CEBU CITY – As talks of recovery run rife among such global economic players as the United States and Europe, renewed confidence in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector is expected to have major call centers in the country expanding their operations to Cebu.

Joel Mari Yu, Managing Director of Metro Cebu’s marketing arm, the Cebu Investment Promotions Center (CIPC), said the BPO industry has proven to be among the resilient sectors during the global financial crisis which peaked last year. And this time, he said, industry players are bullish about expanding outside Metro Manila.

“There has been an increasing number of call centers located in Cebu, and in fact the City ranks fourth in the country in terms of having the most number of major call centers,” Yu said, citing information from the Call Center Directory of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

Yu quoted PEZA data, which indicated that Metro Cebu has 44 major call centers vis-à-vis Quezon City, with 77 major call centers, Ortigas City with 141 and Makati City with 274. The Philippines has a total of 788 major call centers spread across 20 locations nationwide.

Although Yu declined to comment on the possible number of call centers coming to Cebu by 2010 as some are presently under negotiations, he voiced optimism that as soon as the global economy “normalizes,” Metro Cebu will see the mushrooming of more call centers and foreign investors coming to the city.

Yu pointed to Cebu’s strong pool of qualified personnel suited for the call center industry which, he said, has become its edge in attracting major call centers to expand here.

Cebu may produce an average of only 23,000 graduates per year, as compared with Manila’s average of 145,000 graduates, but most of these graduates are easily absorbed by call center companies and other BPO firms because the local industry has not yet reached saturation point.

Apart from competent manpower supply, Yu also credited Cebu’s “friendly business environment” and ready-infrastructure. “Cebu is both a business and leisure capital. You may be in the heart of the City and next thing you know, or 20-minutes later, you’re enjoying the beach or upland breeze,” he added.

In a related interview, Armenia Ballesteros, head of Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II Jobs Team, said what has encouraged call centers to continue sprouting in Cebu is that the city has provided international flights, making the entry and exit points convenient for foreign investors.

She also noted that generally, the booming BPO industry in the Philippines has afforded job alternatives for Filipinos, thus reducing an exodus of local talents leaving the country to work abroad.

“We have lost so many of our highly competent workers who have found jobs in foreign countries. That is why we have the BPO industry to thank because our local talents are highly compensated while working here,” Ballesteros said.

Industry reviews noted that since the year 2000, the call center industry in the country has been rapidly growing in terms of revenue and employment. It has contributed 12 percent to the country’s gross national product and has been one of the biggest sources of employment for Filipinos.