New firm in Bacolod to
open up 1,000 jobs
BY CARLA GOMEZ & CHRYSEE SAMILLANO

The ninth Convergys Corp. contact center in the country is opening in Bacolod City in April and creating about 1,000 new jobs this year, Marife Zamora, its vice president and country general manager, said yesterday.

Convergys currently employs 12,000 people in its six contact centers in Metro Manila and two in Cebu , she said.

In Bacolod City, the firm has began training 100 applicants and aims to have 500 employees when it opens its new integrated contact center at San Antonio Park Square in Barangay Mandalagan in April, Zamora said.

Five counts of rape charges were filed by the police against a high school teacher for allegedly molesting a 17-year-old fourth year high school student in Cadiz City , Negros Occidental.

Chief Inspector Jefferson Descallar, Cadiz police chief, yesterday said the teacher, whose identity is being withheld, signed a waiver to allow himself to be placed under the custody of the police, while preliminary investigations are going on.

The teacher was arrested on Jan. 25 in Cadiz City , a day before the victim, whose identity is also being withheld by the police, complained to the police that he molested her again.

Bacolod 's artists have created 12 brightly colored giant animals that will glow from within when they join Bacolod City 's annual BacoLaodiat Festival lantern parade from SM City to 6 th Street at 6 p.m. today to usher in the Chinese New Year.

They are the brainchild of Bacolod-based multi-awarded artist Charlie Co who tapped the help of other Negrense artists for the collaborative work.

This is the first time Co has brought his art into the annual BacoLaodiat Festival. He said the 8-feet tall by 4-feet wide animals mounted on 4-feet high boxes represent the 12 animals of the Chinese horoscope.