Multilingual Call Center Expands to the Philippines' Safest City, Davao

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Aiming for an even wider reach and a more dynamic presence in the multilingual offshoring industry, Open Access BPO has announced that it will be bringing its services to Davao City, dubbed as the safest city in the Philippines.

The multilingual call center will be launching its new office on August 11th in Davao, which is seen by industry experts as the nation’s next outsourcing hub. This will be the firm’s second office in the country, with the first one previously established in the central business district of Makati, which also ranks high among Philippines’ safest cities.

“The reasons for expansion are threefold. One is that the cost of doing business in Davao is a lot less, about 20 to 30 percent less than in Manila, savings which we can pass onto our clients. The second reason is for redundancy purposes. Having two different locations for customer support creates an extra blanket of security. Another reason for going to Davao is that it’s the safest city in the country,” company CEO Benjamin Davidowitz remarked.

Upon its launch in Davao, Open Access BPO looks to employ approximately 180 professionals who will be delivering English voice and non-voice customer support to company clients. The new office will be located at G/F Filandia IT Center, Quirino Avenue corner Jacinto Ext. St., 11-B Poblacion District, Davao City 8000. Filandia IT Center is one of the eight IT parks in the city accredited by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. 

Rural Impact Sourcing Workshop: Promoting Online Jobs in the Countryside

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) was created through Executive Order (EO) 47 which transferred the former Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) from the Office of the President to the DOST. The ICTO is tasked to be the lead implementing agency of Government in all most of its ICT related efforts such as industry development, policy formulation, ICT infrastructure development, R&D, ICT capacity building for the public sector and administration of the E-Governance Fund.

The ICTO’s primary thrusts for 2011 – 2016 are in the areas of ICT Industry Development, E-Government, ICT Policy Development, ICT Infrastructure and Cybersecurity. Much of these directions are in line with the Philippine Digital Strategy, the Philippine Government’s masterplan on how to actively use information and communications technology in promoting economic andsocial growth, and in promoting efficiency in the delivery of public service. The Office is currently headed by Executive Director Louis Napoleon C. Casambre.

As one of its programs in the fourth outcome in the National Science and Technology Week, the e-Innovation Group of the DOST-ICT Office will be holding a Rural Impact Sourcing Workshop on Tuesday, July 28, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the SMX Convention Center Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City during the 2015 National Science and Technology Week .

Rural Impact Sourcing is a type of outsourcing that focuses on giving sustainable jobs in socio-economically disadvantaged areas where there are high populations but scarce employment opportunities due to lack of investors. This initiative is in line with the current Philippine Development Plan’s focus on inclusive growth through promoting online outsourcing jobs in rural areas.

DOST - ICTO Lifts Free Wi-Fi Speed Cap

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Undersecretary Louis Napoleon C. Casambre announced the removal of the speed cap of 256 kbps on the Free Wi-Fi service offered by the Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places Project during the first interdivision press conference hosted by the DOST – ICT Office held July 16, 2015.

Pre-empting questions regarding the matter, Casambre underlined the need to increase the maximum limit, allowing more Filipinos to access the internet through the Free Wi-Fi service. With slow internet service a major concern of internet users in the country, the lifting of the speed cap is welcome news.

To manage the estimated 117,000 users who will access the Free Wi-Fi service, the Fair Usage Policy, which limits the daily usage by data cap, will be put into place. “We have to put in a fair usage policy because this is a public service. We have to ensure that it is accessible to as many people as possible.” Casambre stated.