Harte Hanks Opens BPO Site in MOA

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Harte Hanks praised the dedication and service-oriented culture of Filipino workers and called them the country’s main draw for foreign investors.

In a panel discussion, following the opening Thursday of the American marketing company’s new BPO-call center in the Mall of Asia (MOA) Complex, which was moderated by ANC Anchor Ron Cruz, executives of Harte Hanks and its local business said they decided to increase investment here because of the Philippines’ “very good” labor market.

“Filipinos possess a very strong work ethic and a culture of customer service,” said Benjamin Chacko, Harte Hanks’ Head of BPO Operations. “We have been always impressed by the skill and dedication of Filipinos who work for Harte Hanks. They have been an important factor in our success, and we look forward to sustaining our growth here.”

He added: “Our Filipino employees learn quickly, are customer-service minded and culturally aware of the United States, our primary service market.”

Chacko also attributed the steady growth of the country’s BPO industry to a highly-educated, English-speaking workforce.

Butch Valenzuela, treasurer of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines, who participated in the forum along with Jopat Lelay, project director of the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines, and Atty. Ray Glenn Agranzamendez, representing Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto, said the IT-BPO industry hired 1.2M workers in 2015 and would add another 100,000 this year to 1.3M.

Risa Hontiveros: “I will legislate for the environment if elected into the Senate.”

Wazzup Pilipinas!

On Earth Day 2016, senatorial aspirant Risa Hontiveros vowed to be a strong advocate for the environment if elected into the Senate.

She discussed the link between health and environment, stating that both go hand in hand and should be protected through durable policies. “Magkatuwang ang laban para sa kalikasan at ang laban para sa kalusugan. Malaking sanhi ng mga sakit ang madumi at magulong kapaligiran.”

She said that Lanao, with its rich natural resources, should be particularly protected. “We need to protect our diverse eco-system, and Lanao’s natural resources should be preserved for future generations.”

Hontiveros committed to take her fight for renewable energy and sustainable land use – two environmental advocacies close to her heart – to the Upper House. “Dagdagan pa natin ang percentage ng renewable energy sa fuel mix. Sa kabilang banda, tiyakin din natin na mabalanse natin ang pagtanim ng biofuel sa karapatang magtanim ng pagkain.”

“Super barangay health centers” for climate-vulnerable areas

She also emphasized the need for “super barangay health centers” in disaster-prone and climate-vulnerable coastal areas.

Assembly of 5th, 6th New MRT-3 LRVS Set on Sunday

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The unloading and assembly of the fifth and sixth of forty-eight (48) new light rail vehicles (LRV) for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) will be on Sunday at the MRT-3 Taft Avenue Station.

The innermost lane along EDSA southbound near the intersection of EDSA and Taft Avenue will be closed from tomorrow, 10 P.M., to Sunday, 12 P.M., to ensure the safety of motorists near the work site.

The public and all concerned motorists are hereby advised to take alternative routes to and from their destinations.

Once the LRVs are fully assembled and the necessary checks on the electrical and other components are completed, the train coaches will be subjected to static and dynamic testing to ensure the reliability of parts.

The 48 new LRVs are part of the Department of Transportation and Communications’ (DOTC) MRT-3 capacity expansion project, which aims to decongest the metropolis’ busiest railway system by boosting its capacity to over 800,000 daily passengers.