The Outsourcing Week in Review: Thursday, August 5, 2021

Welcome to Inside Outsourcing: The Outsourcing Week in Review

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Here we go again!

Metro Manila will be placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) starting tomorrow, August 6 to August 20 – unless extended. While this is a “difficult decision” to make, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said it’s something that they needed to do “to avoid a shortage in ICU beds and other hospital requirements if there will be a surge due to the Delta variant.” This move is also supported by the Metro Manila mayors. In a report by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the city mayors submitted a resolution requesting for the strictest lockdown due to the rise of the Delta variant.

While the national and local government units are in favor of the ECQ, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said the Philippine economy “cannot bear another massive lockdown.” Lopez recalled that the last ECQ in the region resulted in a P30 billion wage loss. In line with this, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua said the economy is set to lose P105 billion for each week that the country is under strict lockdown. He added that it may result in an increase of 444,000 jobless Filipinos as roles become redundant. In efforts to support the economy, the DTI is looking to pass three bill amendments to support and sustain the development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs): the Magna Carta on MSMEs, OTOP Bill, and P3 Bill, which are all pending in Congress.

The July Performance Report of Outsource Accelerator’s Source Partner platform revealed a dramatic improvement of the quality of the inquiries for the month. July generated 573 inbound outsourcing inquiries, from 26 different sectors in 37 different countries. The platform also recorded 306 outsourcing quotation requests, which represents an estimated 1,345 full-time staff with an estimated value of $40,350,000.

While there is a slight drop in lead volume due to the reconfiguration, OA is more confident in ensuring high-quality inbound inquiries for its Source Partners!

Real estate firm Colliers Philippines reported that there has been a 38% (28,000 sqm) growth in total IT-BPM office transactions across the country during the second half of 2020 and the first half of 2021. Speaking of office spaces – which are usually located in ecozones – the Philippine Economic Zone (PEZA) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to identify some of the latter’s lands as future “defense industrial economic zones.”

In Iloilo City, economist Dr. Bernardo Villegas has said that the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Information Technology (IT) sectors have been the main drivers of the city’s quick recovery, post-pandemic. During an online economic recovery forum, Dr. Villegas emphasized the city’s burgeoning IT-BPO industry, adding that “no fervent COVID-19 pandemic can even take away those fundamentals.”

In other BPO news, at least 5,500 BPO employees in Quezon City are about to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This is in line with the city government’s collaboration with the Contact Center Association of the Philippines, Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines, and the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines. Last May, Inside Outsourcing reported that the above-mentioned BPO organizations signed an agreement with the Quezon City government for the vaccination of 67,000 BPO workers employed in 29 firms in the city.

In a press conference, Accenture Philippines managing director Lito Tayag disclosed the company’s US$5 million pledge to help Filipinos amid the pandemic. The outsourcing firm also partnered with Caritas Manila, Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), and Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) for the development of projects that will help alleviate hunger and poverty, and promote education across the country. Amazing work, Accenture!

The Philippines is continuously working with representatives from other countries to further attract investors. During a recent business forum, Philippine ambassador to New Delhi Ramon Bagatsing Jr. disclosed that the two nations will collaborate to gain a P10-trillion investment in the energy and fossil fuel industry. Bagatsing stated that India is hoping to generate 400 gigawatts of renewables by 2030 with this partnership. Looking forward to strong Indian partnerships!

Thursday, August 5, 2021

NEWS THIS WEEK

4 August 2021

• 167k workers adversely affected by two-week lockdown – read article…
• DTI to pass three bill amendments for MSME support – read article…

3 August 2021

• PH economy to lose P210bn due to ECQ – read article…
• Offshore outsourcing remains booming – read article…
• IT-BPM sector’s office demand grew by 38% – read article…
• PEZA, AFP to explore ‘defense industrial ecozones’ – read article…

2 August 2021

• Top PH concerns include economy, vaccines, and jobs, says survey – read article…
• Everise to employ more PH workers – read article…
• QC BPO employees will receive COVID-19 vaccines – read article…
• PH partners with India to attract RE investments – read article…

30 July 2021

• PH economy can’t afford another lockdown – DTI – read article…
• PH, Japan reaffirms their collaboration on infra projects – read article…
• NCR mayors request two-week ECQ, says MMDA – read article…
• NCR to be placed under ECQ starting August 6 – read article…

29 July 2021

• Accenture collaborates with NGOs for COVID-19 response projects – read article…
• BPO and IT sector to help Iloilo City recover from the pandemic – read article…
• PH biz groups support Duterte’s call for passage of legislative measures – read article…
• Cybergate Galleria Cebu now PEZA-accredited – read article…