THE local information and communications technology (ICT) industry has nothing to worry about the effects of the election of Donald Trump as next president of the United States.
This was stressed yesterday by Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, executive director of the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Information and Communications Technology (BNEFIT).
Batapa-Sigue, past president and trustee of National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP), said the local industry has already reached a level wherein it is not just a service provider, but also value creator and part of the global innovation chain.
“US may be a big market but the Philippines ICT today serves several major markets and a wide-scale of the industry segments,” she added.
During his campaign, Trump said that he wants US investors and businessmen to go back to their country to provide jobs to Americans.
Majority of ICT companies in the country, including Bacolod, are headquartered in the US.
Industry sources said the biggest foreign direct investments in the country are coming from the US.
For business process outsourcing (BPO) alone, US companies’ current investment in the country is $25 billion which provides employment to about two million Filipinos.
Batapa-Sigue pointed out the world today operates under the universal principle of free enterprise that no government can impede the right of corporations, especially multi-national ones, whose ownership does not only belong to a single nationality in choosing locations where there business requirements can be best served.
She instead expects cordial ties between Trump and President Rodrigo Duterte “since they both operate from the same value, which is protection of their own county's interests.”
The BNEFIT’s ICT Roadmap targets to generate 60,000 jobs in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental by 2025. Of which, half are in non-voice sector such as healthcare IT, animation, game development, software and other services.
Batapa-Sigue said a roadmap is not entirely dependent on external market factors, but more reliant on the stakeholders’ commitment.
“We have steadily been overtaken by other new locations for other
diverse ICT services in the non-voice sector even before Trump (was elected). But if we work together, especially the academe and local governments, I am positive that we can still achieve our development plan,” she added.
In a related development, Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) Secretary Silvestre Bello III is not a bit worried over the possible effect of Trump’s victorty.
In an interview, Bello said he is not worried that Trump’s victory could have adverse effects to the Philippine economy, specifically losing US investments on the BPO sector that could lead to job loss.
“We are not worried. We believe foreign investments will continue to come, including the BPO industry,” said Bello.
He said this is because of the good business climate being established by the Duterte administration, specifically on peace and order as well as in the fight versus corruption and red tape.
“They come here for business. They did not come here to be involved in politics. For them, as long as the climate is there for the conduct of their business, they will stay,” said the labor chief.
“As long we could provide them with a lower cost, better and safer atmosphere, they would come here,” he furthered./with reports from Sunnex
