CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — Leading foreign and local players in the information technology (IT) sector are expected to put up shop here in the near future following the city’s hosting of the recently held 9th National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP) Summit and the national launch of the DigitalCities PH, a city official said.
Eileen San Juan, the city’s local economic and investment promotions officer, said Cagayan de Oro has what it takes to be the new IT hub not just in the region but in Mindanao.
Proof of this, she said, is the presence of business process outsourcing (BPO) facilities in the city.
Before coming over, she said, BPOs expect all the infrastructure needed for their business to be already put in place.
It also helped that Cagayan de Oro has been identified as one of the country’s “next wave” cities.
“When you say ‘next wave city,’ investors will know what you have, what you’re capable of,” she told reporters on November 16, during the sidelines of the two-day summit held in a hotel here.
Last year, the NICP gave Cagayan de Oro and nine other cities that distinction, and was ranked as one of the most competitive cities in the Philippines by the National Competitiveness Council in the past few years.
The NICP is the umbrella organization of information and communications technology (ICT) councils in the country.
For an urban center to be categorized as next-wave city, it must have the infrastructure and a business-friendly environment.
San Juan said the city can capitalize on these distinctions to attract IT firms to put up investments here.
With the expected entry of IT companies to the city, San Juan said more businesses that will cater to the needs their workforce will also sprout and this will help prop up Cagayan de Oro’s socio-economic growth. (davaotoday.com)
Business Process Outsorcing, cagayan de oro, DigitalCities PH, Eileen San Juan, ICT, National Competitiveness Council, National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, Next Wave City
