is already capable of the following: accepting and publishing job openings, which companies submit via an online form; accepting résumés from applicants; and, displaying ads for companies that wish to make their services known via the Internet.

For jobseekers, the service will always be free. Planned for DavaoTechJobs.com are an interactive résumé builder and related functionalities.

For companies that are looking to announce their job openings, a reasonable fee is charged on a per-post basis. For more information on this premium service, please send inquiries to admin[at]davaotechjobs.com.

It is the objective of Davao Tech Jobs to help professionalize the business of IT recruitment in Davao City. As the site progresses, it aims to provide a resource-rich and comprehensive portal that jobseekers and employers will find very useful.

IT companies in other Philippine cities -- as well as those located in other parts of the world -- can utilize DavaoTechJobs.com. Submitted job openings will be verified and double-checked, so potential applicants can be assured of the veracity of the employment opportunities published in Davao Tech Jobs.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2008/02/20/bus/robillo.davao.tech.jobs.html

lightsaber46

February 20th, 2008, 03:45 AM

HSBC to open 7 new branches, call center
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/81303/HSBC-to-open-7-new-branches-call-center

British lender HSBC is expanding its branch network as well as call center operations in the Philippines, taking advantage of growth in the domestic economy.

Mark Watkinson, HSBC Philippines president and chief executive officer, said the bank will open seven more branches to bring the total to 30 by yearend. The new branches will be in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

HSBC’s business process outsourcing operations will also expand to over 8,000 seats this year with the opening of a new call center in Quezon City in two weeks. The new call center will have around 2,500 to 3,500 seats, adding to 5,500 seats in existing operations in Alabang, Muntinlupa and Makati.

The new call center in Quezon City may be assigned to the company’s global production services which receives orders for business presentations, video production, and non-linear editing, officials said.

HSBC has a positive outlook on the country despite political noise from revived corruption allegations against the Arroyo administration. "I think the economy is good and we have wonderful language skills in the Philippines," Mr. Watkinson said.

Early last year, the bank opened an 11,900-square-meter operations and processing office in Taguig. — Czeriza Shennille S. Valencia, BusinessWorld

icarusrising

February 20th, 2008, 01:46 PM

eTelecare adds 400 seats

Vol. XXI, No. 143
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Business World

PUBLICLY LISTED complex business process outsourcing (BPO) service provider eTelecare Global Solutions is going to expand its local operations by 400 seats.

eTelecare told the Philippine Stock Exchange in a disclosure yesterday that it would undertake the expansion to accommodate a major communications industry client that utilizes the firm’s delivery center here.

The company did not disclose the identity of the client.

eTelecare President and Chief Executive Officer John Harris said in the disclosure that the 400-seat expansion highlights the customer’s confidence in the firm.

"We continually strive for market leadership through our differentiated service and the high-quality people and processes we employ," he said.

"Significantly increasing the number of agents clearly reflects this customer’s confidence in our ability to deliver high-quality service," he added.

eTelecare said the firm’s additional inbound customer service associates would provide customer care.

The full program ramp-up is expected by this summer.

Mum on details

eTelecare did not say how much the expansion would cost.

But Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) Executive Director Jojo J. Uligan previously estimated that a contact center facility in the country costs between $7,000 to $8,000 per seat.

The contact center firm also would not divulge which of its existing sites would be expanded.

Claiming to be the largest call center operator in the country, eTelecare employs over 10,400 people and has seven delivery centers in Libis, Quezon City; Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City; Clarkfield, Pampanga; and Ayala Avenue, Makati City. — MGSR

http://www.bworld.com.ph/BW022008/content.php?id=043

icarusrising

February 20th, 2008, 01:49 PM

American firm to put up $50-M film studio in RP

Vol. XXI, No. 143
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Business World

A US-BASED holding company with interests in film entertainment is set to put up a start-up film studio in the country.

In a statement, Los Angeles-based Radiant ERA Holdings LLC said it would invest $40 million to $50 million over the next five years to capitalize on the high-quality talent in the local entertainment industry.

Radiant Studios, Inc., the holding firm’s local unit, will be involved in both live action production and animation.

The live action films would be produced through Torch Media, its live action production arm.

Animated films, meanwhile, will be produced through Glow Animation, its animation business.

Radiant ERA Holdings LLC Chief Operating Officer Jovie Saddul said in the statement that the company would complement the supply of local talent by introducing internationally accepted film production standards that would elevate the country to global industry competitiveness.

Talent pool

"There is no doubt about the talent found here in the Philippines. Being from the industry and having a 17-year track record, I’ve seen the possibilities of what kind of quality that can be produced locally," he said.

"Through Radiant Studios, we want to bring the Filipino talent a couple of steps closer to the global marketplace because I believe in the talent and the potential," he added.

"It just needs to be honed in the right way."

Budget film

The first local project of Radiant Studios is a less than $5-million romantic comedy that will feature both local and Hollywood performers.

It is set to be launched for theatrical release here between June to July.

Glow Animation, Radiant Studios’ animation arm is also preparing an animated feature that would be released worldwide next year.

It is also in the process of constructing a three-dimensional animation facility, which is targeted to be finished by October at the latest.

"We’re looking at eight to ten movie slates with more or less the same production budgets of an average of $5 million each covering both live action and animation in the next five to six years," Mr. Saddul said. — M. G. S. Ramos

http://www.bworldonline.com/BW022008/content.php?id=045

paulkrps

February 20th, 2008, 02:27 PM

Il Tenore

February 22nd, 2008, 01:04 AM

Good Morning Davao techies!

chocolato1000

February 22nd, 2008, 10:21 AM

Arroyo urges BPO firms: Hire persons with disabilities

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is urging business process outsourcing (BPO) firms to hire disabled persons, saying they were at par with the able-bodied personnel in the BPO workplace.

“ICT (information and communications technology)-related businesses like call centers and medical transcription are areas where the ‘differently-abled’ can feel equal to non-PWD (persons with disabilities),” Arroyo said in a speech during the 35th anniversary of the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Manila on Thursday.

“We urge outsourcing and offshoring firms to consider hiring more of them,” the President added.

Arroyo said she hired disabled persons as part of her staff when she was vice president, and brought them with her to Malacañang when she became president.

“We have been encouraging businesses to hire disabled but qualified workers. We are very happy with the good work that they do, she said.

The President also lauded the accomplishments of disabled persons who are entrepreneurs, saying “they are very able as far as organizing and running a business is concerned.”

By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net

icarusrising

February 22nd, 2008, 10:23 AM

Execs promise to reduce
BPO agent attrition

By Louise M. Francisco
Researcher
The Business Mirror

ALTHOUGH the call-center attrition rate is 5 percent to 10 percent and lower than its neighboring-outsourcing countries, business-process outsourcing (BPO) executives are determined to reduce it by addressing its deep-rooted causes through leadership training.

In a 2006 outsourcing study, it was found out that of those who leave a company, four out of five of them do not like the way they are managed by their superiors.

Aoux Santos, a junior trainer officer at TeleDevelopment, also noticed other recurring factors of the abrasion. “The high attrition rate is influenced by graveyard shifts, getting sick, lack of preparation for [a particular] job, and lack of training.”

Dr. Wing Lam, a dean of IT management programs and director of pedagogy, suggested that supervisors be given more intense training in managing people, especially as it applies to the BPO industry.

“Developing people is a skill and it includes areas of competence,” said Lam on the second day of the 2nd Annual Call Center Training Convention at the Renaissance Hotel in Makati. “Learning engagement, I think, is the most effective tool to learn.”

Lam presented a learning pyramid and identified which type of learning participation is much appreciated—teaching others is rated at 90 percent preferred, practice by doing (75 percent), discussion group (50 percent), and demonstration (30 percent).

“Traditional learning where people will sit in front of computers for self-study is no longer applicable today.” Thus, he encourages leaders and managers to engage their people in learning programs that have “authentic objectives and are flexible, innovative, encouraging and giving growth opportunities.”

Lam said practicing the approaches he shared will result in having quality people, thus raising productivity.

This is the reason that James Garcia said, “The supplied talent will determine the growth of the industry.” He said a solution to high attrition rates is vital for the continued growth of the industry. Garcia is executive director for talent development of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP).

The BPAP is eyeing a 10-percent share of the global outsourcing market by 2010. This target growth of the “sunshine industry” has been encouraged by the industry’s annual performance. Last year it had revenues of $4.8 billion, more than 45 percent of 2006’s $3.3 billion.

President Arroyo last year ordered the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to allocate P350 million in scholarships for the training of some 70,000 prospective call-center agents and other workers in the BPO sector.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/0222&232008/nation04.html

icarusrising

February 22nd, 2008, 10:48 AM

IT company spends for building
By Lenie Lectura
Reporter
The Business Mirror

AN Information technology company will be setting aside P200 million for capital expenses, bulk of which will be spent on the construction of its building at the South Luzon Expressway.

Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) intends to begin construction of its eight-story structure by April this year, president and CEO Jose Mari M. Antunez said.

“The building, including the lot, will cost around P350 million and will take about two years to construct,” Antunez said, adding that the cost will be spread over two years. Currently, TIM’s corporate office is located along Pasong Tamo in Makati City.

Antunez said that its new building will also have a business recovery center (BRC), allowing its customers to enjoy uninterrupted operations in case of unplanned events that render their own data centers inoperable.

TIM manages three existing BRCs in the country, namely in Makati, Alabang, and recently, in Cebu which cost P40 million, to serve the needs of its growing clientele.

BRC facilities are designed using world-class standards for Data Centers in terms of ISO quality compliance, 24/7 availability, support for multiplecomputing platforms, uninterruptible power supplies, infrastructure protection, physical security and multitelco network connectivity.

Antunez said the company will invest P20 million to Versaprint, a printing company it controls.

The company will also spend some of its capex for the maintenance of its BRCs and other IT needs.

TIM was able to meet its targeted revenues of over P1 billion last year, including sales of its affiliate Strategic Synergy Inc.

This year, Antunez said the company is expecting consolidated revenues to reach P1.5 billion for 2008 since it remains optimistic that it will soon secure another IT solutions contract with another government-owned entity.

Offering total IT solutions, TIM’s biggest market are banks, insurance and manufacturing companies. Established in 1985, the company, which started as a seller of refurbished mainframe computers, currently hardware, software, maintenance services, system integration, business recovery and outsourcing services. Among its customers include the Professional Regulatory Commission and the National Computer Center.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/0222&232008/companies04.html

jhunix

February 22nd, 2008, 12:40 PM

Davao to hold forum of landowners,
call centers, ICT experts

By Manuel T. Cayon
Reporter

DAVAO CITY—Owners of many idle lands in downtown Davao and suburbs would get to meet the many call-center operators in Manila and Cebu looking at relocating or expanding their operation here in a forum aimed at bridging the information gap between them.

The property forum would try to link the two sectors together and help ease the difficulty of call centers to find appropriate locations, while persuading more landowners to invest in information and communication technology (ICT) parks, said Andrei Fournier, former chairman of the ICT committee of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry and organizer of the forum.

The forum would be held on February 28 at the Davao City Convention Center and would be attended by 50 landowners and property developers here and at least 10 major call centers based in Manila and Cebu.

“These are owners of the land that have no knowledge whatsoever of the huge benefit of putting up an IT park or building in their properties and who would rather venture into building dormitories or smaller businesses,” Fournier said.

On the other hand, the call-center operators attending the forum were those who have difficulty finding location for their expanded operation or relocation center.

“They don’t know who to talk to and many are discouraged to pursue their plans,” he said.

“Manila and Cebu are already saturated and many call centers are already complaining about the high land rents in these areas,” he said.

Fournier added that it was not already a matter of Davao being in restive Mindanao, “because everybody in the business already knows that Davao is the safest place in the country, with even the lowest crime rate in the country.”

“Everybody knows that already, but we have to move fast now before other cities could overtake our due advantage over them,” he said.

He said that many call centers were actually already waiting for Davao to help them relocate, but some have been diverted elsewhere which have ICT-friendly locations and policies.

“But Davao City continues to be the best and attractive location because of the big human-resource base that has been regularly tapped by many Manila and Cebu call centers.”

He said Manila and Cebu could not supply anymore the personnel needs of these call centers “that’s why they are coming to Davao City to recruit.”

“Davao provides them with their needs for call-center agents and thus, many are looking at putting their operations here,” he said.

ICT operators have repeatedly called on the city to encourage more investments in IT parks to bring in sooner the call centers interested to relocate here, and Fournier said that the call-center operators have been waiting as early as two years ago.

The forum would also be attended by Secretary Roxas Chua of the Commission on ICT, who, Fournier said, would discuss the status of the call centers and its unmet but continuing demands for more areas to host these centers outside of Manila and Cebu.

Fournier said that he told a forum this week in Manila that Davao City alone graduates 10,000 students every year, “with a lot of them going elsewhere because there are just not much job opportunities around.”

“You add the graduates from General Santos City, Cotabato City and the other provinces nearby and you can just imagine the untapped human resources here,” he said. “That’s what still attract these call centers to put up their operations here.”

“Let us just stop thinking that the call centers is a here now-gone tomorrow operation. It is here to stay and it is expanding and it has a very huge potential to help keep our graduates at home than going abroad,” he said.

He said that studies would show that for every call-center agent hired, “he brings in about P11,000 worth of income for the other services and businesses around, including convenience or the 7/11 stores, entertainment joints, taxi and other transport operation.”

“This should already convince our officials and other businessmen to rethink about encouraging more vibrant ICT operations here,” he said.

He disclosed that about four of the landowners invited have already decided to put ICT parks in their properties after learning the potential of the industry.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/0222&232008/nation05.html

Ph Man

February 22nd, 2008, 05:09 PM

Arroyo urges BPO firms: Hire persons with disabilities

I think there's an incentive for companies that hire PWDs. Or if there's none, then the government should look into the possibility of giving such.

Execs promise to reduce
BPO agent attrition

Health should be one top priority. Graveyard shift is causing so much toll on staffs. That's why I discourage my staffs from getting graveyard shifts for prolonged period. We have 3 staffs needed to man our night shift operation. And we do that in rounds for a two-week interval.

For call centres, I don't think salary will be an issue among exiting staffs. Proves once again that high paycheck does not guarantee that your staff will stick with the company.

For management style - this is a sad fact. Not all leaders are equipped to do the job. The problem is usually with the middle management. The top management are almost always competent but supervisors/team leaders are sometimes not matured enough to handle different personalities. And for industry like contact centre/BPO, most staff are youngsters - iba iba ang hang-ups. Kaya malaking challenge. I think that's something that i am fortunate of. My staffs are older than I am. It's got its downsides, pero handling a team with high sense of professionalism gives you higher degree of confidence to your people. Medyo nakakailang lang utusan. Kasi mas magagaling pa sila keysa sa akin. :) We're not a contact centre by the way.

icarusrising

February 23rd, 2008, 10:52 AM

Saturday, February 23, 2008

eTelecare earnings surge
The Manila Times

DESPITE a strong peso, eTelecare Global Solutions announced on Friday that its profit last year surged on increasing demand for offshore services in the Philippines.

In its disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the business process outsourcing (BPO) firm said its full year income in 2007 jumped 88.5 percent to $23 million year on year, or $0.79 per diluted share on 29.3 million outstanding shares. In 2006, it registered earnings of $0.50 per diluted share on 24.5 million shares outstanding.

Revenues for the period went up by 33 percent to $259.9 million versus the previous year, with the Nasdaq-listed BPO company bringing in $71 million in revenues during the fourth quarter alone. The three-month revenues were 21 percent more than the prior year’s level, allowing eTelecare to book a higher net income of $7 million, 52 percent up year on year.

“Record fourth-quarter revenues, driven by continuing demand for offshore services in the Philippines, contributed to the strongest top-line performance in the company’s history and supported 18 percent growth in operating income, to a record $22.6 million for the year,” John Harris, eTelecare president and chief executive, said.

The executive said that operating margins were affected by the company’s expansion of technology infrastructure and site expansion in the Philippines. These expenditures, which include the new Annex@ Shaw facility that placed 1,000 seats, are expected to expand eTelecare’s operating margins this year. The new facility would be operating at full capacity by the fourth quarter.

The firm had a working capital of $62.1 million including the $35.1 million in cash and stockholders’ equity of $133 million and was debt-free last year.

By the end of this year, eTelecare expects its revenues to climb by a maximum of 19 percent to $310 million and its net income hitting $16 million to $19 million. To come up with this guidance, the firm has already taken into account the peso’s appreciation—which strengthened by 20 percent against the greenback the past two years—and anticipates to reap the benefits of a hedging program. eTelecare also expects expenses to be $24 million higher than what would have been if the foreign exchange stayed at 2006 levels.
-- Likha C. Cuevas-Miel

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/feb/23/yehey/business/20080223bus6.html

davaoeagle

February 24th, 2008, 08:07 PM

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n233/davaoeagle/Alcantara.gif

Company Mission and Vision || Quality Policy

1950s - Planting the Seeds

1954 - Conrado C. Alcantara migrates from Luzon to Mindanao and
settles in Davao City to set up a small logging firm and named
it C. Alcantara & Sons, Inc. (CASI)

1958 - CASI acquires first logging concession in Nabunturan, Davao del
Norte.

1960s - Towards Growth

1961 - Two more logging concessions are granted in Magpet, North
Cotabato and Calinan, Davao City. The first plywood factory in
Lanang, Davao City is constructed with a capacity of 5,000
panels a day. This eventually becomes the site of the head
office of CASI.

1963 - CASI embarks on a multi-million peso expansion that increases
the plant production capacity to 7,000 panels a day. The
QUALITYPLY plywood brand is launched, marking its entry into
the world market. Also, this year, CASI begins a massive
reforestation program for the logged-over areas of Magpet,
long before reforestation became a buzzword of
environmentalists. A long-term program for forest conservation
and renewal is begun.

1968 - CASI puts up a multi-million peso sawmill, resulting in a fully
integrated and expanded operation.

1970s - A Decade of Challenges

1970 - Economic upheavals and political unrest put CASI's stability to
the test. Yet, CASI still manages to expand its international
market to the United States, Hong Kong, and Australia.

1971 - Fire guts the CASI sawmill. Strict austerity measures are
implemented.

1973 - Inauguration of the lumber finishing plant, enabling CASI to
produce export quality finished lumber products.

1974 - Production capacity increases to 12,000 panels per day
following the installation of new machinery.

1975 - CASI undertakes a re-organization and goes on cost-reduction
to cope with soaring world oil prices. Prices of wood products
are at a record low.

1978 - CASI sets aside a sanctuary for the endangered Philippine
Eagle in Calinan-Magpet logging concession area. The
Calinan-Magpet logging operation is shut down. Massive
retrenchment is inevitable.

1980s - A Changing of the Guard

1980 - Expansion and integration projects are vigorously pursued in
response to improved demand in the world market.

1983 - Conrado C. Alcantara passes away. His eldest son, Nicasio I.
Alcantara takes over.

1984 - CASI adopts the principle of participatory management by
launching the Quality Circle Program.

1989 - Logging concession in Kapalong, Davao del Norte is closed
down three years before expiration, in support of the
government's reforestation program.

1990s - A New Dimension to World-Class Stature

1991 - Launch of the KAYANG-KAYA Productivity Improvement Program
aimed at increasing productivity and employee participation in
attaining company goals and objectives. The program
synthesizes values and work ethics of CASI and its people.

1994 - Completion of P150-Million plant modernization project which
began in 1989. New technology ensuring maximum recovery of
raw materials is introduced.

1996 - CASI engages in full scale production of plywood from tree
plantation species logs from New Zealand and South Africa.
Launches ECOWOOD, "The Plywood To Save Our Forests."

1997 - On July 17,1997 CASI receives an ISO 9002 Certification from
SGS Yarsley (UK) to become the first and only plywood
manufacturing company in the Philippines, and one among the
few in the world to be certified.

1999 - FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) through SmartWood gives
CASI on November 15,1999 a "Chain of Custody" (COC)
certification. The certification is the first and a breakthrough
in the Philippine plywood industry.

2000s - Continuing Leadership in the New Millennium
To this day, CASI continues its commitment as a world-class plywood
manufacturing company.

TO TOP^

Company Mission
To manufacture and deliver plywood and other wood products conforming to the highest quality standards for the export and domestic markets at the lowest cost and to maximize the utilization rate of company assets while addressing the social and economic welfare of its workers and the greater community.

Company Vision
C. Alcantara & Sons, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of quality plywood and other wood products.

It is committed to the:

total satisfaction of the needs of its customers
provision of the highest quality of work life for its employees
continued excellence in its production endeavors
continuous viability of its operations
betterment of the communities where it operates
TO TOP^

C. Alcantara & Sons, Inc. is committed to produce quality plywood and other wood products and to provide personalized service which will meet or exceed customers' satisfaction. Our customers' maximum satisfaction is our company's minimum standard.

"Kayang-Kaya"
is a name adopted for the Productivity Improvement Program of C. Alcantara & Sons, Inc. is the affirmation of our confidence as a group to overcome all the challenges that come our way in our quest for continuous improvement of productivity.

A Member of the Alcantara Group

MAKATI OFFICE:
G/F Alsons Building
2286 Chino Roces Extension
1231 Makati City
Philippines
Tel No. (+632) 817-5506
Fax No. (+632) 815-4920
E-mail: casi-mkt@alcantaragroup.com

DAVAO OFFICE:
Km. 7 Lanang, 8000 Davao City
Philippines
Tel No. (+6382) 233-1851
Fax No. (+6382) 235-2479
E-mail: casi-mis@mozcom.com

Il Tenore

February 25th, 2008, 03:38 AM

Good mawning davao!!

dinabaw

February 25th, 2008, 09:50 AM

Monday, February 25, 2008
BPO, telecom expansion expected this year: Neda

THE regional office of the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) in Southern Mindanao reported that the telecommunications sector would continue to be a promising investment area this year.

Nicasio Angelo J Agustin, Neda 11 regional director, told Sun.Star Davao that business process outsourcing (BPO), such as call centers and medical transcription services, will also boost the growth of the local economy.

Post here your Valentine's Day greetings

"The expansion of call centers outside Metro Manila is expected to continue despite the peso appreciation because of high global demand and availability of skilled and relatively cheaper human resources," Agustin said.

He added that the number of subscriptions to cellular phone and Internet services is also growing and will continue to be so this year and the coming years.

"The utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) has now permeated business and government operations in the rural areas," he said.

"As the regional economy is further drawn into the global economy, the demand for ICT is likely to expand," Agustin added. (JGRS)

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2008/02/25/bus/bpo.telecom.expansion.expected.this.year.neda.html

Il Tenore

February 25th, 2008, 10:24 AM

^^great news... expansion must be made here in our city..

Ph Man

February 25th, 2008, 05:48 PM

icarusrising

February 26th, 2008, 10:22 AM

wala na ako masyadong balita sa BPO firms. thank you for posting above. can you keep on updating us Igan? ideal will be something like a rundown of the headlines, with the link of the full article. so you can put more headlines in one post. :)

Wag mo na ako pahirapan, Tebs... Hehe. Basta pag meron post natin.

Here's from the opinion section of the Business World. It's by John Mangun and his column is called Outside the Box...

Complaining about the Philippines

A series of articles this month in the California newspaper the Modesto Bee seriously complained about the Philippines. The February 18 headline read, “Outsourcing faulted in call-center layoffs: Internet-based relays are to be sent through the Philippines.”

Selected comments included: “About 500 of the 700 employees can expect to lose their jobs to workers in the Philippines.” “Stella Nordia is adding jobs in the Philippines.” “It planned to hire 100 people a month at a facility in Manila until it reached 1,100.”

And the one that really brought a song to my heart: “American taxpayers are now paying the income of workers in the Philippines. Your tax dollars are hard at work enabling an American company to outsource the jobs to a Canadian company that, at some point, likely will outsource them to the Philippines.”

It is nice to see the foreign press complaining about the Philippines in what I suppose is a positive way. Not positive for them, but positive for the Philippines.

Here is what the controversy is all about. Phone companies in the US provide a free service with especially trained operators that relay telephone conversations back and forth between people who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech-disabled and all those they wish to communicate with by telephone.

It is basically an Internet-based relay service introduced as a communication tool for the deaf. A disabled person calls a phone number and is then connected to a special operator who “relays” the conversation from the calling party who “texts” his side of the conversation that is then “read” to the party being called.

Phone subscribers in the US, in effect, pay for this service for the disabled because of a surcharge on their phone bill. The disabled people who use this service get it free. The government contracts with a privately owned call center to handle the relay service. The private company then contracts with another company to provide the service.

In the Modesto Bee story, the government agency is the California Relay Service (CRS). CRS contracts to a firm called GoAmerica, which subcontracts to a Canadian company, Stella Nordia. And Stella Nordia provides the physical call-center operation.

Previously, all the calls were handled through the Stella Nordia center in Modesto, Riverbank.

From the city’s web site: “[It is] a progressive, growing community [21,492 residents] in the heart of California’s Central Valley. Blending the new with the old, Riverbank maintains a sense of harmony with the surrounding rural and agricultural heritage, conveniently located near San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno and Yosemite National Park. Riverbank is a wonderful and pleasant community to live in or visit.”

Well, with 500 jobs lost to the Philippines, Riverbank may be a little less “wonderful and pleasant.”

Stella, the parent company of Stella Nordia, is a medium-sized outsourcing company employing some 6,000 people in 18 worldwide offices, with a 1,400-seat call center in Cubao. Here is what Stella says about the Philippines.

“The Philippines has emerged as the ideal offshore outsourcing destination as a result of:

§ A highly westernized, service-orientated culture;

§ Highly competitive labor costs;

§ English-speaking capability, clarity and accent;

§ Ample supply of highly skilled labor and over 300,000 students graduating from universities each year;

§ High-quality telecommunications infrastructure;

§ Strength of government investment and support for call center operations; and

§ Lower attrition rates in comparison to India and other emerging offshore destinations.”

The wage difference between the US and the Philippines is clearly illustrated by the wages Stella pays in Riverbank. Employees start at $10 an hour so that even working full-time, those wages put you pretty well at the poverty level.

Assuming that Stella will pay only half that $10 wage in the Philippines, a full-time employee in the Cubao office would earn approximately P32,000 a month or P384,000 annually. It is unlikely that Stella or any other call center would pay that salary to begin with, but it is still a good wage for a fresh graduate in the Philippines.

The other and obvious consideration for these outsourcing companies is that the employees of these jobs in the US are temporary, staying a couple of years at most. People in the US take these jobs because they make more than working at a fast-food restaurant, but really have no career ambition in the call center.

In fact, working at a fast-food restaurant in Riverbank provides more career-growth opportunities.

The Modesto Bee articles can complain all they want about the Philippines taking US jobs but, ultimately, it is a silly grievance. This is not a national sovereignty issue; it is a business decision. We in the Philippines can do the job better, cheaper and more efficiently than those workers in Riverbank.

And I bet that if the Modesto Bee (owned by the McClatchy media group, holding some 30 daily newspapers) could outsource their reporters and columnists to better qualified people here in the Philippines at a cheaper salary, that is exactly what they would do, too.

E-mail comments to mangun@email.com

Ph Man

February 26th, 2008, 11:10 AM

hi Igan, sige posts na lang lagi for the updates.

The Modesto Bee articles can complain all they want about the Philippines taking US jobs but, ultimately, it is a silly grievance. This is not a national sovereignty issue; it is a business decision. We in the Philippines can do the job better, cheaper and more efficiently than those workers in Riverbank.

And I bet that if the Modesto Bee (owned by the McClatchy media group, holding some 30 daily newspapers) could outsource their reporters and columnists to better qualified people here in the Philippines at a cheaper salary, that is exactly what they would do, too.

correct. it's a business decision. this is the new business model to enable smallest to biggest companies to survive the tough competition. a lot of companies could have closed long before if they did not adopt the outsourcing business model. the principle is simple - leave it to the experts.

icarusrising

February 26th, 2008, 11:13 AM

^^ San galing yung quote, Tebs?

Ph Man

February 26th, 2008, 04:57 PM

from the one you posted above. binasa ko kasi from start to end. have i done it wrong? baka may na violate akong copyright something...:(

icarusrising

February 26th, 2008, 05:13 PM

from the one you posted above. binasa ko kasi from start to end. have i done it wrong? baka may na violate akong copyright something...:(

Nah... Ang serious dinadala sa ospital. :lol:

lightsaber46

February 27th, 2008, 05:32 AM

Cebu’s BPO sector to create 50,000 new jobs
http://businessmirror.com.ph/02272008/headlines05.html

By Willy Rodolfo III
Reporter

CEBU CITY—The business-process outsourcing (BPO) industry in Cebu is set to create an additional 50,000 jobs in the next two to three years based on the volume of development now ongoing in Cebu City alone.

Ayala Land subsidiary Cebu Property Venture Development Corp. is optimistic the BPO sector in Cebu will continue to grow despite a slowdown in the US economy, which is the biggest client of the Philippines.

Cebu Property president Francis Monera told BusinessMirror that interest from BPO companies in Cebu remains high mainly because of its strategic location, its deep pool of talent and the amenities of the island’s tourism destination.

“More and more companies are realizing the benefits of outsourcing. We are not only seeing call centers but accounting services, human resources, architecture and software development,” Monera said.

“Cebu is an ideal destination for investors because it is a compact city where you can go to the beaches, the golf course, the malls and the mountains in just a few minutes; plus, it has all the amenities of a cosmopolitan city.”

Cebu Property’s flagship project in Cebu, the 25-hectare Asiatown IT Park, continues to attract local and foreign investors. The property has some 11,500 square meters of leasable area in four major buildings, employing close to 11,100 BPO
employees.

There are four ongoing projects in the property—the E-Biz of Cebu Property, the 11-story Skyrise 2, a 15-story TGU Tower and the 17-floor i3 building. The four projects will add 57,000 square meters of leasable space to Asiatown.

“Given the Asiatown experience, one square meter of leasable space translates to one job created. We are optimistic there will be more than 50,000 additional jobs in Asiatown alone in the next two to three years,” Monera said.

In 2006 the IT park only had 6,000 square meters of leased space and started only with software companies NEC and Epson as its first multinational clients. The property was named before as the Cebu Civic and Trade Center but was repositioned in 2000 by Ayala Group into a BPO hub, thus, Asiatown.

Located on the old La Guardia Airport in uptown Cebu City, Asiatown is also looking at a five-hectare phase two which would come into play depending on the availability of properties in phase 1.

Monera, however, said the fast arrival of BPO companies in Cebu would mean the talent pool is fast running out. He said there is a need for a concerted effort by the government and the private sector to catch up with the demand.

“More students should be encouraged to take IT courses because IT will be here to stay,” he said.

http://businessmirror.com.ph/02272008/headlines05.html

dinabaw

February 27th, 2008, 08:10 AM

PIA Press Release
2008/02/27
Davao ICT sector seeks more space for expansion
by Prix D Banzon

Davao City (27 February) -- The ICT sector of Davao is finding ways to respond to the need of prospective investors in the IT business.
Andrei Fournier, trustee of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) in an interview said a consultation with landowners in Davao City will be held on February 28 at the Davao Convention Center from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

He said about 50 land owners and developers and other from the real estate industry had confirmed initially to join the consultation as they showed interest on investing in the IT sector.

He said several IT players in Manila already are looking at the provinces but there is not enough of the area here that these investors can immediately use for their site. Davao City based on ocular inspection has still several vacant lots within the downtown area very ideal for IT Park or building location for call center operations, he said.

"We thought of coming up with this consultation because Davao City is strong on this," he said.
He said it is just a matter of letting these property owners understand the IT industry and sites and locations are very important in this industry.

"The reason why these IT investors are looking at Davao because rental cost in Manila is expensive," he said. He said three or four years ago in Manila the rental cost was between P150 to P200 per sq m but now it went up to P500 to P600 per sq. m. The other reason for these investors to come to Davao is that they want to be close to the source of manpower.

He said majority of the call center operators in Manila come from Davao and with their locating here would allow them to get as many workers. However he said the schools and universities here must work more for the training of these students in order for them to qualify to the job. He said with the proper training among students the absorption rate would also increase.

"That is why when there will be recruitment for call center operators here they already made arrangements with the companies that teachers handle language proficiency be allowed to observe during interviews," Fournier said. He said this is one way of letting the teacher know through actual recruitment process the things that are being asked from the applicant, which Fournier said will also give insights for teachers what to teach their students. (PIA) [top]

Ph Man

February 27th, 2008, 08:13 AM

Nah... Ang serious dinadala sa ospital. :lol: :lol: serious nga daw talaga ako. malay ba...:nuts:

chocolato1000

February 27th, 2008, 10:45 AM

BPO industry to suffer if dollar slides down to P37--survey

MANILA, Philippines -- A recent survey of business process outsourcing (BPO) executives noted that further depreciation of the greenback will take its toll on industry competitiveness once it moves down to P37 per dollar.

The survey, conducted earlier this month by Outsource2Philippines (O2P), was able to generate responses from 62 executives, from small to very large BPO companies.

The exchange rate has slipped further down to P40 to the dollar in the past few weeks, leading to concerns about bigger losses ahead since BPO companies primarily earn revenues in dollar value.

More than half the executives surveyed, however, said the effect has had a modest impact so far on their businesses. Nonetheless, most of them agree and are concerned that further depreciation of the dollar will eventually have its implications business-wise.

Also, some admitted that their respective companies have either shelved expansion plans or worse, migrated operations to lower-cost countries.

More than half of the executives indicated that competitive advantage would begin to suffer should the exchange rate hit or fall below P37 per dollar.

Based on the responses given, most of the represented companies have contractual provisions that protect them in case of severe exchange rate fluctuations. Most of them said they have already exercised these provisions on a case-to-case basis.

“While it is difficult to establish a specific peso-to -dollar exchange rate at which the Philippines will no longer be competitive in the global market, data suggests a range of P35 to P37 per dollar,” said O2P chief executive Frank Holz.

The degree of impact also depends on the size of the company, whether or not it is affiliated with a global service provider and the range of services offered, Holz added.

To mitigate losses, survey responses suggest that companies are primarily focused on reducing overhead costs, increasing billing rates and improving operational efficiency.

Others said their companies were forced to cut down on salary increases and other employee benefits.

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

paulkrps

February 27th, 2008, 01:08 PM

kiretoce

February 27th, 2008, 07:48 PM

The Philippines seeks to become back office superpower by 2010 (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jFHRX01WaJ43BNH-FGrfxwJKmuNg)

The Philippines aims to make the most of the economic slowdown in the US by capturing at least 10 percent of the world's back office work within the next two years, industry leaders say.

They say the problems in the US and the possibility of recession could be a bonus as more companies based there attempt to save money by outsourcing their operations to the Philippines.

Call centres and back-office operations, such as accounting and financial processes, medical and legal transcription, engineering services and software writing, is one of the fastest growing businesses in the Philippines.

The Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP) expects the sector to be posting revenues of 13 billion dollars and employ more than one million people by 2010.

Last year the industry posted revenues of 4.875 billion dollars, up nearly 50 percent from the previous year, while employment rose 27 percent to 300,000.

BPAP president Oscar Sanez told AFP the 2010 target was feasible saying the industry has been growing by more than 40 percent annually in the past three years.

"If there is a recession in the US, you will see companies trying to cut costs with more outsourcing," Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila told AFP.

Julian Ramos Garcia, president of E Scribir Inc., a provider of various outsourcing services said that "with a recession looming in the US, we are getting a lot more calls because people want to cut their costs."

"We are seeing the tip of the iceberg. There are many more services which are being outsourced to the Philippines," said BPAP's Sanez.

Francis Ong, managing director of software giant Oracle, says his company has been in the Philippines for 18 years and now has its tax and global utilities unit based in this country.

While the Philippines does not pretend to be a serious challenger to outsourcing world leader India, it still sees room to grow due to its English-speaking and educated workforce.

In the Philippines, about half of the outsourcing industry consists of call centres, where agents mainly make and receive telephone calls, but the country is rapidly moving up to more complex services such as medical transcriptions and engineering services.

The engineering services sector grew 124 percent to post 152 million dollars in revenues last year while the software writing sector grew 56 percent to 423 million dollars, the BPAP said.

Gabby Dizon, president of the newly formed Game Developers Association of the Philippines, says his sector of the industry may be young, "but it's growing really fast."

"A lot of companies have growth of 100 percent per year," says Dizon.

One of the biggest problems facing the sector is the growing shortage of qualified people.

Although thousands of Filipinos are applying for outsourcing jobs in Manila, managers say less than four out of a hundred have the minimum standards needed to work in the sector.

One solution has been to expand the industry outside the saturated capital to areas where costs are lower and labour is more plentiful.

Ray Anthony Roxas Chua, head of the government's Commission on Information and Communications Technology, said they have already identified 15 "next wave cities" for expansion ranging from Dumaguete in the central Philippines to Cagayan de Oro in the south.

All these areas have a wide talent pool of college and high school graduates and professionals, he adds.

Ph Man

February 27th, 2008, 11:00 PM

^^ very ambitious vision there Kimbro. but the way things are going now, i'd say that's very possible.

BPO industry to suffer if dollar slides down to P37--survey
By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

the downside of BPO. budget is usually planned on an annual basis. so if you had a budget when dollar was to 40 pesos at the start of the year, then it went down to 35 at the end of the year, that would hurt big time.

another industry in the losing end are exporters. international trade transactions are in dollars. imagine exporting a million dollar worth of fertilizer closing the deal at that value (40 million pesos), and when the goods reached its destination (usually takes weeks), price has already depreciated to let's say 39 millions. you lose a million peso worth of export. hence the subsidy that exporters are asking from the government. and several commodities bought in bulk (e.g., rice, cement, fertilizer, wheat, etc) are priced at more than $1M per transaction.

importers on the other hand have nothing to worry about. just have to make sure they don't pay too much tariff at the customs.

lightsaber46

February 28th, 2008, 02:59 AM

Poll: BPOs can still live with peso rate
http://businessmirror.com.ph/02282008/headlines08.html

By Max V. de Leon
Reporter

THE local business-process outsourcing (BPO) sector is still not largely affected by the sharp rise of the peso since late 2005, although most players indicated that an exchange rate of below P37 would already render them uncompetitive.

This was based on the survey conducted by Outsource2Philippines.com (O2P) and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) from February 4 to 20.

The survey, which gathered 62 responses for a 22.5-percent response rate, said 60 percent of the respondent-companies indicated there was no impact or some impact related to the increase in value of the peso, while 19 percent indicated moderate impact.

Only 21 percent said there was significant or very significant impact.

The result was roughly the same for large companies (greater than 1,000 employees) and for the smaller companies.

On the rate at which their services would no longer be price-competitive, 20 percent of the respondents said a peso-dollar exchange rate in the range of P39-P42 would be the break point and 13 percent indicated the P37-P38 range.

The majority, or 51 percent, said a rate less than P37 to the dollar would be “the point of noncompetitiveness.”

The remaining 16 percent of companies did not indicate a rate.

For the companies indicating some to very significant impact of the peso appreciation, 66 percent said this has resulted in a reduction of expansion plans in the country, ranging from temporary shelving to significantly scaling back.

Two of the 62 respondents indicated they are moving operations from the Philippines to other countries, and some have moved or are moving to lower-cost locations within the country.

The local BPO sector has been instituting mechanisms to protect their operations from peso fluctuations, the survey found out.

About 58 percent of the respondents said they have contractual provisions on exchange-rate movements embedded in their contracts, most of which are applied on a case-to-case basis.

Other actions taken to mitigate the impact of the peso appreciation are reduction of overhead costs, moderation of the salary and benefit increases, and decrease in the expatriate staff.

Some companies have increased their billing rates.

dinabaw

February 28th, 2008, 09:26 AM

Thursday, February 28, 2008
Dev't of IT parks in Davao to be tackled
By Joy Romares-Sevilla

THE new chairperson of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Committee of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) announced Wednesday that a business process outsourcing (BPO) property forum will be held Thursday at the Davao Convention and Trade Center.

Lizabel "Wit" Holganza, DCCCII ICT Committee chair, said in Wednesday's edition of the Club 888 press forum at the Marco Polo Davao that the one-day summit, which will start at 9 a.m., would bring together property developers and partner agencies to tackle issues in developing IT parks in Davao City.

Post here your Valentine's Day greetings

"One of the challenges in the BPO industry is that there is no at least ready location for BPO investors, ang Damosa punung-puno na, while ang NCCC naman, on-going pa ang accreditation. The summit will be an avenue to bring together our experts, BPO property developers, together with partner agencies to hurdle these challenges," Holganza said.

Holganza added that with the support of the DCCCII, the ICT Committee would initiate a BPO forum every quarter.

"For the first quarter, we will bring in BPO property developers, we will continue to organize BPO forum every quarter so that we can display the opportunities in the BPO industry especially to those businessmen who still don't have the idea of engaging in BPO," Holganza said.

Meanwhile, among personalities who will attend the forum are Simeon Marfori, DCCCII president; Secretary Ray Anthony Roxas Chua, of the Commission on ICT who will present the Philippine ICT Roadmap; Oscar Sañez, president of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (Bpap); Roberto Teo, chair of the Davao City Investment and Promotion Center; Elmer Pascual of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza); and Councilor Teresita Marañon.

Also invited in the forum are Francis Monera of Ayala Properties, Dennis Uy of Udenna Properties, and Edgardo Villavert of Damosa. They are invited to have a presentation on IT parks.

Part of the forum will also be the oathtaking of ICT Davao officers 2008 with Secretary Chua

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2008/02/28/bus/dev.t.of.it.parks.in.davao.to.be.tackled.html

icarusrising

February 28th, 2008, 10:08 AM

IPVG in talks to buy call centers,
expand existing BPO business

By Honey Madrilejos-Reyes
Reporter

The Business Mirror

IPVG Corp. is acquiring two companies engaged in the call-center business to expand its niche in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

The companies are described as “medium sized” and that deals will likely be consummated within the first half of the year.

In an interview late Tuesday, chief executive and managing director Enrique Y. Gonzalez said they are now in talks for the acquisition of a Philippine-based call center with 1,000 seats; and similar talks are ongoing with an Asian firm also in the call- center business.

“We can’t divulge details because of the ongoing negotiations. But we expect to close a deal within the first half,” he said, adding that IPVG has got the money for the acquisition covered.

IPVG, whose shares are traded on the Philippine Stock Exchange, operates 2,000 seats via Globalstride Holdings Inc., and Interactive Teleservices Corp. The forthcoming acquisitions are expected to boost its contact center seats to 4,000.

Last week, it bought the controlling equity in MEGAMobile Inc., a local mobile-technology provider and content developer.

IPVG entered into a stock purchase deal with shareholders of MEGAMobile and bought of 70 percent of its outstanding capital stock for P6.4 million.

IPVG plans to top this investment by infusing more money that will make MEGAMobile’s content pipeline stronger, as well as its marketing programs and infrastructure.

“The MEGAMobile transaction signifies another milestone for IPVG, as it enters the dynamic and highly competitive mobile-services arena. The newly acquired company is known for creating new and compelling wireless platforms and technologies,” Gonzalez said.

“Its addition to the conglomerate’s current lines of business creates a new product that will form a synergy among its communications, outsourcing and online gaming operations, thus enabling the subsidiaries to reach out to its huge customer base and strategic distribution network,” he added.

MEGAMobile is IPVG’s fifth investment—through acquisition and signed binding agreement—in 12 months. Before that, IPVG bought Globalstride Holdings, Singapore’s IP-Converge Pte Ltd., Prolexic Technologies Inc.—an Internet security provider with operations in the US, EMEA and Asia—and US-based Interactive Teleservices together with its facilities in the US, Panama and the Philippines.

Gonzalez said IPVG’s net profit for 2007 reached P200 million.

Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/02282008/companies01.html

icarusrising

February 28th, 2008, 10:10 AM

SPi gets cited in Top 10 BPO survey

By Lenie Lectura
Reporter

The Business Mirror

SPi, a unit of ePLDT that is engaged in BPO (business process outsourcing), has been cited in the 2008 Global Services 100 Survey by Global Services magazine and neoIT, an outsourcing advisory firm.

SPi was ranked third in the “Leader, Emerging Asian Markets” category, No. 6 in “Best Performing BPO Provider” category and No. 9 in “Leader, Human Capital Development” category.

The Global Services 100 is a ranking of the world’s top 100 service providers across various BPO and IT sectors. In developing the ranking, Global Services and neoIT used third-party data and information submitted by participants to evaluate and score service providers through four major categories—operational excellence, human capital, service offerings and client relationships.

SPi has consistently been in the Top 10 list of “Best Performing BPO Providers” and “Leaders, Human Capital Development” since 2005. This year, SPi not only maintained its Top 10 ranking in these categories, but has also been included in the Top 3 of the category “Leader, Emerging Asian Markets.”

“We are proud of SPi for continuously being included in this prestigious list of leading global BPO providers. We are equally pleased to see that SPi has been included in the “Leader, Emerging Asian Markets” for the first time. Our high ranking in this category is a testament to our ability to compete with other large global outsourcing companies in terms of scope of service, quality and cost effectiveness,” said SPi chairman Ray Espinosa.

The Philippines remains SPi’s major hub of operations and has 12 locations in Manila, Laguna, Cebu, Dumaguete, Clark and Iloilo and over 7,000 employees nationwide, Espinosa added.

ePLDT, a wholly-owned subsidiary of telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., is an information and communications technology company. It provides infrastructure and services focusing on next-generation communications, connectivity and content to corporate clients and consumers.

“Being ranked as a top-tier BPO Provider and a Leader in Human Capital Development for four consecutive years is confirmation of our unwavering commitment to grow our people, of our dedication to a strategic partnership approach with our clients, and of our resolute commitment to continuous process improvements in everything that we do,” said Peter Maquera, SPi’s president.

Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/02282008/companies05.html

dinabaw

February 28th, 2008, 02:16 PM

:cheers::cheers::cheers:

Nihongo education in Davao
By Blogie •

In light of recent events related to Davao’s IT industry and that of Japan’s, I’d like to bring your attention to the state of Japanese-language education in Davao City. These events are: 1) the growing interest of Japanese entities (IT companies, government agencies and non-profit organizations) in the growth of our IT industry; 2) the same level of interest in the city’s IT manpower; 3) the activities of some sectors aimed at attracting Japanese investments here.

This is just an overview. I welcome your input, as well as any support towards arriving at a more in-depth, research-based study of advancements made in this field.

It is probably safe to assume that the first Japanese-language educational institution in Davao is the Philippine Nikkei-Jin Kai (PNJK). Established in 1985 as an organization of Japanese-Filipino descendants, they started offering Nihongo instruction to the general public in the early 1990s. There are a handful of other language schools that also carry basic Nihongo classes, but it is only PNJK that has been able to sustain its program. Perhaps a good reason for this is the dedicated support that the PNJK receives from its principals and from the Japan Foundation - Manila Office (JFMO). The JFMO is an agency of the Japanese government that, in a nutshell, oversees Nihongo education all over the world.

In 2001, the same people behind PNJK established Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku (MKD, or Mindanao International College). MKD accepted its first batch of students in June 2002. This unique institution offers social development courses, as well as a program on international studies. All students are required to pass 18 units of Japanese-language studies in order to graduate. One indicator of the level of maturity of MKD’s Nihongo program is this remarkable factoid: each year since 2003, MKD students have been winning top places in the prestigious Nihongo Speech Contest, which is conducted annually by the JFMO in Metro Manila.

Today, most of the major universities in Davao offer Japanese-language education. However, except for MKD, none of them teach Nihongo beyond the basic levels. To date, only MKD students have been able to pass the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Level 3 and above.

The JLPT is the global standard for mastery of the language; much like TOEFL and IELTS are for English. Level 1 is the highest, and Level 4 is for beginners. In order to pass Level 1, a learner must possess a minimum of 6,000 words in his Japanese vocabulary.

A downside to MKD is the absence of IT-related courses in its curricula. The college is perhaps still unaware of, or unimpressed by, the huge IT manpower deficit present in Japan today. According to the Japan External Trade Organization, Japan’s IT industry is in serious need of 150,000 warm bodies this year. Fulfilling this demand could be a wonderful challenge for MKD. With their leadership in Nihongo education in Davao, this college has the potential to be a catalyst of progress for our IT industry.

You see, with a significant number of Japanese-speaking IT workers in Davao, our city will not only become a more desirable source of IT manpower, but a viable and feasible investment destination for Japanese IT firms as well.

In the interim, Davao IT professionals and students can benefit from the presence of the Philippine National IT Standards Foundation (PhilNITS), which was inaugurated here in late 2007. This Foundation, for one, acts as a conduit between the IT industries of Japan and the Philippines. It could also become a venue for Dabawenyo programmers, computer engineers, etc. to pursue studies in the Japanese language.

At present, there are virtually no Nihongo-proficient IT professionals in Davao. I believe it is high time we started producing them in order to arrive at a critical mass that will attract high-value business investments into the city.

http://ittalks.robilloblog.com/2008/02/28/nihongo-education-in-davao/

Il Tenore

February 28th, 2008, 03:32 PM

^^good move.... someday, all institutions are required to have Japanese Language thus making this city, proficient and fluent in Nihongo...

dinabaw

February 28th, 2008, 03:35 PM

^^ nihongo ? ngongo for ilonggo ? :D

dinabaw

February 29th, 2008, 08:19 AM

Property owners admit lack of aggressiveness to support IT industry

by Prix D Banzon

Davao City (29 February) -- A business leader who is also a property owner in Davao City admitted they still lack the aggressiveness to support the IT industry of the city by not leading the investments in real property where businesses related to the industry could be housed.

Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCI) chair Simeon Marfori who also came from a family that owns real properties within the heart of Davao City said he was equally guilty as a landowner.

"What are we doing with this resources," he said.

He said owners of land in Davao City comprise the big part of the key that will unlock more of the growth of the city.

"Let us make this land available," he said and encouraged fellow landowners to look at the industry in view of the businesses.

He said that with the BPO, they can benefit more from it.

Davao City, he said, has the infrastructure to support BPO with some improvements.

These investors are ready to come to Davao and willing to locate regional rates for sites which are lower than the Makati properties.

"It is easier for them to move around here plus the fact that the talent supply is right here in our city," he said.

He said with big universities here where three of them belong to the top schools of the country, they are assured of human resource that would supply their operation.

He is thankful for the aggressiveness of the IT industry sector of Davao who never stop finding their way and reaching out to people that will help move the industry. (PIA) [top]

http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&fi=p080229.htm&no=10&r=R11&y=08&mo=02

Peng Hok

February 29th, 2008, 08:24 AM

^^
Sa totoo lang, pinipilahan ng mga IT Companies ang Davao. Tayo lang talaga ang mahina. Mabuti nalang at patient itong mga companies na to. They wait for us to provide spaces rather than going some place else dito sa Mindanao.

Pero hanggang kelan ganito? Should we wait na mawalan ng pasensya sa atin ang mga companies na ito and decide to locate sa ibang lugar nalang?

Wake up call na dapat ito both sa public and private sectors ng Davao.

Davao is a very hot commodity. We should take advantage of this.

Gaya ng sabi ng isang representative ng big fish, it's either they expand to Davao in Mindanao or not expand in Mindanao at all. Ganyan ka hot commodity ang Davao.

dinabaw

February 29th, 2008, 08:26 AM

^^ yung kubo ko available :D

WawaY[625]

February 29th, 2008, 08:29 AM

Peng Hok

February 29th, 2008, 08:40 AM

^^
Challenge talaga yan dapat. And I hope it translates into something good for Davao.

Kulang talaga tayo sa spaces. Even Landco and Pryce are no longer sufficient to meet the growing demands. I am talking about thousands of seats here, not merely hundreds.

Look at the expanse of the new Damosa IT building. Isang call center lang ang mag ooccupy nyan.

Sa spaces pa lang, mukhang hindi pa na balance ng Davao ang Law of Supply and Demand. Davao should take advantage of this surplus in demand by increasing the supply.

lightsaber46

February 29th, 2008, 08:47 AM

Davao City sets aside 20,000 sq.m. for outsourcing investors
02/28/2008 | 11:27 PM
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/82705/Davao-City-sets-aside-20000-sqm-for-outsourcing-investors

BY Joel B. Escovilla, BusinessWorld Correspondent

DAVAO CITY — With four companies applying for incentives, the city government expects to open 20,000 square meters of space for business process outsourcing (BPO) investors by the end of the year.

Roberto U. Teo, head of the Davao City Investments Promotions Center, said four firms have already expressed intention to set up or convert existing buildings to cater to outsourcing business.

He said the buildings are located in Damosa Land and Robinsons Land in Bajada district, the New City Commercial Center in Matina district and one in downtown Davao.

The city government has been selling Damosa Land of the Floirendo Group, which was declared by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority as an information technology zone, along with the Pryce Towers in Landco, J.P. Laurel Street, south of the city, to potential locators in information and communications technology industry.

"We need to have a road map for Davao City so we’re making an inventory of what we have and what we need [in order] to find the gaps," he said.

An ICT Task Force formed by the city government through Executive Order 16 has ordered the commission of a local survey, separate from the national government’s own road map.

Mr. Teo said the task force has yet to identify a group to undertake the survey even as it obtained a commitment from the International Finance Corp.-World Bank to help out. He said an independent firm offered to conduct the survey for a cost of $100,000 but that was immediately dropped by the city government for being too expensive.

"I’ll make a recommendation on the subject most likely on the first week or second week of March," he said.

But Oscar R. Sañez, chief operating officer of Business Processing Association Philippines, said that Davao City should strive to encourage the real estate developers and the private sector to target at least 90,000 to 180,000 square meters for the locators.

During the BPO Property Forum held on Thursday at the Davao Convention and Trade Center, Mr. Sañez said that the country has, at present, 1.3 million square meters of employment space for BPOs but that 1.8 million square meters more are needed.

"You need at least 90,000 to 180,000 square meters in Davao City, assuming you get 5% of share for the new sites," he said.

He said outsourcing is a $450-billion industry and about $130 billion in revenues could be realized by the year 2010.

"If we could get a share of the $130 billion, we will really, really be happy in the Philippines," Mr. Sañez said.

He described BPO is the only industry that has consistently recorded 50% annual growth rate for the past three years.

So far, he said, the Philippines has reached just 11% of its BPO potential, in terms of manpower, infrastructure, and support services, and that revenues for the BPO industry last year reached P4.875 billion.

At the same time, Mr. Sañez noted that Vietnam is threatening to jump into the bandwagon by undertaking massive programs to teach its students English.

He said the industry trend is spreading towards the provinces after outsourcing firms noticed an unusual concentration of BPO companies in the National Capital Region, making up 80% of the total in the country.

The talent pool, however, has not been very encouraging with only 25% coming from Metro Manila. "We have 25% talent, and yet 80% of offshoring and outsourcing companies are in Manila," said Mr. Sañez. "There must be something wrong with this picture."

Simeon P. Marfori II, president of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that Davao City is prepared to absorb all these outsourcing companies that have expressed interest.

With over five universities and 30 schools, he said the city has the warm bodies that could be trained and retooled to fit these companies’ needs.

But he said that real estate developers, landowners, and businessmen should also do their part to ensure that investors don’t have to wait for months for buildings and other infrastructure they need. - BusinessWorld

Il Tenore

February 29th, 2008, 10:24 AM

dinabaw

February 29th, 2008, 02:08 PM

tj_brewed

February 29th, 2008, 07:47 PM

eh dapat umpisahan na ang RCC , i hope Sonny Dizon attended the IT forum held @ the Davao Convention Center

Why Sonny Dizon? Dapat ininvite din si Robles, the man behind Sta Lucia - the developer of RCC.

davaoeagle

February 29th, 2008, 07:50 PM

Saturday, March 01, 2008
DCIPC: Spaces ready for call center operations
By Joy Romares-Sevilla

THE chair of the Davao City Investment and Promotions Center (DCIPC) revealed that about 20,000 square meters of building space would be ready for call center operations by the end of the year.

In an interview Thursday, Roberto Teo, DCIPC chair, said the building space would be made available through the construction of four buildings in Damosa in Lanang; NCCC Mall of Davao; and another building at the downtown area.

"Four buildings will be constructed for call centers by the end of the year. Damosa will construct its second building with three stories, another will be constructed in Robinson's Land in Lanang, one in the downtown area, and another at the fourth floor of the NCCC Mall," Teo said.

Teo added that DCIPC is encouraging local businessmen to invest in the city with light manufacturing and service-oriented industries.

"I don't want the idea of having heavy industry investments in the city. Mas maganda (It's better) if the investments would be just light manufacturing and service-oriented like IT parks, food processing, and putting up retirement parks," Teo said.

On the other hand, Teo claimed that new investors who entered the city last year have "different trend of direction."

"The new investments registered with the DCIPC last year is less than P1 billion, lower in 2006 which is P1.8 billion. Investors are gearing towards different direction. Hindi na masyadong traditional, many just construct and invest, maybe they don't need incentives. Yun ang bago ngayon, people are not looking at incentives, they see that they can stand on their own," he said.

Teo said investors might have seen the stability of peace and order situation in the city.

"In a certain locality, there should an established peace and order because development will follow," Teo said.

tj_brewed

February 29th, 2008, 07:52 PM

-edit-

-TC-

February 29th, 2008, 08:00 PM

http://technology.inquirer.net/infotech/infotech/view/20080229-121981/Business-as-usual-for-Makati-call-centers-despite-rally

Business as usual for Makati call centers despite rally
By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
02/29/2008

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) It’s business as usual for call centers in Makati City despite this afternoon's “interfaith” rally touted as the biggest protest rally against the Arroyo administration.

Organizers of the rally earlier stated that today’s gathering will draw as much as 100,000 supporters -- the biggest anti-Arroyo protest by far -- from different sectoral and religious groups.

Students and faculty from various schools are also expected to participate in the rally, which again is expected to close several routes in the city’s business district, including Ayala Avenue.

“Operations are normal in all locations,” said Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) chief executive Oscar Sanez via phone interview.

A check with some call centers with offices located along Ayala Avenue confirmed continued operations despite today’s rally.

A representative from Perot Systems, which has offices at Enterprise Tower located at Ayala corner Paseo De Roxas (where Members of the charismatic Jesus is Lord movement, led by evangelist Brother Eduardo “Eddie” Villanueva, are expected to converge), said it’s business as usual for the company.

PeopleSupport, whose building is likewise located along Ayala Avenue, also confirmed continued operations.

In a statement, Bong Borja, PeopleSupport president, said: “We have advised our employees of the best routes to take going to work. Security has been beefed up in our building. Contingency procedures are in place in case the situation escalates.”

Meanwhile, Convergys responded that its operations remain normal. Marife Zamora, Convergys country manager, said via text message: “We have a unified command center to monitor and a transport assistance program to ensure our agents get to work.”

Sanez said there are no formal advisories from BPA/P about the rally to member-companies.

“The rallies do not really cause any disturbance other than slight transportation problems and traffic issues in the vicinity,” Sanez said.

Il Tenore

March 1st, 2008, 03:07 AM

dinabaw

March 1st, 2008, 03:51 AM

Why Sonny Dizon? Dapat ininvite din si Robles, the man behind Sta Lucia - the developer of RCC.

well part owner kasi siya , they did donate the lot na inooccupy ng St. Paul College ngayon :cheers:

paulkrps

March 1st, 2008, 04:24 AM

i hope nga ladeco would donate their land and make it sort of a new government centre.

dinabaw

March 1st, 2008, 04:31 AM

^^ what's Ladeco?

paulkrps

March 1st, 2008, 04:36 AM

lapanday development company - kanang banana plantation diha sa lapanday. gihimo untang murag murag industrial park pero naigo pud yata sa asian currency crisis in 97.

odyssey

March 1st, 2008, 02:26 PM

Nestlé inaugurates Asia service center
http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS20080301118270.html

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo formally inaugurated in Meycauayan, Bulacan yesterday Nestlé Business Services (NBS) AOA, a new corporate entity of the global Nestlé Group which will serve as the shared service center for financial and employee service needs of Nestle companies in Zone AOA (Asia, Oceania and Africa).

Countries to be served by NBS include the Philippines, Malaysia/Singapore, Indonesia, Indochina, Australia and New Zealand.

During the inauguration, Arroyo was briefed on the professional services to be rendered by NBS. The utility’s financial services will include account payables and receivables as well as accounting operations, while its employee services will cover payroll, HR administration, time management and benefits administration.

Nestle Philippines, Inc. (NPI) Chairman and CEO Nandu Nandkishore said that the establishment of NBS in the country which was announced in August, 2007, is a concrete expression of the Nestle Group’s long-term confidence and commitment to support the continued economic growth of the country.

Nandishore noted that a number of countries had been considered as possible sites for NBS, with the Philippines finally selected because of talent availability and cost efficiency. "This decision recognizes our world-class capabilities in financial and employee services, and will allow us,yet again, to showcase Filipino competence," he said.

NBS is designed to deliver best-in-class office support at competitive service levels and costs to Nestle companies in the region. The Nestle Group has successfully implemented the shared service model in Europe and the Americas, resulting in maximized cost effectiveness, efficiency, and higher quality of financial and employee service transactions.

"NBS AOA centralizes the financial and employee service requirements of various Nestle companies in Zone AOA at one location, in the Philippines. We expect thi shared service setup not only to deliver cost efficiencies, but to also allow Nestle companies to focus more on their core business, which is generating demand." NBS AOA Head Craig Connolly said. NBS AOA is located at the same site in Meycauayan where Nestle Philippines’ North Distribution Center operates as the company’s largest and most modern distribution center in the country.

"We chose Meycauayan as the NBS site because the area is underdeveloped from a BPO standpoint. This will allow us to recruit local talent, control turnover, and deliver on our commitments," Connolly said.

He said that financial and employee services transactions are being taken over by NBS progressively, starting with Nestle Philippines which completed the transition of its financial services by end of 2007 and its employee services this month. A total transition of all Nestle companies in the Zone is expected by end of 2008.

Il Tenore

March 2nd, 2008, 01:02 AM

^^sayang!...

dinabaw

March 2nd, 2008, 06:46 AM

Poster Hiring 50 Layout Artists

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/2302/23038800289c1fc4eb50km0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

View chriscubos' map
Taken in a place with no name (See more photos here)
Philippine Global Outsourcing (formerly ids-media) is looking for 50 layout artists for its expansion into new markets.

If you are
• 18-28 years old
• Creative
• Self-motivated
• Highly Active
• Highly Trainable
• Preferrably (but not limited to) I.T. or Masscom or Engineering or Architecture

Knowledge and Skills Requirements
• Adobe Photoshop: Skill Level Beginner
• Adobe Illustrator / Corel Draw: Skill Level Beginner

Requirements
• 2x2 Photo
• Resume
• Cover Letter
• List of Skills/Experience
• Character References

Deadline (1st Batch): March 5, 2008 (Wednesday)
Announcement of Approved Applicants: March 10, 2008 (Monday)

Trainings will be conducted asap.

Contact

Christopher John Cubos
Cell: 09204732026
Email: chriscubos@yahoo.com
Would you like to comme

Il Tenore

March 2nd, 2008, 07:47 AM

Good Afternoon Davao!!

paulkrps

March 3rd, 2008, 03:40 AM

lightsaber46

March 3rd, 2008, 09:39 AM

BPOs pushed toward Europe as dollar weakens further
03/03/2008 | 03:10 PM
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/83107/BPOs-pushed-toward-Europe-as-dollar-weakens-further

A foreign business advisor consulted by the Department of Trade and Industry has urged business process outsourcing companies to expand into Europe in order to temper whatever losses they incur from the weakness of the United States economy.

Most BPOs in the Philippines depend on American clients, who pay them in rapidly weakening US dollars.

"The European market is now significantly larger than that in North America and is growing fast," said David Barrett, chief executive of Procuritas Limited, an advisory company engaged in engineering sourcing transactions with customers and BPO suppliers.

In his presentation in E-Services, Barrett reported that Europe, specifically the United Kingdom, has a high outsourcing penetration and is considered to be a sophisticated market for BPO globally.

E-Services is organized by the Department of Trade and Industry's Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions together with the Board of Investments and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines.

"The United Kingdom alone represents 20 percent of the world market. Philippine companies would have the advantage of language and legal system here," added Barrett. "Clearly, the Philippine BPO industry is going from strength to strength and local companies are making great strides. There's plenty of opportunity to work with Philippine companies to address penetration in these markets."

He also noted the positive relationship between the Philippine government and its BPO industry, saying that the recent E-Services conference is a "strong endorsement of that partnership."

Forty-four percent of European companies outsource all or some of their IT requirements, while 56 percent of their financial services are also outsourced.

The Philippines was voted last year as "Best Offshoring Destination" by the UK's National Outsourcing Association and clearly manifests that with the growing dynamism in UK's outsourcing market, the Philippines has a lot to gain if they play their cards right, especially since the US dollar is steadily going downhill.

Barrett is also a founding member of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals. - Cheryl Arcibal, GMANews.TV

odyssey

March 3rd, 2008, 06:54 PM

New Sykes call center opens in cheaper site
http://www.bworld.com.ph/BW030408/content.php?id=045
AS PART of efforts to manage costs to offset the effects of the strong peso on dollar revenues, Sykes Asia, Inc. yesterday opened a new facility outside traditional business districts where office space is expensive.
Sykes’ Sunnymede IT Center along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City has 10 floors which can house up to 2,000 call center agents and support personnel.
The 11,000-square-meter contact center can service clients in 14 languages including Cantonese, French, Italian, and German.
Sykes Vice-President and Managing Director for Asia-Pacific Rim Michael John Henderson said cost was one of the primary factors considered in choosing the site.
"It’s definitely cheaper here than to be in the central business district. It’s all about managing your costs effectively in the long term," Mr. Henderson told BusinessWorld in an interview.
Over the past four years, there was "significant growth" in Sykes’ clients, as well as the size of contracts in specialized fields like engineering and finance.
Sykes has five other call centers: two in Makati and one each in Pasig, Quezon City and Cebu City. Sykes now employs 10,000 people, from only 17 employees 11 years ago. — Marian Grace S. Ramos

Il Tenore

March 4th, 2008, 12:50 AM

Good Morning Davao!!

got to climb up!

icarusrising

March 4th, 2008, 09:57 AM

Outsourcing firms told to tap European market

The Business World

THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) is urging business process outsourcing (BPO) companies to start tapping the European market.

In a statement, the department said Europe is now viewed as a more viable market for BPO companies, due to the continued decline of the US dollar and prospects of a US economic slowdown.

"The European market is now significantly larger than that in North America and is growing fast. The United Kingdom alone represents 20% of the world market. Philippine companies would have the advantage of language" DTI quoted David Barrett, chief executive officer of European advisory firm Procuritas Limited, as saying.

Mr. Barrett added 44% of European companies outsource all or some of their IT requirements, while 56% of their financial services are also outsourced.

DTI said the Philippines was voted as "Best Offshoring Destination" last year by UK’s National Outsourcing Association.

"This clearly manifests that with the growing dynamism in UK’s outsourcing market, the Philippines has a lot to gain if they play their cards right, especially since the US dollar is steadily going downhill," DTI said.

A survey released last month by Outsource2Philippines, together with the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, showed the local BPO sector remains confident of weathering the impact of a strong peso but a number of firms have been forced to rethink expansion plans or move to areas where costs are lower.

--------------------

Story Location: http://www.bworld.com.ph/BW030408/content.php?id=054

icarusrising

March 5th, 2008, 04:56 AM

Warnings vs BPOs are ‘normal’

By Dennis D. Estopace
Reporter

The Business Mirror

AMERICAN firms’ saber-rattling of risks to cast down the outsourcing capability of the Philippines may just be part of the electoral season and the fears of recession striking the heart of the United States, the chief executive of the business-process outsourcing (BPO) industry association said.

“The debate on our competency would continue; it always comes in these times,” Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) CEO Oscar Sañez said.

The BusinessMirror sought to get Sañez’s reaction on several press statements by US groups like the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), Florida Dental Laboratory Association (FDLA) and the Business Travel Coalition pointing out that economic activities being sent to foreign countries pose risks.

The NCRA said in a statement that “as more and more legal and medical content goes to areas with substantial English-speaking populations, such as the Philippines, Hong Kong and India …members worry that privacy and information security will be impossible to guarantee.”

It cited a case wherein “a Philippine transcription subcontractor threatened to post medical records of US patients on the Internet unless she was paid in a timely fashion for her services.”

The FDLA, on the other hand, alleged that “due to the growing number of Americans seeking dental restorative treatment and the growing pressure by some dentists to cut costs and increase profit margins, much of the dental work Americans carry in their mouths is now imported from countries, such as China, Pakistan, the Philippines and India.

The association said it wants “the federal government to recognize the need for more stringent oversight” in such activities.

Meanwhile, the NTSB’s recent summit pointed out that “major US domestic carriers dramatically increased outsourcing in recent years, and now spend nearly two-thirds of their maintenance dollars on contract repair stations here and abroad, including facilities in operations in China, El Salvador, Mexico and the Philippines.”

A statement from the group alleges that “foreign repair stations are not required to have the same number of FAA-certificated mechanics, or the same security rules, as airline-owned repair facilities in the US.”

“These are normal reactions for companies feeling threatened in view of a slowing economy,” Sañez said, noting that “the proof of the concept of outsourcing as a business solution is the opportunity it provides for US companies to compete effectively in a time of recession.”

“Outsourcing should be seen as a solution, not a problem,” Sañez added.

Sañez said that 90-93 percent of the Philippine BPO industries are composed of clients from the US.

“They should feel confident because the industry complies with international standards, whether these are in the health services sector or high technology-based industries,” he said.

Sañez claims that BPO/P members, whose clients are a hundred of the Fortune 500 companies, adhere to privacy guidelines and data-security standards. They keep confidential data confidential, even from us, he said.

Nonetheless, Sañez said the industry would be wooing the Australian market to, at least, add a percent in the client composition of the Philippine BPO industry.

We’re optimistic to attract some companies there because the time difference is just between two to three hours and there would be no major data shifts, especially in voice, he explained.

A BPO/P trade mission to Australia would leave in April, Sañez said, adding that they hope companies they can attract “would help in the target growth rate for this year.”

Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/03052008/headlines04.html

icarusrising

March 5th, 2008, 06:19 AM

India losing luster as offshore site, says report

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

Posted date: March 04, 2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Major IT services vendors in the United Kingdom are looking to set up offshore sites outside of India, according to Paris-based consulting firm Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC).

In its report, PAC noted that 20 of the largest IT services suppliers operating in the UK have opened offshore delivery centers since January last year but only two of these are located in India.

On the other hand, four were set up in China and three apiece in Eastern Europe and Morocco.

The report also noted that even though China is initially a target for vendors because of its domestic market, these new delivery centers may indicate that it is also a site for offshore expansion.

The report also mentioned a move by call center operator Convergys to close its delivery centers in Canada and instead replace it with operations in the Philippines. Convergys already employs more than 11,000 agents in the country.

Included in the list of top UK-based IT services vendors are IBM, Accenture and LogicaCMG, all of which have delivery sites in the Philippines.

Logica, in particular, has said it would increase its workforce in the country from 220 to 1,000 people this year, forecasting a healthy market for IT outsourcing in European markets.

India's position as the premier low-cost IT sourcing centre is not under serious threat in the near term, according to Nick Mayes, senior consultant at PAC.

"But what we are seeing is vendors looking to reduce their reliability on India's heated labor market, while adding non-English language skills to support clients in regions such as Central Europe," Mayes said.

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20080304-122735/India-losing-luster-as-offshore-site-says-report

MtApoStandard

March 5th, 2008, 04:48 PM

Davao Light donates 150 armchairs to remote Megkawayan elementary school

Davao City (6 March) -- An elementary school located in far-flung Barangay Megkawayan in Davao City's third district is the latest beneficiary of 150 armchairs from Davao Light and Power Company in cooperation with the Aboitiz Group Foundation, Inc. (AGFI).

This was disclosed yesterday by the Aboitiz-owned electric utility's Community Relations (ComRel) Department.

ComRel Manager Vic Sumalinog said the 150 armchairs were delivered to the school last Thursday, February 28, in time for the celebration of the "Araw ng Barangay Megkawayan", a place roughly 44 kilometers from the Davao City proper.

According to Sumalinog, the donation was the outcome of a request for chairs made by elementary school principal Benita R. Padayhag, which was coursed through Megkawayan barangay captain Glenn Escovilla. The barangay top official immediately forwarded the request to Davao Light. After validating the request, a formal proposal was submitted to AGFI in Cebu for funding allocation, which was approved by the AGFI board late last year.

With the turnover of the armchairs, the close to five hundred elementary students will not anymore be sharing chairs inside their classrooms, but instead will have a chair each. This is expected to improve substantially the quality of education that the elementary students can get from the school given their present condition.

The armchair donation is one of the many education projects undertaken by Davao Light and AGFI in connection with their participation in the "Adopt-a-School" Program of the Department of Education. (DLPC) [top]

Il Tenore

March 7th, 2008, 10:47 AM

^^good move for Davao light! go!!

icarusrising

March 7th, 2008, 10:57 AM

Call center attrition rates lower but HR still a challenge

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

Posted date: March 07, 2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino call center agents are staying in their jobs longer but the industry still needs to improve attrition rates, according to a study by Callcentres.net.

The study covered nearly 2,500 companies with call center operations across Singapore, China, India, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. In the Philippines, 87 companies were covered by the study.

According to the report, agent attrition rate in the country has gone down from 18 percent to 15 percent in the last year.

"We are seeing some improvement with agent tenure in the Philippines increasing steadily, with the average time an agent remains working in a center now around 22 months, up from 18 months," said Catriona Wallace, managing director of Callcentres.net.

Based in Sydney, Australia, Callcentres.net is involved in online publishing focused on the contact center sector.

On the average, full-time agents in the Philippines stay in a call center for around 22 months while part-time agents stay for about 10 months. Team leaders, meanwhile, stay for more than three years while managers stay longer as much as six years, according to the study.

The study also projected the industry to increase by 23 percent in capacity, or around 129,000 seats this year. The average number of seats per organization is also forecasted to increase from around 670 last year to 800 this year.

Wallace, however, said the local call center industry must continue to address its HR challenges, including attrition.

“HR remains a critical challenge….where is the industry recruiting and where it will find the right skills," she said during a press briefing.

Overall, the study showed that call centers in Asia are in a period of transition from the traditional model of providing customer support to becoming "profit centers," or focused on sales and revenue generation.

The study was sponsored by vendors Genesys and Autonomy, which sell industry-specific software solutions for contact centers.

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20080307-123375/Call-center-attrition-rates-lower-but-HR-still-a-challenge

neyoneyo80

March 7th, 2008, 11:48 PM

Davao Fish Port Complex

The Davao Fish Port Complex (DFPC) is the seventh commercial fish port to be operated and managed by the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA). It is, however, the second major fishing port established in Mindanao Area. This 4.5 hectare complex serves as a center for the collection, processing, storage and packaging of fishery and marine products for distribution to Davao City's area of influence and to the export market.

Envisioned to be similar in operations to that of an ordinary regional fish port which caters to the needs of the local fishing industry, the DFPC has become a major transshipment point and center of trade within the East ASEAN Growth Area (EAGA). The modernization of commercial fishery coupled with the required infrastructure is the country's commitment to EAGA.

The project cost Php 359,192,594.59 and funded through the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund of Japan (OECF). Construction commenced on June 25, 1993 and lasted for a period of 25 months.

Location

Situated in Daliao, Toril District, DFPC is about 16 kilometers from the center of Davao City. Bounded on the North by Davao del Norte, by Davao Gulf on the East, by the municipality of Sta. Cruz on the South and North Cotabato Province on the West. It is located 125 degrees E 35 degrees latitude and 7 degrees N 10 degrees longitude.

http://pfda.da.gov.ph/pictures/dfpc.jpg

Services and Port Operations

In May 1995, local commercial fishing vessel started unloading their catch and conduct fish trading activities in this traditional landing site. Regular market hours are from 5:00 to 8:00 in the morning.

The breakthrough in foreign transshipment operations took place on July 12, 1995 when a Taiwanese fishing vessel unloaded, processed and packed its fish cargo at DFPC and eventually exported it to market abroad. These foreign fishing vessels are serviced by transshipment agents occupying bays at the market hall.

A One-Stop-Action-Center (OSAC) was established inside DFPC to facilitate processing of documents for fishery products that are to be exported and for the entry and dispatch of foreign fishing vessels.

Processing of marine products such as prawn, tuna, octopus, and cuttlefish are undertaken at the refrigeration building in addition to 24 hours ice production.

Major Facilities

Landing Quay : 112 L.M.
Breakwater
South Breakwater : 225 L.M.
North Breakwater : 125 L.M.
Revetment : 480 L.M.
Port Area/Reclamation : 4.50 Ha.
Navigational Aid : 2 Sets
Drainage : 2,857 L.M.
Landscaping
Bricks and Green : 1,960 SQM
Green : 4,470 SQM
Fence/Gate : 710 L.M.
Water Supply System
Fresh Water Supply Facilities : 150 cu.m.
Seawater Supply Facilities : 7,000 cu.m.
Sewer System : 418 L.M.
Concrete Pavement
Roadway : 19,500 SQM
Parking Area : 4,800 SQM
Sidewalk : 2,270 SQM
Fish Market : 1,700 SQM
Refrigeration Facilities : 1,800 SQM
Ice Making Plants : 30 ton/day
Cold Storage (-35C) : 80 ton/day
Ice Storage : 20 ton/day
Contact Freezer : 2 units (270 kgs.cycle/unit)
Administration Building : 300 SQM
Security and Guard House : 140 SQM
Public Toilets : 28 X 4 SQM
Fish Container Storage : 196 SQM
Food Service Area : 24 X 8 SQM
Fuel Supply Facilities : 1,080 cu.m.
Dormitory & Guest House : 140 SQM
Clinic
Bank (Land Bank)

Prospective Clientele

Tuna Transshipment Agencies/Companies
Basic Requirement : Filing of Application and/or Letter of Intent/Proposal
Documents Required : Permit to Operate and/or Business Permit from the City Government; Certificate of Registration of Business/Trade Name and/or SEC Company Registration including Articles of Incorporation; Company Profile including Record of Business Experience on Fishery Export/Import and/or Tuna Transshipment Operations; Present and Previous Agreements/Tie-ups with Foreign Fishing Companies
Facilities Available : Berthing and Landing Quays; Market Hall with Stalls/Bays at 100 sq.m per stall/bay to be utilized as processing area; Block Ice and Cold Storage Facilities; Water and Power Supply Systems; Fuel Depot Facilities; Refrigerated Vans and Hauling Equipment; Office Space and Guarded Parking Areas

Fishing Boat/Vessel Operators
Basic Requirement : Filing of Application for Accreditation by PFDA
Documents Required : Commercial Fishing Vessel Licence (CFVL) issued by BFAR; Municipal/City Permit to Operate
Facilities Available : Landing Wharf; Stair Landing; Net Mending Yard; Fishing Gear Mending Yard; Power/Water Supply; 30 Tonner Ice-Making Facilities; 80 Tonner Cold Storage Facilities

Fish Brokers/Consignacions
Basic Requirement : Filing of Lease Applications
Documents Required : Municipal/City Permit to Operate and Business Permit
Facilities Available : Fish Market (33 Bays/Market Stalls); Fish Container Storage; Power/Water Supply; 30 Tonner Ice-Making Facilities; 80 Tonner Cold Storage Facilities; Guarded Parking Areas

Fish Processors/Exporters
Basic Requirement : Filing of Lease Application
Documents Required : SEC Approved Articles of Incorporation and/or Business Permit; Municipal/City Permit to Operate
Facilities Available : Fish Processing/Working Area; Power/Water Supply; Contact Freezer - 2 units 270 kgs. per cycle; 80 Tonner Cold Storage; 30 Tonner Ice-Making Facilities; Refrigerated Van; Guarded Parking Area

Other Fish Vendors/Traders and Viajeros
Basic Requirement : Filing of Application for Accreditation by PFDA
Documents Required : Municipal/City Permit to Operate and Business Permit
Facilities Available : Fish Market; Power/Water Supply; 30 Toner Ice-Making Facilities; Guarded Parking Area

Industrial Users/Investors
Basic Requirement : Fishery-Related Industry Proposals
Area Requirement : In Square Meters
Mechanics of Implementation : Build Operate Transfer (BOT)
Available Facilities : Open Space Ready for Lease; Open Space for Fuel Depot; Food Stalls (lease only); Guarded Parking Area

Contact Information
Office of the Port Manager
DAVAO FISH PORT COMPLEX
Toril District, Davao City
Tel. No. (082) 291-14-07; 291-07-52
Fax No. (082) 291-09-31

http://pfda.da.gov.ph/dfpc.html

Il Tenore

March 7th, 2008, 11:58 PM

^^Good Morning @neyoneyo!!

i've been to Davao Fish Port.. murag gamay lang man pud ang space.. I dunno!

WawaY[625]

March 8th, 2008, 12:03 AM

lansa kaayo didto when we went there :lol: (obviously)

Il Tenore

March 8th, 2008, 12:06 AM

^^fish port gud....hehe!

neyoneyo80

March 8th, 2008, 12:10 AM

^^ baho isda? :lol:

@il tenore... it looks big though (at least in the pic) bon jour :cheers:

Il Tenore

March 8th, 2008, 12:23 AM

^^bawi lang sa picture... it looks big talaga..

lightsaber46

March 9th, 2008, 10:12 AM

RP remains Asia’s call center industry leader
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business4_mar8_2008

By Roderick T. dela Cruz

The Philippines is expected to remain the regional leader in the call center industry with the number of seats in the country seen growing 23.4 percent this year.

Callcentres.net president Catriona Wallace said the 23.4 percent growth would be on top of an already impressive 14 percent increase in 2007.

“The Philippines has a strategic advantage in providing customer support services over India,” she said. “No other Asian country can match the Philippines in terms of servicing the needs of English-speaking clients.”

The company is Asia-Pacific’s leading contact center; outsource sector research and online publishing company.

She said this is evidenced by the continued recruitment by Singaporean companies of call center agents from the country. Call center agents in Singapore are paid four times the salaries of agents working locally.

The 2008 Asian Contact Center Industry Benchmarking Report showed that 82 percent of all customer contacts in the Philippines were handled by contact centers.

She said the study “showed that the Filipino contact center industry is leading the market in the global trend of transitioning from cost to profit centers.”

There are 124 call center companies in the country with a combined 105,000 seats last year. The number is expected to rise to 129,000 over the next 12 months, she said.

The report, sponsored by Autonomy etalk and Genesys, provided benchmarks for the contact center industries in Singapore, China, India, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. It covered 87 companies as respondents in the country.

The Asian contact center industry is in a period of transition from the provision of traditional service and support to being revenue-generation focused, she said.

Il Tenore

March 10th, 2008, 10:27 AM

any latest news people about something?

icarusrising

March 10th, 2008, 02:08 PM

Local call-center industry to outpace
counterparts in Asia in ’08, says survey

By Max V. de Leon
Reporter

THE local contact-center industry is seen to outpace its counterparts in Asia this year with a 23.4-percent growth, based on a survey covering the managers of call centers located in the region.

Dr. Catriona Wallace, president of callcentres.net, the outfit that conducted the survey sponsored by Autonomy etalk and Genesys, said the Philippines will outperform this year the likes of China, which is seen to grow by 20 percent, and India, which is projected to grow by 10 percent.

Wallace said these growth projections are based on the expansion programs lined up by the call center-managers that they talked to for the 2008 Asian Contact Centre Industry Benchmarking Report.

The survey was done in January and covered 539 contact-center executives representing 259,699 call-center seats across Asia.

The study, which involved 87 Philippine-based firms, assessed call-center strategies, revenue generation, operations, human-resource management, technology, customer service, channel-management outsourcing, key performance indicators and management challenges.

Last year, the number of call-center seats in the Philippines also grew by 23 percent to 129,000.

The other good news for the local industry, Wallace said, is that 72 percent of the contact centers here are already considered as profit centers, which is in stark contrast with other countries like Singapore, where only 32 percent are profit centers.

Wallace said this indicates that the market in the Philippines has already recognized potentially lucrative opportunities and is on top of developing trends.

“These results show that the Filipino contact-center industry is leading the market in the region in this global trend of transitioning from cost to profit centers.

The contact center is fast becoming an organization’s most valuable revenue-generating asset, and the results suggest that the Filipino industry recognizes this,” Wallace said at the Philippine launch of the Benchmarking Report over the weekend.

Also, Wallace said the agent tenure in the Philippines improved from only 18 months in the previous survey to 22 months.

Still, Wallace said the industry should continue to address the human-resource aspect, especially with 75 percent of the respondents saying it is their biggest challenge.

Keeping the services of the call-center agents remain to be a tough challenge for the industry, with its attrition rate still at a high 26 percent for full-time agents and 37 percent for the part-time agents.

This, despite the strategies used by firms to entice agents to stay like financial incentives, rewards and recognitions, payment with above-market rates, training or education programs, flexible work arrangements, career planning, social activities and childcare arrangements.

Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/03102008/economy01.html

icarusrising

March 10th, 2008, 02:10 PM

Radiant begins 1st shoot

By Honey Madrilejos-Reyes
Reporter

A MONTH after saying it wants to invest here, Radiant Studios, the local unit of US-based Radiant ERA Holdings Llc., kicked off its first film project costing P200 million ($5 million).

Vice president for business development Andrei Aquino said the outfit has started principal photography on March 3. The film, called I Love You, will be released internationally middle of this year and toward the end of 2008 in the Philippines. The movie will feature local and Hollywood actors.

Radiant’s parent firm Radiant ERA Holdings said earlier it will invest up to P2 billion ($50 million) over the next five years to make eight to 10 films.

“There is no doubt about the talent found here in the Philippines. Being from the industry and having a 17-year track record, I’ve seen the possibilities of what kind of quality that can be produced locally. Through Radiant Studios, we want to bring the Filipino talent a couple of steps closer to the global marketplace because I believe in the talent and the potential. It just needs to be honed in the right way,” said Radiant ERA Holdings chief operating officer Jovie Saddul in a previous statement.

Apart from the technical skills and know-how that Radiant Studios will bring to the local market, it will also advocate proper strategies into the entertainment industry, which could be an alternative investment opportunity for local businessmen.

“This will be initially done for private investors and enthusiasts and, later on, to the general public. This, of course, is dependent on the size of the projects that we will be embarking on,” said Saddul.

Radiant Studios banners Radiant ERA Holdings’ venture into the entertainment industry. Among its assets are its live-action production arm Torch Media and Glow Animation, a studio designed to be the best 3D animation facility in the Asia-Pacific region.

Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/03102008/companies03.html

kiretoce

March 10th, 2008, 03:57 PM

Outsourcing business booms in the Philippines (http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/191172,outsourcing-business-booms-in-the-philippines--feature.html)

Night becomes day at Eastwood Cyberpark in the Philippines capital of Manila. Although it is 2:30 am, the streets are crowded with people. Cafes and fast food restaurants are doing brisk business. A group of young people are laughing about a joke. Office towers soar into the night sky, their windows illuminated.

Eastwood Cyberpark is the workplace of thousands of outsourcing consultants servicing clients at the other side of the world.

The district is one of many outsourcing centres that are currently mushrooming all over the Philippines.

It's lunch time in Canada, and Mrs Phelbs just dialed the help line of computer manufacturer Toshiba.

"This is Michelle, how may I assist you?" the young consultant chirps into her phone.

Jobs at the call centre are much sought after. A beginner can earn as much as 16,000 pesos (392 dollars) per month. In contrast, government officials with decades-long experience make only 10,000 to 12,000 pesos.

The outsourcing business is booming in the Philippines. Last year it generated some 4.9 billion dollars (3.2 billion euros) in revenue through 320,000 employees.

This may still seem very little compared to India, which has a 30-per cent share of the worldwide business and generates more than 30 billion dollars annually.

But Oscar Sanez, president of the local outsourcing association BPA, estimates that business will increase by 40 per cent this year and provide an additional 200,000 jobs.

The Philippines is aiming to achieve a 10-per-cent global market share by 2010, he says.

The Toshiba hotline is operated by Siemens IT Solutions and Services company.

"Seven hundred and fifty employees, 600,000 phone calls per month," its boss, Sandeep Abraham, sums it up.

Abraham is an Indian national and hails from Bangalore, the world's outsourcing mecca. But nothing would bring him to return there, he insists.

"The Filipinos are much friendlier and more service-oriented (than their Indian counterparts)," he says.

Even Indian companies have discovered the Philippines in the meantime. WIPRO, one of the 10 largest IT companies in the world in terms of market capitalisation, just opened a call centre with 900 employees on the island of Cebu.

"Indian outsourcing agents have become a bit too arrogant," explains WIPRO boss TK Kurien about his decision.

Another company, TopDraw, produces animated cartoons for European and Canadian customers.

The production process is time-intensive and elaborate. Some 26,000 drawings are needed for a 30-minute program - ideal work to be handled in a country with low wages like the Philippines.

Individual artists earn 250 pesos per 1-second broadcast they produce, explains production manager Stella Dearing. That requires three major drawings.

One broadcast second needs another 22 frames to fill in the movement between those three drawings - a job done by "in-betweeners."

Dearing currently employs some 900 artists, who either draw the traditional way on paper or, alternatively, produce flash animation on a computer.

TopDraw produced the children's programme Eliot Kid for French television, among others.

"Business is great," asserts Dearing.

The Philippines is the world's third most populous English-speaking country and very used to Western culture after having been a US colony for some 50 years before becoming independent after World War II. English is the second official language after Tagalog.

The country produces at least 110,000 new business college graduates and 85,000 IT specialists each year.

Companies like Deutsche Bank draw on this pool. The bank currently has some accounting and back office work handled by 1,200 employees in Manila.

Other blue chip firms like Henkel, Nestle, Ericcson and Danish container shipping giant Maersk have similar services provided by Filipino employees.

The European Chamber of Commerce in Manila estimates that the European outsourcing sector is worth 20 billion euros.

"The Philippines' share of this pie is still relatively small, but we intend to change that," says Stephanie Weber of the European IT Service Center Foundation, which was established with the help of the chamber of commerce.

Christopher Boughton built the technical department of well-known UK publisher Cambridge University Press in the Philippines.

"For the same salary we spent on five people in Britain we can employ 35 here in the Philippines," he says. "We like their work attitude. They do exactly what is asked from them," he says.

Weina

March 12th, 2008, 04:30 AM

Guidelines set for call center health, safety

REPRESENTATIVES of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) recently gathered at the DoLE-Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) in Diliman, Quezon City to discuss the technical guidelines for the implementation of its first circular for this year on the health and safety of call center employees.

"The rapid growth of the call center industry has made the Philippines the new call center hub in Asia. However, scientific information derived from local and international studies acknowledge that there are recognized health and safety issues associated with the call center work," said DoLE-Labor Standards and Social Protection Undersecretary Lourdes M. Trasmonte.

"The emerging industry, which is call centers and business process outsourcing [BPO], is generating more workers from the young people. The health and safety of the young is non-negotiable, it is an immediate concern for us," she explained.

Ms. Trasmonte noted that one sign of a problem is the industry’s high staff turnover rate. "Concerns over safety and health conditions at work are among the major reasons workers leave their jobs in call centers," she said.

Ms. Trasmonte said the guidelines were developed to help call center companies comply with DoLE’s recently issued first circular for this year, titled: "Policy Guidelines Governing the Occupational Safety and Health of Workers in the Call Center Industry."

Under Department Circular No. 1, the employer has to formulate and implement an appropriate OSH program in accordance with the OSHS and other health-related issuances by the DoLE. OSHS is a set of rules formed by DoLE which mandates the adoption and use of appropriate practices, means, methods, operations or processes and working conditions necessary to ensure safe and healthful employment.

Circular 1 also mandates employers to organize Safety and Health committees in their workplace, pursuant to Rule 1040 of the OSHS. "The health committee should be the one to develop and oversee the implementation of the OSH program," Ms. Trasmonte explained.

Under Circular 1, "The OSH program should include workers orientation and awareness on hazards identification, risk evaluation, prevention and control." "The employer shall require their workers to undergo an Orientation Course on OSH. Many of those who are working in the call center do not know the impact on unhealthy lifestyle like late night partying, excessive smoking and caffeine intake, and lack of physical exercise on their health and work performance," Ms. Trasmonte said.

Studies consulted by DoLE showed that almost 70% of those working in the call center companies resort to smoking and drinking to counter the stress from their work. The studies also showed that call center agents who are assigned in the late night shift display poor performance like low level of alertness and inability to persuade customers. "Unhealthy work practices and too much workload do not only affect the health of the workers but also their performance," said Ms. Trasmonte. — E. T. MarceloM

Weina

March 14th, 2008, 06:16 AM

BPO company sets P400-M expansion

A BUSINESS PROCESS outsourcing firm is going to invest over P400 million in the Philippines to expand its seat capacity to 5,000.
Transcom-Asia has decided to make the Philippines its Asian financial and business hub because of low costs and the quality of Filipino workers. Photo shows the Transcom Center in Pasig.
Transcom-Asia has decided to make the Philippines its Asian financial and business hub because of low costs and the quality of Filipino workers.

In an interview, executives of Transcom-Asia, which provides customer relationship management and credit relationship services, said the company would shell out P300-P400 million for the real estate component of its four-year expansion plan.

"The amount does not include technology, human resources and other costs of doing business," Transcom-Asia Executive Vice-President Duncan Cowie told BusinessWorld.

Transcom-Asia recently opened its P160-million Transcom Center in Fontera Verde, Pasig. The facility sits on a 5,000-square-meter lot and has a total floor area of 20,000 square meters.

The five-floor building serving over 500 multinational clients has 1,200 seats . It has a provision for two more floors. Transcom-Asia is looking to increase its capacity to 5,000 by yearend.

"We haven’t decided if we are going to locate all of that capacity (additional 3,800 seats) here or open additional facilities in the provinces. We are looking at a number of potential sites all the way to central and northern Luzon," Mr. Cowie said.

Setting up a call center costs $6,000 per seat, of which the technology side accounts for $4,000-$5,000, said Contact Center Association of the Philippines Executive Director Jojo J. Uligan.

Mr. Cowie said Transcom-Asia — which came from the merger of Canada-based NuComm International and Transcom Worldwide S.A.’s local unit last August — took into account the potential of the Philippines to become a BPO hub in deciding to expand its offshore business to Asia.

Clients get the same quality of service as in North America for only a fifth of the cost, and so Transcom-Asia decided to make the country its Asian financial and business hub, Transcom-Asia Regional General Manager Real Bergevin said.

Transcom officials said that if the firm opts to expand outside of the Transcom Center, four new call center sites would likely be opened outside Metro Manila to get more workers, hedge on costs, and manage risks.

Prior to the merger with NuComm, Transcom operated two call centers in the country, one in Ortigas, Pasig, and another at the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan. — Marian Grace S. Ramos/Businessworldonline

kiretoce

March 14th, 2008, 05:16 PM

BPO firm optimistic in 2008 amid US economic slowdown (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20080314-124696/BPO-firm-optimistic-in-2008-amid-US-economic-slowdown)

Outsourced customer support service firm Sitel remained optimistic that business will still pour in from the United States amid the economic slowdown, an executive told reporters.

“The slowdown is an opportunity for us to tap the off-shoring business,” said Sitel Philippines Corp. president Dan Reyes, in the sidelines of the International ICT Awards Philippines 2008, where Sitel Philippines Corp. was named “BPO Company of the Year.”

Operating 23 sites in the US and six offshore sites in the country, Reyes said the Philippines remained a destination for offshore outsourcing services for US companies because it offers an “economic advantage” over other markets.

“Companies in the US realized that the Philippines can provide quality service and not just cost arbitrage,” he said.

Sitel was formerly known as ClientLogic in the Philippines. In 2007, ClientLogic acquired Sitel Corp. and merged operations. The ClientLogic name was eventually dropped in favor of Sitel.

About 80 percent of Sitel's business is still in-bound, meaning it provides customer support services to different US-based clients. The rest are outbound or telemarketing.

“The Philippines is still geared for growth in the next two to three years because there is no alternative at the moment,” Reyes said. But companies like Sitel are also entering so-called “higher value” services that go beyond providing customer support services.

Companies like Sitel are already looking at providing offshore application development, technical support and premium support services, the executive said.

Sitel reportedly grew by 70 percent in 2007 in terms of number of seats and employees. The company now employs about 8,000 Filipinos, and is expecting to expand to other "next-wave" cities in the country identified by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Commission on Information and Communications Technology.

Sitel has four operations in Metro Manila and two in Baguio City.

icarusrising

March 19th, 2008, 02:01 PM

eTelecare to service top
entertainment company

By Honey Madrilejos-Reyes
Reporter

CALL-center operator eTelecare Global Solutions Inc. has agreed to provide up to 250 seats of inbound telesales services for a leading digital television-entertainment company.

The company, however, did not divulge the financial aspects of the deal, as well as the identity of its client. eTelecare shares are traded on both the Nasdaq and Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).

The deal, eTelecare said in a disclosure to the PSE, calls for its agents to sell new service activations during inquiries through the service provider’s web site, toll-free number and customer- service transfers.

“Being selected by the industry leader with a reputation for high-customer satisfaction is another validation of our value-driven customer satisfaction business model,” John Harris, eTelecare president and chief executive said in the disclosure.

At present, eTelecare has over 3,000 sales agents working in 13 facilities in the country and in the US. It operates seven call centers in Mandaluyong City, Makati City, Muntinlupa, Quezon City and Cebu in Central Philippines.

Earlier, it projected that revenues for the year will grow to $310 million from $300 million, but net income would likely fall $16 million to $19 million from $23 million in 2007 because of the strong peso.

Last November, eTelecare introduced 28.9 million common shares to the Philippine market, a move that allowed regional shareholders to trade on the PSE. The introduction came six months after it listed 5.5 million American Depository Shares on Nasdaq.

It plans to continue investing in developing work force, expand into new delivery locations and add new types of outsourced operations such as nonvoice service.

“Our recent acquisition of AOL Member Services—Philippines Inc., the customer care and technical support operation of AOL in Clark, Pampanga will allow us to make significant progress on all three fronts,” it said.

Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/03192008/companies01.html

tj_brewed

March 22nd, 2008, 12:39 AM

This thread is dedicated to budding entrepreneurs who wish to embrace the economic boom in Davao City. This thread will try to answer the following questions:

1. How to start a business in Davao City?
2. What are the business opportunities in Davao City?
3. Where to set up a business in Davao City?
4. What are the existing business centers/arcades which can house my business in Davao City?
5. How much is the average cost of rent in Davao City?
5. and other queries with regard to setting up and maintaining a business in Davao City.

=========================================================

--Update-- 3/22/2008

Below are some of the offices that can best assist you in setting up a business in Davao City! :okay:

e-Biz Davao
Mr. Teolulo T. Pasawa
Center Director
Davao Express Business Center (E-Biz Davao )
2 nd Floor, DTI XI Building, Monteverde St. , Davao City
Email address: ebizdvo@yahoo.com
Tel Num: (082)2277495

Davao City Small and Medium Enterprise Center
2/F Chamber Bldg., J. P. Laurel Ave.,
Bajada, Davao City
Telefax (+6382) 300-2198

Davao City Investment Promotion Center
Tel Numbers: (6382) 227-2860/(6382) 227-2870

=========================================================

Where to put up your business in Davao? What are the existing business centers/arcades which can house my business in Davao City?

--Update-- 3/22/2008

To those who wish to engage in retail or food business, here are the contact details of some of the malls and retail centers in the city:

NCCC Mall Davao
MacArthur Highway corner Maa, Davao City 8000 Philippines
Tel. # : (63-82) 298-0888

Gaisano Mall of Davao
JP Laurel Ave., Bajada, Davao City
(082) 222-1411

SM City of Davao
Quimpo Blvd., Ecoland, Davao City
(082) 297-6998

Gaisano South Citimall
Ilustre Street, Davao City
(082) 224-0808

Victoria Plaza Mall
JP Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City
(082) 221-4991

NCCC Centerpoint
McArthur Highway, Matina, Davao City
(082) 297-7771

City Triangle
CM Recto Avenue, Davao City
(082) 224-0088

Chimes Mall of Davao
Gov. Sales Street, Davao City
(082) 225-8997 / 225-8998

Felcris
Anda Street, Davao City
(082) 221-4286
BRANCHES: Magsaysay (2273541), Sales (2241818), Ilustre (2240906), R. Castillo (2216019)

To those who wish to set up offices in Davao City, here are some of the buildings in the city offering office spaces. This is not the complete list.

Landco Corporate Centre, Inc.
Unit 64 6/F Landco-PDCP Corporate Centre., Pryce Business Park, JP Laurel Ave., Davao City
(082) 222-1057 / 227-1467

Pryce Tower
5/F Pryce Tower, JP Laurel Ave., Pryce Business Park, Bajada, Davao City
Telefax: (082) 224-2684

Damosa Business Park
Damosa Bldg., JP Laurel Ave., Lanang, Davao City
082) 235-8919

Damosa IT Park
Damosa Bldg., JP Laurel Ave., Lanang, Davao City
082) 235-8919

ANFLO Corporate Center
ANFLO Corporate Center, JP Laurel Ave., Lanang,
(082) 235-2146

Peng Hok

March 22nd, 2008, 12:44 AM

The Davao City Investments and Promotions Center (DCIPC)
Legal basis, Mandates, and Functions

In 1994, the City Government of Davao adopted the Davao City Investment Incentives Code under City Ordinance no. 2017. This was followed by the adoption of the “Rules and Regulations Implementing the Davao City Investment Incentives Code of 1994 under City Ordinance No. 2269.

These ordinances were another pioneering effort of Davao City. These were the first known ordinances from a local government in the country that grants a set of incentives to investors (which are over and above what the incentives granted under the Philippine Omnibus Investment Code).

From 1994 up to December 1997, the DCIPC was being run by the PhilExport-XI through a contract with the City Government of Davao.

In 1999, the Code was duly amended to effect the resumption of DCIPC operation as a unit under the City Planning and Development Office of the City Government of Davao. (see history of DCIPC for more details)

POWERS & DUTIES OF THE CENTER – the Center shall act as the Technical Secretariat of the Board, and shall implement its policies and guidelines, and perform the following duties
• Accept , process, and evaluate applications for incentives and submit recommendations for action by the Board;
• Provide the necessary support services to investors as guaranteed under the Code;
• Establish and maintain networking relations with other offices and agencies
• Collate, analyze, and compile pertinent data and information, and conduct studies concerning areas that have been or may be declared as priority areas by the Board
• Recommend to the Board any modifications/amendments to existing legislation and procedures on local investments
• Prepare agenda for meetings of the Board and submit for the latter’s consideration and approval the policies and measures necessary
• Submit annual reports to the Board relative to the implementation of the Code within sixty days after close of calendar year
• Perform such other functions necessary and incidental for the effective implementation of the Code

TECHNICAL UNITS & FUNCTIONS OF THE DCIPC
1. INVESTOR ASSISTANCE AND SERVICING UNIT
- One-stop documentation services, investment counseling, brokering & business matching, processing of incentives

2. INVESTMENT & TRADE PROMOTION & GENERATION UNIT - trade & investment missions, fora, seminars, Direct Investment Marketing, fairs & exhibits, promo collateral preparation and dissemination, briefings and orientation

3. INFORMATION MGT. & DEVELOPMENT - data generation, processing and packaging, storage & retrieval system, on-line information assistance desk, review existing incentives and prepare recommendations, project profiles, pre-investment studies, viability and feasibility, industry profiles, and situationer

tj_brewed

March 22nd, 2008, 12:47 AM

To fellow young entrepreneurs, here is one of the best reasons why it is best to invest and have a business in Davao City....SIMPLICITY AT ITS BEST!
e-Biz Davao

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/tj_brewed/DAVAO/2006_11bcenter.jpg

The first ever one-stop business center in the country (that is now being copied by other cities) that is being implemented by a government line agency is now operating in Davao City . The Davao Express Business Center or E-Biz Davao is an initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) XI, with the purpose of increasing the economic performance of the region through increased investments encouraged by a more efficient setup of business registration and licensing, among others. The center is designed specifically to:

-Simplify business registration and licensing

-Facilitate incentive availment of the small and medium entrepreneurs in exporting

-Complement existing efforts in investment promotion and investor assistance

-Promote registration of new businesses; and

-Facilitate other export activities

E-Biz Davao is located at the 2 nd floor of the DTI XI building along Monteverde-Sales Streets, where representatives of various agencies are housed to accommodate various business applications/transactions. Agencies include the following:

-Board of Investments (BOI)
-Mindanao Trade Expo Foundation, Inc. (MTEFI)
-Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)
-Social Security System (SSS)
-Department of Agriculture (DA)
-Bureau of Customs (BoC)
-PhilExport
-Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA)

The center is also actively involved in business matching, where buyers and suppliers are matched by the BOI.

According to the comparative report of E-Biz Davao, a total of 2,695 business names were registered for the first semester of 2005 as compared to the 2,468 of the previous year—an increase of around 9 percent.

Although E-Biz Davao has started its operations in March 1, 2005, it has been formally launched in January 2006.

For more information, you may contact:

Mr. Teolulo T. Pasawa
Center Director
Davao Express Business Center (E-Biz Davao )
2 nd Floor, DTI XI Building
Monteverde St. , Davao City
Email address: ebizdvo@yahoo.com

Peng Hok

March 22nd, 2008, 12:48 AM

The Davao City Investments and Promotions Center (DCIPC)
Qualifications for incentives

Fiscal Incentives for Investors

For investments that fall under the preferred areas, investors can avail of :

• Exemption from payment of Mayor’s permit fees, building fees, business sales tax and other fees and charges for three years from start of commercial operations, and;
• Exemption from payment of the Basic Real Property Tax for two years from the accrual of the real property tax

Note: these exemptions are local incentives. Qualified investors may also avail of the national incentives under the Philippine Omnibus Investment Code of 1987 by applying with the Board of Investments.

Qualifications of a new enterprise – A new enterprise which intends to avail of the incentives provided in the Code must meet the following requirements:

1. The new business enterprise must have complied with all the requirements mandated under the existing local and national laws and the Constitution by and through presentation of certificates of registration issued by either the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and other national government accrediting agencies, as the case may be;

2. The prospective investor’s place of operation or production must be located within the territorial jurisdiction of Davao City;

3. The investment must be among the approved preferred/ priority areas of investments;

4. The investment must provide employment among bonafide residents of Davao City

5. The new enterprise must have a capitalization of at least one million pesos

Preferred Investment Areas
Based on the results of the study conducted by The Services Group Inc. of Arlington Virginia, the Code has specifically indicated the following investment areas as priority where investors may qualify for investment incentives:

Tourism and Recreational Facilities such as but not limited to
• Business Hotels
• Restaurants
• Beach and Mountain Resorts
• Theme Parks

Agri-Business and Food Processing such as but not limited to
• Fruit Processing (Vacuum, Dehydrated, Spray Dried)
• Canned Specialty Vegetables
• Extruded Snack Food
• Cutflower Production

Light Manufacturing and Assembly such as but not limited to
• Garments
• Footwear
• Toys
• Bulky Kitchen and House Wares

Property Development such as but not limited to
• Industrial Estate
• Convention Center
• Residential Area Development
• Commercial/Office Building

Transshipment Infrastructure such as
• Port Infrastructure
• Common Bonded Warehouse

(Additional priority investment areas were added and adopted through amendments to the Code in 1997)

Establishment of Foreign Bank Branches

Medical, Educational, Training, and Sports Facilities

Telecommunications

Environmental Enhancement and Protection Project

Peng Hok

March 22nd, 2008, 12:49 AM

Thanks for opening this thread kuya jech. :cheers:

tj_brewed

March 22nd, 2008, 12:54 AM

Thanks for opening this thread kuya jech. :cheers:

You're welcome... :okay: And thnx kuya darry for those info you have posted above as well :okay: By the way, Kuya Darry, can we ask for an estimate of the rent (for a stall or kiosk) in NCCC? Are you in the position to disclose it? And do you have an idea as well for the rental cost in other malls?

tj_brewed

March 22nd, 2008, 12:57 AM

So to answer the first question, how to start a business in Davao City? First step, register your business easily through visiting e-Biz Davao (considering that you already have the financial capital and business plan).

tj_brewed

March 22nd, 2008, 01:04 AM

What are some of the business opportunities in Davao City?

Tourism and Recreational Facilities such as but not limited to
• Business Hotels
• Restaurants
• Beach and Mountain Resorts
• Theme Parks

Agri-Business and Food Processing such as but not limited to
• Fruit Processing (Vacuum, Dehydrated, Spray Dried)
• Canned Specialty Vegetables
• Extruded Snack Food
• Cutflower Production

Light Manufacturing and Assembly such as but not limited to
• Garments
• Footwear
• Toys
• Bulky Kitchen and House Wares

Property Development such as but not limited to
• Industrial Estate
• Convention Center
• Residential Area Development
• Commercial/Office Building

Transshipment Infrastructure such as
• Port Infrastructure
• Common Bonded Warehouse

(Additional priority investment areas were added and adopted through amendments to the Code in 1997)

Establishment of Foreign Bank Branches

Medical, Educational, Training, and Sports Facilities

Telecommunications

Environmental Enhancement and Protection Project

tj_brewed

March 22nd, 2008, 01:11 AM

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/tj_brewed/ETC/biznotes.jpg

DAVAO SME CENTER

A premier and self-sustaining center providing support services to SMEs in Davao City.

The SME Center's operations are anchored in the implementation of the 5 strategic areas for SME development, namely, finance, marketing, human resource development, information and advocacy. Specifically, the Davao City SME Center adheres to:

- Facilitate small business' access to funds for their sustainability;
- Provide purposive services small businesses for them to expand existing markets and tap new ones;
- Develop human resource through training and mentoring for the growth and viability of small business;
- Become a credible source of business information;
- Provide a venue for dialogue between business and various key stakeholders in business for the creation of a environment for businesses to flourish; and
- Facilitate, coordinate and broker on behalf of SME service providers services that promote the viability and growth of SMEs.

The roots of the Davao City Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Center can be traced as early as in 1991 when the Davao City Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) began its development work for SMEs. By coming up with a committee on Trade Assistance for SMEs, the DCCCII began offering training programs for SMEs in the City. Three (3) years later, the DCCCII engaged in becoming a holder of a USAID assisted project called the Regional Enterprise Development (RED), the main purpose of which was to offer a business center and services on research, trainings, consultancy and advocacy to SMEs in the Davao Region. The project ran for 2 years.

During this time, when industrialization in the countryside was among the government’s priority objectives, the needs of various competitive business sectors also grew. In fact, the same issues are shared by 99.6% of the total SME population in the country. In Davao City alone, 99% of the estimated 25,000 annual registered businesses for the past (two) 2 years comprise this sector. Being an agricultural region and touted as one of the prime agricultural centers of the country, Davao City’s competitive sectors have been in the areas of food processing, fresh fruit and vegetable production. The City also boasts of a competitive service sector for having one of the most literate and highly eligible human resources that the country can offer. These competitive advantages, however, are daunted by the reality that most of the businesses suffer from lack of access to finance, market information, technology, productive and efficient human resource, and an overall environment that enables small business to flourish. These issues, if addressed, are the elements that should contribute to the SMEs growth and become globally competitive. These areas of concern are the same components of the development agenda that the Philippine National Government has worked on and which was formalized through the promulgation of Republic Act 6977, or the Magna Carta for Small Enterprises in 1996.

Outlining and defining the various interventions for developing small businesses in the country, the Magna Carta called for the creation of national and local SME Development (SMED) Councils whose primary function is to coordinate all SME development programs offered by various private and government agencies in the country. This Council is cascaded down to cities and provinces nationwide with the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) as the Secretariat. In Davao City’s case, the permanent chairperson of the SMED Council is the DCCCII. The move to institutionalize DCCCII’s chairmanship of the Council was formalized through a council resolution adopted in 1997. The Council, composed of various heads of offices sitting in close coordination with each other, takes the lead in providing the programs and outlining the policies for SME development. Essentially, the Council only assumes a policy-making role while the execution of the policies was a work delegated to the Davao City SME Center.

During the earlier stages of its existence, the Center was jointly managed by the DTI, the DCCCII and the City Government of Davao. The Center’s services revolved around offering periodic trainings and organizing information fora to keep SMEs abreast with policy and program developments. Incidentally, about the same time, the DCCCII saw an opportunity to partner with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), through their Private Enterprise Accelerated Resource Link (PEARL) Project, to develop an SME Resource Link Desk in the DCCCII. This desk would pave the way for the evolution of the Center into what it is right now.

Developed under the SME desk was the pool of consultants called the SME Resource Netswork (SMERN). This is the pool of technical experts providing guidance to SMEs in their business management and operations concerns. On top of the training and business fora organized, the Center began referring consultants to SMEs who are in need of business advice. In the same year, too, the SME Center organized the biggest SME Week celebration, which helped boost the Center’s credibility and relevance to SMEs in the City. The Center has slowly begun establishing its financial sustainability, too, in the same year.

The DTI’s financial support, however, ceased in 2001. This did not prevent DCCCII though in furthering its commitment in serving the SMEs in the City through the Center. With the credibility it has established through its PEARL project, the creation of the SMERN and the close link with the Davao City SME Development, the DCCCII had all what it takes to sustain the Center. Hence, in 2001, the DCCCII formally adopted the SME Center through a Board Resolution. The adoption meant that the DCCCII offer its space, manpower and administrative support for the succeeding years to ensure the continued operation and sustainability of the SME Center. The SME Center now has a new face after being fully renovated in July 2004 with new services now being offered such as mediation, bookkeeping and an SME display area.

The Davao City SME Center is the creation of the Davao City SMED Council that serves as the primary agency that promotes the growth and interest of SMEs as stated in republic Act 8289 of 1997 (which amended Republic Act 6977) otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Small Enterprises.

The Magna Carta highlights the guiding principles for SME development, the minimal set of rules and simplification of procedures and requirements in ensuring stability of rules, and to encourage entrepreneurial spirit among citizenry. It also defines the role of the private sector in SME Development, coordination of government efforts in achieving coherence in objectives and decentralization process of regional and provincial offices in order to enhance and attain greater efficiency in the provision of services to the countryside.

The Magna Carta also sets the creation of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development (SMED) Council and the designation of the Bureau of Small and Medium Business Development (BSMBD) as the Council Secretariat. The act also rationalizes existing SME program and agencies and sets the creation of the Small Business Guarantee and Finance Corporation, including the mandatory allocation of financial resource to SMEs.

Peng Hok

March 22nd, 2008, 01:12 AM

You're welcome... :okay: And thnx kuya darry for those info you have posted above as well :okay: By the way, Kuya Darry, can we ask for an estimate of the rent (for a stall or kiosk) in NCCC? Are you in the position to disclose it? And do you have an idea as well for the rental cost in other malls?

Hmmmm.. I don't think I can divulge it here. Pero you can always inquire naman from our Mall Administration Office located at the second floor of NCCC Mall Davao (behind the food court area). Or you may call (082)298-0888 connecting all departments. :)

tj_brewed

March 22nd, 2008, 01:13 AM

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DAVAO SME CENTER
Center Services

Business Center
Don’t have any office space to conveniently serve you in your daily business transactions? You can make use of the highly affordable Business Services. It is open to all individuals who need a convenient venue where they can access correspondences, files and even do research and check their e-mails. The One-stop Business Box facility, for example, provides subscribers an address, contact number and free office facility usage for every subscription.

Display Center
The SME Center also provides an opportunity for small businesses – especially business groups – to showcase their products or services to buyers and investors – local and abroad! The SME Center has an allocated space for businesses in need of extension marketing arms to expand their market reach and familiarity.

Business Library
The SME Center provides a rich resource of business information and opportunities. Wondering what opportunities you might have in various local and foreign markets? The Center stores various reference materials with topics ranging from general reference to sectoral profiles, sample project proposals, and many more…for FREE! Just simply subscribe and be a member of our Business Library for a minimal annual fee.

Trainings
The Davao City SME Center conducts monthly trainings aimed to develop the capabilities of small-scale business practitioners and to prepare them for the growing global economy. Its Small Business Focus Program lines up competency–enhancement trainings in the areas of finance, marketing, production and human resource development. Contact our Center and know the schedules of our upcoming trainings.

Livelihood Tapes
In the look for profitable business ideas? Visit the Center and get a glimpse of the 56 highly informative video livelihood tapes and manuals that have been a rich resource of tried and tested ideas for successful home and small-scale business.

Consultancy
The SME Center boasts of a competent pool of experts called the SME Resource Network or the SMERN that provides business advisory and consultancy services to small scale business like you. Advisory services cover the areas of financial management, marketing, human resource development, organizational development, production quality and control, environment planning and development and information technology. Avail of consultancy sessions for FREE in our Regular Wednesday Business Clinic at the Center. Just set an appointment at anytime of your convenience through our Center staff who will be more than happy to serve you!

Technical Assistance on Finance
The SME Center also provides technical assistance to its small business clients to help access funds of its partner financial institutions. Make sure to meet with our Center Staff and Consultants for an appointment on our regular Free Wednesday Business Clinic.

Bookkeeping Services
Let our financial managers take care of and provide solutions to your worrisome financial records. We can even help you gear up your records in preparation for the quarterly tax seasons!

Policy Advocacy
We can be your voice! The Center provides advocacy services to SMEs through press releases, lobbying to the government, consultations, workshops, seminars, and information fora and focus group discussions. Simply get in touch with our Center and see how you can get involved and your voice be heard.

Mediation
The SME Center, serving as the marketing arm of the DCCCII, engages in providing mediation services for disputing parties. Save time and money for settling issues at the courts. Hire a mediator. The SME Center can provide it for you.