The prospect of Bacoleños working in call centers in Metro Manila returning to work for Information Technology locators in the city will boost the preparedness of Bacolod in establishing itself as the Business Process Outsourcing center of Western Visayas.

This was pointed out by Hans Dee, president of GT-CTI Philippines Inc., whose joint venture with local entrepreneurs, Interactive Outsource Asia Inc., will open a 100-seat call center in the city in March.

Dee emphasized the significance of "knowledge transfer" wherein Bacoleños trained in Metro Manila will be able to share their experience to newly-hired call center agents in the city. They can train them on the knowledge they learned from Manila, he said, adding that I/O Asia is also hiring returning Bacoleños to work in their call center.

Shoemaking a
priority industry: DOLE

The Department of Labor and Employment now considers the Philippine shoe industry a priority growth area and has stepped up efforts to modernize and reinforce the global competitiveness of the local shoemakers.

DOLE said in a press release it made the footwear industry one of the 23 priority areas under the National Technical Education and Skills Development Plan of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

TESDA's Labor Market Intelligence Report indicates that the industry identified critical and indispensable skills the Philippine footwear industry requires. On a projected annual domestic market growth rate of five percent from 2005 to 2007, industry experts said the sector will need 662 skiving operators, 1,324 upper makers, and also 662 each in sewing and closing, lasting, assembly, bottoming, finishing, and pattern making, or a total of 5,958 workers.

Budget delay
threatens growth target

MANILA - Philippine economic growth targets could be in peril due to the legislature's failure to pass the 2006 national budget, a senior economic official warned yesterday.

Higher levels of capital spending outlined in the proposed P1.05-trillion budget bill are designed to improve infrastructure and encourage economic activity, Economic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos said in a statement.

The Senate is continuing hearings on the budget bill this week after it failed to pass it last year. If the legislature fails to pass it, the government automatically spends the same amount as the previous year's budget, which was 14.7 percent lower than the proposed outlays.

back to top