Iloilo gearing up to become ICT outsourcing hub
By Erwin Oliva
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 19:39:00 06/07/2008
MAKATI CITY, Philippines -- Iloilo is boosting its campaign to attract more business process outsourcing projects in the next few years, as it declared its own information and communications technology week this month.
Rolly Gambol, executive director of the Iloilo Federation for IT (IFIT), said this declaration was made to help promote the province as an alternative outsourcing destination other than Cebu.
"Studies show that Iloilo has a bright future if we can put our acts together," said Gambol.
Iloilo province produces about 18,000 graduates every year, with about 9 percent finishing IT-related courses alone, he said, noting a steady growth for the past three years.
The province has four state colleges and several big universities. At least four outsourcing centers have also set up shop in the province, including Teletech.
"We want to promote IT and uplift the manpower quality to become more attractive," he said.
IFIT was organized with the help of the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for IT, which is an organization representing government, the private sector and the academe.
Boni Belen, executive director of Cedf-IT, said IFIT was the first group it helped create three years ago.
Gambol said that a study has shown that Iloilo was rated as a competitive location next to Quezon City. This has been due to lower cost of living, peace and order, and a good supply of manpower from universities.
He said that the challenge for IFIT is to convince real estate developers to support its push to become an ICT outsourcing hub.
Gambol said Megaworld is planning to build a commercial and IT economic zone in Iloilo.
"We need more aggressive support from the real estate developers," he added.
Another major challenge of Iloilo province is power.
Gambol said there is a strong lobby against the setting up of a new coal fire-powered plant in the province, which hopes to generate about 100 Megawatts of power that will support the province for the next five years, considering the increasing demand from users.
Iloilo, he said, is currently getting power from the Visayas grid (sourced from geothermal plants) and its own diesel-powered plant, which is producing 80 to 90 Megawatts.
"We're banking on the potential of Iloilo to become the next Cebu,” he said.
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