Labor and Employment Acting Secretary Manuel G. Imson cited a report of Toronto-based Labor Attache Rolando Rico C. Olalia that the firm, NuComm International, will be the first Canadian company to set up shop in the country and employ English-proficient Filipino workers.
Imson lauded the Canadian company for choosing the Philippines to enlarge its call center operations, saying its decision mirrors its faith in the excellence of the Filipino workers and reinforces the country’s sustained rise as a key hub for global call center operations.
The acting DoLE chief said "we are disseminating this development in connection with the DoLE’s mandate to promote freely and transparently the growth of opportunities for our workers," adding:
"We are confident that developments of this kind will further strengthen the labor relationships and interactions between the Philippines and Canada, a country that hosts and is known to treat fairly the many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in its fold."
Labor attache Olalia, who previously served as executive director of the DoLE’s National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), bared that NuComm International representative Ms. Melissa Carr linked up with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Toronto in their effort to break new ground for the outsourcing business in the Philippines.
"The company sought the POLO’s assistance in order to be aware and informed on employment, prevailing minimum wages, employees’ benefits, taxation, and the Philippines’ strengths and potentials in the area of human resources," Olalia informed Imson.
NuComm International said it chose the Philippines as site to enlarge its call center operations based on the country’s strengths and potential as follows:
1. The Filipino population is highly educated with a school system similar to that of the United States that graduates more than 300,000 college/university students every year.
2. Filipino culture is compatible with the culture of North America and shares many of the same services and entertainment.
3. Filipinos have a distinct language advantage as both English and Spanish are spoken in an "accent-neutral" manner easily understood by all.
According to NuComm International president Real Bergevin, "the same business model that has made NuComm successful in Canada and the United States will be applied in its Manila operations." The company, Bergevin said, ensures quality in call center operations and operates in an ISO 9001:2000 environment.
Bergevin stressed that the company’s call center management and frontline agents in the Philippines will be given "the same extensive customer training as in Canada," adding that its Manila operations will have "leverage cutting edge technologies and software applications" to ensure efficiency, productivity, and continuous improvement.
