Quote for the Week..

"Why are the country’s political leaders quick to act on amending the Constitution to change nationalistic provisions for the benefit of foreigners or to extend their terms of office but are allergic to amending the Constitution to address the people’s aspirations for self-determination?" - Marvic Leonen,Dean of the UP College of Law, in a keynote address delivered at the 1st International Solidarity Conference on Mindanao; March 16-18, 2009 in Davao City, Philippines.

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Friday, April 10, 2009

500,000 new jobs in Mindano from the BPO sector


Mindanao is bound to benefit from the continuing growth of the business process outsourcing industry, as Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) undersecretary Merly Cruz said in a report that they are projecting at least 500,000 new jobs in two regions, three provinces and a city in Mindanao this year.

By the end of 2009, Cruz said the combined revenues from BPO and tourism industries in Mindanao will likely reach to an amount more than $10 million. For the BPO sector alone, they are projecting more than $7 million revenue this year, which is very realistic since the said industry raked in close to $6 million last year.

Cruz said that the BPO sector is expected to produce about 500,000 jobs in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City, and in southern Mindanao.

For the tourism industry, the agency is projecting an income that would reach $5.5 million. Last year’s income $4.3 million. Cruz said they are the increase in tourism because of the government’s active push to make Mindanao a medical tourism area. “The government targets to enhance the medical and wellness facilities in Mindanao in a bid to make it the medical and wellness tourism destination in Asia,” she said.

To boost the tourism in the area, the Department of Tourism also endorsed, in behalf of the government, a P9-billion package for tourism projects, which includes hotels, resorts and spa, and medical centers.

Cruz also said that aside from the tourism and BPO sector, the government is also projecting increased revenues in other sectors like the processed food industry, especially halal products. The agency is projecting an income of about $2 million by the end of 2009 from this industry.

The government is also looking to generate more jobs through various infrastructure projects in the area, to cushion the effects of the global recession on OFWs and workers in the manufacturing sector. It also offered training programs for the OFWs who were removed from their foreign jobs as a result of the recession.(Source: PinoyBusiness)

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