Davao City is looking to the non-voice business process outsourcing sector as a new growth area.
Jason Magnaye, head of the Davao City Investment and Promotions Center, said the non-voice BPO sector is a growing industry in the global market,
Non-voice industry includes software development, data entry and data conversion, medical transcription and web design services.
“The requisites for the industry are already here,” Magnaye said. Among these factors are communication facilities, physical infrastructures and human resources, all of which are present in the city.
Magnaye says that some investors are hesitant to locate in the city because of the peace and order concern, but the DCIPC chief would like to believe there are other reasons for their hesitation to invest in the region.
He thinks some companies are still not keen on expanding outside the Metro Manila area. Thus the city is trying to woo IT companies which are willing to invest outside Metro Manila.
“We must focus on areas where we are strong at at kung saan tayo tumutok. (Where we could focus) Magnaye said, referring to current efforts to identify the city’s strong points to lure further IT investments.
Davao City is intent on developing the IT industry. Just this year it was hailed as the Top Next Wave City by the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and the Commission on Information Communication and Technology (CICT).
In the awards, the City received high marks on the criteria of human resources, infrastructure, business environment and cost of doing business.
According to the BPAP reports, Davao City hosts 20 outsourcing companies employing 8,500 workers.
