THE Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies are eyeing Cagayan de Oro City as a potential BPO destination in Northern Mindanao, said Stephanie Caragos, information and communications technology city council president.
“Today, there are at least 15 BPO companies operating in Cagayan de Oro and employing some 2,000 agents,” said Caragos.
"In the future, 5,000 siguro ang atong ma-employ which is a very good number for employment here in Cagayan de Oro," she said.
Caragos was in the city last week, together with BPO leaders during the TV program of city Mayor Oscar Moreno to discuss Cagayan de Oro as an emerging city for the BPO industry.
Caraogs said Cagayan de Oro has been identified as one of the "next wave cities."
"We passed the scorecard which means we passed the factors that include the number of graduates we produce, quality of education here, peace and order, infrastructure, local government support and collaboration of all key players here, not to mention the cost of living and cost of operations. This propelled us to attract more investors," she said.
Yasushi Nishijo, chief executive officer of Envizion Philippines said they were looking forward to expand in the city saying Cagayan de Oro City has "young and talented people."
Envizion recently opened its 250-seating capacity contact center at Lifestyle District in Cagayan de Oro City on September 1.
Envizion is a Japanese company that provides online English tutorial for Japanese students using one-on-one video lessons via Skype.
Almira Absin, Azpired vice-president said this city has the best infrastructure and has a powerful presence of skilled and high quality manpower.
Azpired just opened 600-seating capacity contact center on Sunday, September 18.
On the other hand, Teleperformance assistant manager for external relations, Martin Antonio, said the city is attractive to BPO companies because it possessed a good number of schools, seen as a potential labor force, and was considered a financial capital in the region.
For his part, Moreno vowed to invest more in education and infrastructure, secure peace and order, and boost resiliency programs.
"For as long as you show your competitiveness and your edge, then we'll be in good place. Cagayan de Oro has many advantages, I'm sure investors are aware of this. It's very strategic, it's the logistics hub, the trade and education center, medical center, all of these cities in Mindanao is within 500 kilometers from Cagayan de Oro, so I can say it's the most-strategically located city in Mindanao,” he said.
Moreno said the whole region is contributing to the city's growth too citing the region's "intrinsic value" as the large contributing factor to progress.
"We should also be reminded that we as well have a duty not only to our customers, but we owe it to the whole region. As we move forward, we should ensure that everybody in the region walks with us," Moreno added.