A Walking Tour at Among the Best in the ICT Industry

Representatives from Legazpi City ICT Council, office of the City Mayor, DTI, CHED and the faculty members and staff of SLTCFI visited PLDT Innolab, Creative Page Online, US Auto Parts Network Philippines and Cutting Edge Productions last February 11, 2009.

The first stop of the tour was at the iNNOLAB facilities of PLDT in Mandaluyong City. iNNOLAB is PLDT’s information and communications technology (ICT) laboratory which serves as a breeding ground of new innovations for next generation technological revolution.

Participants were toured around by PLDT Capability Management Specialist Jose T. Sumera, as he discussed how Innolab further enhances PLDT’s passion for innovation and commitment to introduce cost-effective solutions.

PLDT also provides strong support to the government and the academe, in line with its quest to propel development of ICT in the country.

The group also visited the facilities of Creative Page Online in Mandaluyong City and US Auto Parts Network Phils. (formerly MBS Tek Corp.), in Pasig City. These US-based firms started their outsourcing operations in Legazpi City when they tied-up with SLTCFI for web development & design, web copy writing, and search engine marketing. Starting with just three employees then, their manpower eventually grew to more than a hundred with the addition of a contact center and back office processes. Their business operations in Manila are continuously expanding and at present have close to a thousand employees already.

A studio tour to Cutting Edge Productions in Makati City was also an exciting part of the tour. Cutting Edge is the production company behind the Philippines’ first all-digital full-length animated film Dayo: Sa Mundo ng Elementalia -- the only animated feature entry during the 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival.

Dayo was sophistically created using "tradigital" -- a combination of traditional 2D and 3D digital technologies, according to Cutting Edge Finance Director Erwin Rubio. They also employed a paperless workflow powered by Toon Boom software on Macintosh workstations, and 50 Wacom Cintiq 21UX interactive pen displays.

Having been given several positive reviews and awards, the animated flick Dayo is a testament to the world-class talent of Filipino animators and artists.

The walking tour afforded the participants the chance to be abreast with the latest trends and innovations in Information Technology as well as get to know the prime movers in the ICT industry.

City Government of Legazpi, Embarcadero and Legazpi ICT Council Join 9th e-Services Philippines

In order for the Philippines to continue taking a bigger share of the burgeoning global BPO market, the 9^th e-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition was held last February 9-10 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, and the Legazpi city ICT Council and Embarcadero took part in the event.

Legazpi ICT chairperson, Rosemarie Rey (2nd from left), with President and CEO of Embarcadero Land Ventures, Elizaldy Co, city Mayor Noel Rosal and conference delegates at the exhibit area of Next Wave Cities during the 9th e-Services Philippines

Organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through its export promotions arm, the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), this annual conference is hailed as a high-profile assembly in the Asia Pacific where the brightest minds and the key players in the ICT and BPO arena converge to share their experiences, insights and expertise on best practices, industry innovations, emerging delivery locations, and market opportunities.

With the theme “Right move for the right results,” the 9^th e-Services Conference once again gathered both global and local industry leaders, decision makers and centers of excellence as they tackled the emerging issues, trends and new business models in the ICT/BPO industry. They discussed the future of the Philippine BPO and what are the strategies that must be undertaken to cushion the impact of the global financial crisis to the industry. They also highlighted the competitive position of the Philippines in the offshoring and outsourcing (O&O) market vis-à-vis India.

Despite the present global economic downturn, industry leaders expressed their positive outlook for the Philippines as they indicated that the country is still very much on track to becoming the global center of excellence in outsourcing.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in her keynote address during the conference said that the “BPO industry continues to boom as global cost cutting is sent to outsourcing”. She also added that BPO and e-services are the economy’s key drivers, generating investments and jobs, alleviating poverty and improving the lives of the people.

For the second time, Embarcadero and the Legazpi ICT Council headed by Rosemarie Q. Rey are among the exhibitors in this prestigious event. Legazpi city, being included in the Next Wave Cities showcased its ICT and BPO capabilities wherein the city’s potential as an ideal outsourcing location was presented by city Mayor Noel Rosal during the second day of the conference.

Among the highlights during the presentation of the Next Wave Cities was the interactive video conference between the Philippine’s ICT Councils and members of the New York Global Sourcing Council.

Given the much cheaper cost of talent and infrastructure in the countryside, the next wave cities or ICT hubs are regarded as strategic investment locations for ICT and BPO services especially in this challenging time of global financial condition wherein multinational companies are implementing cost-effective means to cope with the changing economic climate.

With the emergence of regional ICT hubs, the growth in the country’s BPO sector will be propelled further, enabling the Philippines to continuously be seen as -- in the words of Trade Undersecretary Thomas Aquino -- “a ‘BPO goldmine’ by businesses all over the world.”

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