President Noynoy Aquino has apologized for his no-show at the Liberal Party Proclamation last Tuesday at the Lamberto Macias Sports & Cultural Center in Dumaguete City, but promised to come at a later date.
Rains brought about by Tropical Depression Crising caused zero visibility at the Dumaguete airport, prompting the cancellation of flights from Cebu Pacific and AirPhil Express.
However, a plane carrying Sen. Franklin Drilon and senatorial candidate Bam Aquino was able to land despite the downpour. While blaming the uncooperative weather for the President’s absence, Drilon said “while Bam and I where able to land, the president’s plane was not able to land. Well, we are just ordinary mortals , we take more risk than the President of the Republic. I don’t know why our pilot took the risk when the commercial flights did not even want to take the risk.”
Rep. Josy Limkaichong told LP candidates and supporters after the LP Proclamation that the President sent her a text message expressing his regrets for his absence. “However, the President promised to come to Dumaguete at a later date closer to the May 13 elections,” she said.
Sen. Drilon represented the President in the inauguration of the Qualfon II building at the LinkSY IT Park in barangay Bantayan, as well as in the Liberal Party Proclamation. Drilon read the President’s speech, where he lauded Qualfon and the BPO industry in the country for bringing in jobs and money.
Qualfon, with 7000 workers in the Philippines, will add 3,000 more call center agents for this new building alone.
According to the President, his administration is thinking of ways to give further incentives to BPO companies so they will remain and flourish here in the country.
Some of these strategies, he said, will be to give tax holidays, special tax rates and the duty-free importation of equipment, spare parts and other essential supplies.
The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry brought in USD 11 USD billion in 2011, which is projected to reach USD 15 billion by the year 2016.
“We have long overtaken India as the top contact center destination in the world,” the President noted.
To sustain this momentum, the government is opening up scholarships funded by an P800 million grant, which looks to find gainful employment for 64,000 college graduates.
“Dumaguete,” the President said, “is one of the next wave cities that will sustain the growth of the BPO industry.”
Aside from Bam Aquino, other candidates who arrived for the Liberal Party Proclamation were Jamby Madrigal and Grace Poe. Rep. Sonny Angara was represented by his wife Tootsie while Sen. Koko Pimentel was represented by his sister.