BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance laying down the procedures and requirements for approval of requests for endorsement from the local legislative body for accreditation with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) of Special Economic Zones, information technology or business process outsourcing centers, buildings and tourism development zones.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Edgar M. Avila stated the measure shall be known as the IT and Ecozone Endorsement Procedures Ordinance of the city.
The ordinance noted that IT enterprises are companies operating or offering IT services, particularly, but to limited to, activities registrable with PEZA for enjoyment of incentives under Republic Act (RA) 7916 as amended by RA 8748, while IT Park is an area which has been developed into a complex capable of providing infrastructures and other support facilities required by IT enterprises for easy access to such amenities.
On the other hand, IT building is referred to a building, the whole or part of which has been developed to provide infrastructures and other support facilities required by IT enterprises and which may also provide amenities required by professionals and workers involved in IT enterprises for easy access to the said amenities while facilities-providers are owners or operators of buildings and other facilities inside economic zones or IT parks which are leased to PEZA-registered locator enterprises.
The procedures in the request for endorsement or application for registration of new ecozone development include the submission of formal written request; referral to the concerned committee; if the documents are complete, the committee shall endorse the application to the local legislative body for to be included for deliberation in the next regular session; processing and evaluation; approval.
Avila noted that one of the fastest growing and dynamic industries in the country is the business process outsourcing industry and that the Philippines achieve another milestone after the country overtook India to become the contact center capital of the world.
Based on the Everest Research Institute report, the Philippines has become the leader for voice-based customer support and sales and now has become the call center capital of the world.
According to the Philippine IT-BPO Road Map 2011-2016 report released by the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, the country’s advantages over other alternative sites include its talent pool, infrastructure and business environment.
The ordinance cited that the BPO industry is expected to hit a government revenue target of $25.5 billion and 1.4 million people employed and that the sector currently contributes some 9 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth, however, the Philippine government must continue providing increased government support to speed up the development of national infrastructure projects for the rapidly expanding industry.
The ordinance claimed that the local government continues to actively encourage, promote, induce and accelerate a sound and balanced industrial, economic and social development of the city to provide jobs to the people, especially those in rural areas, increase their productivity and their individual and family income and thereby improve the level and quality of their living condition. By Dexter A. See
