Bayan supports Butuan City bid to become ICT-BPM hub of Caraga

By Red R. Samar

BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 24 (PIA) -  Bayan Telecommunications Inc. (Bayan) supports Butuan City in its bid to become the IT-BPM (information technology-business process management) hub of the Caraga region after having been recently named as one of the ten Next Wave Cities in the Philippines identified to become the destination of choice for employers in the IT-BPM industry.

Organized by the Department of Science and Technology - Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO), the IT Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP), the Butuan City government and the Caraga Information Communication Technology (ICT) Council, the second run of the annual Next Wave Cities ICT Road Show is being held here in the city after kicking off last month in Naga City.

With the theme “Bringing ICT Opportunities to Countryside Filipino Talents,” Bayan is co-presenting the event which aims to provide a venue for the government, the industry players and stakeholders to present and discuss the prospect of the IT-BMP sector as one of the best choices for entrepreneurship, career development and advancement among the workforce in the next wave cities.

Bayan head for Mindanao Grace M. Braga said as the leading telecommunications player in the Caraga region, Bayan is privileged and honored to be working with this multi-sectoral group  in co-presenting this very noteworthy activity  that will help promote the potentials of the city as a viable and alternative outsourcing destination for BPO (business process outsourcing) companies.

Cherry May G. Busa, Caraga ICT Council president, emphasized that Butuan City as the regional center of Caraga, possesses and is equipped with all the necessary factors and requirements that will ensure and support a thriving BPO operation – stable energy and power facilities, unlimited human resources, real estate and a robust telecom infrastructure.

“The inclusion of Butuan City in the much-coveted Next Wave Cities list is a testament to all the hard work by all the members of the Caraga ICT Council as well as all the local stakeholders, who have been relentless in working year in and year out, to ensure that city meet all the stringent criteria and pass the score card to become part of the elite circle of BPO locations in the country,” Busa said.

Ms. Busa added that the road show also aims to promote ITpreneurship to participants at the event. “Through this activity, we also hope to raise awareness to inspire a new generation of ITpreneurs that will setup IT businesses of their own in the city.”

The Caraga ICT Council head, who also heads the sales  team of Bayan in Agusan based in the company’s Butuan City office, said that the 2nd edition of the Next Wave Cities Roadshow is by far considered to be the biggest ICT event in the region to date. Various activities and program line up during the two-day event include IT-BPM career talks, ITpreneuship forums, e-commerce forum and a job fair.

Speakers from various IT-BPM organizations such as the Animation Council of the Philippines (ACPI), Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP),  Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), Philippine Software Industry Association of the Philippines (PSIA)  and the Healthcare Information Management Outsourcing Association of the Philippines (HIMOAP),  will be addressing an audience composed of different stakeholders and influencers and mostly of college Students on the career opportunities available to them in the IT-BPM industry.

Attendees are coming from 495 schools high schools and 56 colleges and universities from around the region. A big bulk of the attendees are senior high school and college students, Parents Teachers Association (PTA) members, teachers, guidance counsellors, city executives, career practitioners/employees from the ITC industry, SMS (private business sector), media, local ICT business start-ups groups, as well as executives and employees from the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Department of Labor and Employment - Public Employment Service Office (DOLE-PESO) Department of Science and Technology (DoST), Department of Trade (DTI), Department of Tourism (DoT), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

The eight other cities included in this year’s NWC Road Show which will run until November are Baguio, Laoag, Tacloban, Puerto Princessa, Cagayan De Oro, Tarlac, Iloilo and Rizal Province. (NCLM/BayanTel/PIA-Caraga)