‘Headline recommendations’: A package of policy initiatives for BPOs

Early last week, I had the privilege to cover the first of three briefings this year by the joint foreign chambers of commerce in the Philippines on the country’s foreign investment climate.

This took place at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City had been jointly organized by the American Chamber of Commerce, Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, and the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters.

I was there on the personal invitation of Business Processing Association of the Philippines president and CEO Oscar Sañez. At the event, he presented the sector’s “headline recommendations,” a suggested package of policy initiatives that would enable BPOs to contribute towards attracting more foreign investments into the country.

Together with six other industries—agribusiness; creative industries; manufacturing and logistics; mining; and tourism, medical, and retirement—the joint chambers of commerce had identified BPOs as among the winners—high growth sectors—that could finally propel the Philippines into high middle-income country status by 2030.

Such would be attained if the Philippine economy—in terms of both gross national product 9GNP) and gross domestic product (GDP)—were to grow 9 to 10 percent yearly for the next decade and beyond.
This would contrast with the country’s average economic growth of 4 percent yearly since 2000.

With regard to IT, the creative industries are also worth mentioning. For included were multimedia, animation, computer games, and mobile applications in addition to traditional subsectors some of them being film, television and video, advertising, graphic design, and music composition and production.
Presenting the “headline recommendations” for this sector was ECCP vice president Henry Schumacher.

“Headline recommendations” presented by Sañez consisted of the following: strengthening of the BPO sector through creation of a legal framework, development of a highly positive and supportive environment for the sector, and the raising of the quality and quantity of labor supply available to the sector.

On the other hand, among the “headline recommendations” asked for the creative industries were crafting of a Philippine Creative Industries Master Plan, creation by law of the Creative Industries Development Council, and a Creative Industries Association to be put up by the private sector. Enhanced IPR protection was also sought.

In his presentation, Sañez said the BPO sector would lobby Congress anew for the creation of a Department of Information and Communications Technology. It would likewise seek expansion into more cities of fiber optic networks for the delivery of high speed broadband connectivity.

Likewise, the BPO sector would ask broadcast media and the advertising industry to help correct the lack of exposure to spoken English by using it more in their programs and commercials. It also work for the use of cybercafé a suggested package of policy initiativess and computer laboratories in public schools as vehicles for teaching greater English proficiency among the youth.

BPOs and the IT-related creative industries would have to work in tandem with the other growth sectors, it was implied by all who spoke at the event.

Yes, what was said at this briefing was an earful. But as Presidential economic spokesperson, Gary Olivar, who attended the briefing remarked to me after we had spoken to briefly said, “These recommendations are up to the next President to implement.”

But then again and if only for this, economic policy announcements after June 30, when the next President shall have been inaugurated, will be worth watching. For unpopular as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may be, her economic policies have helped propel the growth of BPOs and the resurgence of the country’s IT industry.

Whether or not this shall continue after her administration is an interesting question that shall only be answered by the policies of her successor. –IKE SUAREZ, Manila Times