Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez pledged his all-out support for the Information Technology-Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry in Bacolod City through various measures, including bringing down power rates and providing manpower to meet its standards.
Benitez, in his speech at the IT-BPM Conference and Expo at Robinsons Place Cybergate 2 in Bacolod on Tuesday, April 4, said he is also pushing for the creation of a city government economic enterprise department to focus on addressing the needs of the various industries, including the IT-BPM industry.
Benitez said the IT-BPM industry that has 30,000 to 35,000 employees in Bacolod is one of the economic drivers of the city “that we must take care of and work to expand”.
Salaries earned by the IT-BPM employees remain in circulation in Bacolod, unlike other businesses in the city that bring money out, he said.
The mayor said among the measures he is taking to aid industries in Bacolod is to bring down cost of electricity.
Benitez said he is not only aiming for affordable and stable power, but for Bacolod to eventually be reliant on totally green energy, which he hopes to achieve in two to three years.
He also acknowledged the “crucial and critical need” for manpower to meet the needs of the IT-BPM industry.
Benitez said steps are being taken to improve the workforce by collaborating with educational institutions to educate students to meet the standards of the industry.
The mayor is also proposing an on the job training (OJT) program for students to prepare them for jobs in IT-BPM industry.
The proposal is being formalized to be presented to the different companies, he said.
“The city government is 101 percent behind the IT-BPM industry…we will make Bacolod the best place for this industry to flourish,” Benitez added.
Benitez said the priorities of his administration are health, education and livelihood for the people of Bacolod.*