Bacolod City IT Focus Team
Created by Virtue of Executive Order No. 8 Series of 2005
Signed by Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia on May 27, 2005

THE YEAR 1 REPORT

The Vision...

To make Bacolod City an ideal site for IT/BPO investments.
* Bacolod City has no major contact/call center companies just like other cities in the Philippines before this project was started.

The Rewards of the Team Work...

After less than a year of hard work, Bacolod has become one of the ICT hubs in the Philippines based on concrete results such as:

• Setting up and starting of operations of three international call centers in Bacolod City (Teleperformance, I-Soulutions Outsource Asia and Focus Communications).

• Creation of hundreds of jobs as a result of the operations of the three call centers. Serious inquiries from two other major call center companies (Convergys and Teletech)

• Accreditation by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) of two (2) IT Parks and five (5) IT Buildings

• Endorsement by the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the application of seven (7) IT parks/buildings

• Creation of the "Make IT Bacolod" web-page as part of the website of Bacolod City

• Production of the Make IT Bacolod mini-brochures that focus on the three (3) major concerns of locators, i.e. infrastructure (telecommunications, power, utilities, etc.), human resource (academe,labor, quality and mapower sustainability) and real estate (availability of PEZA-accredited parks and buildings)

• Creation of the ITSNET or the IT Schools Network in Bacolod and Negros Occidental

• Holding of the 1st Bacolod IT Fair with IT Quiz, Laptop Assembly and Website Olympics

• Productive participation of Bacolod in the recently concluded e-Services Philippines (6th Outsourcing Conference and Exhibition) in Manila.

Long Term Objectives To Be Achieved:

• To generate 3,000 jobs by 2006 or up to 10,000 jobs by 2010 and maximize/utilize our available resources

• To make Bacolod City an attractive location for the IT/ICT BPO industry

• To encourage local, national and international investments in said areas

• To document, collate and prepare the necessary information or data as well sa IEC materials in relation to achieve the foregoing objectives

• To fully utilize the support and expertise of the individuals and groups helping the Bacolod City IT Focus Team

• To implement scholarships for identified potential ICT/IT/BPO employees

• To undertake all kinds of activities pursuant to the foregoing objectives.

Target Objectives Achieved Under The 2005 AIP Budget:

• Inquiries and prospecting by major IT firms in the world

• Presence of telecommunications companies that can provide reasonably-priced high-speed fiber optic/broadband services

• Presence of ITSNET and several training institutions such as Lasaltech and VMA/BPO, Inc., to ensure a steady pool of competent human resources

• Existince of three (3) PEZA - accredited buildings, parks and ecozones

• The creation of a web-page: "Make IT Bacolod" inside the Official Website of Bacolod City

• The creation of the Bacolod City IT Focus Team

• The holding of the 1st Bacolod IT Fair from December 18 to 20, 2005

• The presence of several IT firms that will already operate by 2006.

Target Objectives Under The 2006 AIP Budget:

• Prepare, conduct and coordinate IT activities aimed at enhancing the capabilities of the academe especially the public schools in addressing the demand for more IT skilled workers

• Strengthen the Bacolod IT Focus Team and consolidate all efforts to prepare and promote Bacolod as an IT/ICT/BPO investment site

• Integrate in the existing offices or create an IT investment office with a regular employee/s to focus and coordinate with the group

• Reinforce and conduct consultations with the academe, private sector and agencies to ascertain and reinforce their readiness

• Strengthen the IT Schools Network (ITSNET)

• Ensure that the necessary infrastructure, environment and human resources are available for locators

• Development of sufficient and redundant supply of clean and uninterruptible power

• Provide an investor-friendly procedure for application of licenses and permits by reducing red tape and prohibiting grease money

• Put in place ordinances that will add to the incentives given by PEZA

• Continuation of all activities started in 2005.