Better Telecommunications.
The Philippines is the world leader in Contact Center business with a share of 10.0% of the US$ 240.0 Billion a year IT/BPO industry.
The Philippine IT/BPO industry, however, will not be able to realize its fullest growth potential if we continue to have one of the lowest performing telecommunications systems in Asia.
The Philippines holds the un-enviable distinction of having the among the slowest internet speeds, the most unreliable internet/cellular telephone connections and the highest internet connectivity cost in Asia if not the world.
We are heartened by the move of the Duterte administration to open the telecoms market to a third competitor and it is definitely a move in the right direction.
But, we need to ensure that the entry of a third competitor in the Philippines telecoms industry shall redound to an improvement in our telecommunications system in all barometers of performance and cost and in the soonest possible time.
In which case, will there be cooperation from Globe and Smart in terms of equipment/infrastructure sharing of costs which will allow the third telco company to ramp up its operations rapidly? Will the new player have enough frequency spectrum available for it to be competitive or do we mandate an equal redistribution of the key frequencies? Do we need to amend the legislative franchises of all telcos mandating performance guarantees or face cancellation of their licenses.
The BPO Party is committed to pursue the vision of a vibrant and sustainable economy. An efficient and cost effective telecommunications system is among the key result areas.
Incentives for all IT/BPO Employees.
The BPO Party views all IT/BPO employees as no different to OFWs, they are also Mga Bagong Bayani ng Pilipinas. The IT/BPO industry is now the second largest foreign revenue contributor to the country after Tourism, having outpaced OFW remittances in 2017.
As such, we will seek for IT/BPO workers the same level of government incentives that are rewarded to our OFW heroes, to wit:
- Official Government Recognition of BPO Workers as mga Bagong Bayani ng Pilipinas;
- No taxes on their salaries;
- SSS Flexi Fund Incentives
- No airport fees and travel taxes;
The government must provide official recognition to the immense contribution of IT/BPO workers to the Philippine economy.
In terms of shared prosperity, IT/BPO employees contribute more to the economy than OFWs since they spend most, if not all, of their income in the country.
As an economic growth driver, the IT/BPO industry has already made a sizable impact in the growth of several market sectors such as the automotive, consumer durable, packaged grocery products, restaurants and fast food establishments, domestic tourism and real estate.