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.*

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