ZAMBOANGA CITY – One of the country’s pioneering IT (Information Technology) businessmen expressed concern at the possibility that the Philippines may lose its edge in the business processing outsourcing (BPO) industry.

BPO, which includes call center operations, is considered one of the country’s sunshine industries, businessman Joey de Venecia III said in his visit here over the weekend.

“Call centers can be considered the fastest growing segment in the economy. It is one reason that the Philippines was able to avoid the effects of the global meltdown of the last two years,” he said.

There are now close to half a million Filipinos employed in the industry, which has noticeably been moving out of Metro Manila and into the countryside.

With their relatively high-paying jobs, the new call centers in the provinces have boosted the local economies and spurred the creation of downstream industries.

“It is not enough that we produce world-class BPO workers. The world has to be constantly reminded of this,” De Venecia said in a statement to media. “The Philippines must remain on top of their minds where this key industry is concerned,” he added.

Of late, new call centers have sprouted not only in Metro Cebu and Metro Davao, but also in provinces which host large universities and colleges, which provide the young workers preferred by the industry.
“Their role in developing the regions should not be underestimated,” said De Venecia.

But a statement from Business Processing Association of the Philippines president Oscar Sanez indicating that the Philippines faced tough competition from industry newcomers such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Sri Lanka “should serve as a wake up call for the government,” said De Venecia.

The Philippines is falling behind these countries, as well as long-time industry powerhouse India, in marketing the country as a premiere BPO location, according to the BPAP.

The four Asian countries which can contest the Philippines’ claim to have the best workers in the relatively new industry have been aggressively promoting themselves as superior sites to set up new operations.

Their ads appear in such global publications as Time, Forbes and Fortune magazines, while commercials appear in worldwide networks like CNN and CNBC.