Among the supposed solutions to sustain and maintain national competitiveness, according to the study of foreign chambers, is to strengthen the business environment and enhance the quality of education.

Progress is not possible when you rely on your own strengths. No matter what, progress is a collaborative effort. For the new government administration in the Philippines, the IT-BPO industry plays a very active role in programming government agenda. Although the move tends to concentrate all progress towards BPO firms, the industry’s ability to set the priorities of the government helps the latter go forward.

During the May 2010 elections, the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP), together with other big industry groups and coalitions of foreign chambers, submitted a comprehensive proposal to the newly elected Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and his cabinet. The effort purported to let the new administration rethink their priorities especially where BPO and the rest of the private sector are concerned.

According to BPAP CEO and President Oscar Sañez, it was in November 2009 that the IT-BPO industry groups and other private-owned companied had first “decided to review and assess the environment” in order to let the government include them in their priorities and grant them, one way or another, a stake in the decision-making process. They had a series of focus group discussions (FGD), which was spearheaded by the leaders of participating industries with high growth rates. Each of the participant industry offered some suggestions, insights, and recommendations to assist the BPO companies and those with a similar cause could not only gain footing, but also become a major stakeholder in the Philippine economy.

The FGD was conducted February of 2010 upon the moderation of Sañez and hosted by the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters (PAMURI), who represented the joint foreign chambers – Sañez being the BPO representative. The undertaking highlighted three major points that were in line with the proposed agenda, “Seven Big Winners: High Growth Sectors for Investment and Jobs” (as cited in Roca, 2010).

The first key point raised in the FGD is to fortify the BPO and other blossoming industries with a healthy legal mechanism. One of the things that should have been done is upgrading the Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT) to a separate Department on par with other government departments, like the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Another legal alternative would be to pass bills against Cyber crimes like hacking, spamming, phishing scams, malwares, identity theft and cyberstalking. The BPO, being so heavily dependent on IT and communications technology, is among the industries that are most susceptible to online crimes. As much as possible, to protect ongoing investments and the industries themselves, the Philippine Labor Code should be amended. For instance, amend the number of holidays in the country, which are too excessive. Defenders of the BPO industry and growing industries basically clamored for laws that are investment-friendly.

Secondly, it was also raised in the FGD that an environment where investments can move freely and where an education system integrated with ICT and service science should be established. By incorporating comprehensive computer technology and engineering subjects, and not just basic computer skills, more and more students become BPO-ready prior to and upon earning a degree. There should also be more certification, development and scholarship programs that encourage a culture of tech-saviness in the country the way it encouraged the youths in India, which then led to the rise of its IT-BPO industry.

The last key point that the FGD raised was to make the Filipinos understand and support the BPO industry’s “present and potential contribution[s]” to the Philippine economy. As already mentioned in another related blog, one of the means to widen public understanding on the role of BPO in economic growth is through increasing the industry’s standard. This can be done through adopting a National Competency Assessment Test before accepting aspiring BPO employees into the fold. Aside from the NCAT, expanding the broadband speed using a new fiber optic network can very well upgrade the Philippine BPO a notch higher. But more than that, there should be fiscal incentives to leverage the BPO sector not just externally but also internally. Under the guidelines of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and Board of Investments (BOI), local government units could also extend their support to IT-BPO firms so that the industry can be aggressively promoted to the international market.

All the key points aforementioned are all geared towards marketing and creating an internationally recognized reputation for the Philippine BPO sector. No matter how many talented workers the Philippines has, their existence will be all for naught of companies abroad remain oblivious to the country’s potential. The FGD aimed, in other words, to repackage BPO in the Philippines to make it more appealing to foreign investors. This is the whole gist of upgrading the education system by incorporating ICT and service science subjects. This is also the gist behind the NCAT and the need to raise public awareness on the BPO’s economic impact. Since the government has not done much in that area, the private sector and the BPO representatives have taken up the cudgels instead. Besides having all the resources and the knowledge to take initiative, the BPO industry and its allies have the power to pressure the government to take action. Once the government is cornered, it will eventually give in to the clamor of the industries that helped sustain it in the first place. And then it will have to keep its promise and put BPO as one of its priorities. Continuous growth awaits next.