The month of June marks the opening of the first semester in Dumaguete’s four universities and seven colleges.
Also known as a University Town, it was once estimated that half of the residents of this City are students.
Education is one of the major engines of growth in the City. Every economic activity here has something to do with education. Even the tricycle driver earns a substantial amount of his daily earnings from students, teachers, yayas or parents going to school.
The education sector, in turn, gives rise to the demand for more housing units for these students. It supports the food stalls, the carinderias, and the clothing suppliers.
The education sector also fuels another engine of growth in Dumaguete which is the Business Process Outsourcing industry.
The BPOs, consisting of call centers, transcribers, online teaching, editing and other services, get their manpower from the products of the education sector.
Not a few BPO executives have been heard to comment on their higher acceptance rate for Dumaguete applicants as compared to their other locations.
As early as five years ago, BPOs were estimated to pump in P50 million into the Dumaguete economy by way of payroll money alone.
And it is the BPO industry that also supports motorcycle sales, restaurants, and other service industries.
The economic condition of Dumaguete may not be seen through the records of our tax collectors, as a former official of the Bureau of Internal Revenue once said, but we do see and feel it, especially on payday weekends like the one we just had.
So if you’re wondering where all this economic activity comes from, look again at the education sector.
And thank them for what they do for all of us here.
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