EXPECTING further growth in Cebu’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, the property development arm of the Robinsons group and holding company JG Summit Holdings Inc. is constructing a building that will house more BPO offices.
Roseann Coscolluela-Villegas, Ro-binsons Land corporate public relations manager, said the company is constructing a seven-story building on a company-owned property at Fuente Osmeńa Rotunda, in front of Chong Hua Hospital.
She said the first two levels of the building, to be named Robinsons Cybergate Cebu, will house retail shops, restaurants and service outlets. A building will also feature a convenience store that will cater to the needs of BPO personnel who work late at night or early morning.
The third to seventh floor of the building, which is expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2009, will house spaces for BPO companies.
Villegas said Robinsons Land has its eyes on Cebu and other growth areas outside Metro Manila.
English proficiency
In Cebu, she said the company expects the BPO industry to grow further as Cebuanos are known to be proficient in English and speak the foreign language almost without an accent. She added that the presence of several universities in Cebu also ensures a sustainable labor pool for the BPO industry.
She said the company also foresees demand for housing to grow as the BPO industry continues to move forward. This is why Robinsons Land is investing in three residential projects—AmiSa and Blue Coast Residences in Lapu-Lapu City and Aspen Heights in Consolacion—in Cebu.
Robinsons Land also considers trends in tourism in deciding where its next project would be.
“The tourism industry is doing extremely well,” said Villegas, citing growing tourist arrival figures reported by the Department of Tourism. She said the active tourism industry in Cebu is also the basis for AmiSa’s design.
OFWs
AmiSa is a five-hectare complex that will feature a residential condominium, a hotel and a gaming facility.
“It’s a dream retirement or vacation home,” Villegas said.
She assured that while one of Robinsons Land’s target markets are overseas Filipino workers and their families, the company is confident about its future growth.
“OFWs have evolved. They are now more knowledgeable about wealth management,” she told Sun.Star Cebu in an interview. She added that many OFWs consider real estate property as a long-term investment.
She said demand for residential condominiums, on the other hand, are driven mainly by middle-income individuals and households.
Robinsons Land also has ongoing projects in Tacloban, Leyte and Dumaguete City in Oriental Negros. The company is building shopping malls in both cities. (LAP)
