The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Association is continuing its efforts to promote Dumaguete City as a prime outsourcing destination in the country.{{more}}
ICT Council Secretary Danah Fortunato said the potential of Dumaguete City as one of the country’s top ten outsourcing locations was underscored in the scorecard of the Next Wave Cities, which placed the City in the top ten list with a score of 74 percent last year.
In a meeting with local stakeholders, Fortunato said the business process outsourcing (BPO) companies here hired at least 6,000 employees last year enough to sustain the local economy and social development in the city.
But despite the efforts of the ICT stakeholders and the reputation of Dumaguete as a University Town, the operations of BPOs in Dumaguete are occasionally interrupted by brownouts, leading the ICT Association to doubt the reliability of the power supply.
She said her group has planned to discuss the power situation with officials of the Negros Oriental 2 Electric Cooperative to seek a solution to either address the power shortage or reduce brown outs so as not to interrupt ICT operations in the city.
However, Provincial Governor Roel Degamo said the problem is not with Noreco alone but also with the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the suppliers of Noreco 2 power.
In particular, Degamo cited the need to dismantle aging plants.
As an engineer by profession, Governor Degamo stated that power plants operating more than 30 years could worsen the power supply deficit.
Degamo hopes power sectors would respond to the immediate need for an excellent power supply to achieve ICT’s goal.
Meantime, Fortunato said the productivity enhancement and capacity building for the local electronics sector, particularly the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), be given priority as leading local economic drivers. (PIA NegOr/JCT)