Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto told attendees to the ICT Council Meeting that Bohol’s
Information and Communications Technology or ICT industry will be the next major source of
jobs for Boholanos. The meeting was held at the Governor’s mansion on September 17, 2010
and was attended by the representatives from PLDT and Globe Telecom, DepEd, BLCI, BWUI,
BOHECO, DTI, Bankers Association, academe and the various ICT industry players.
Ms. Emmelou Versoza-Delfin from the Commision on Information and Communications
Technology reported that the top 10 New Wave Cities or cities that are potential locations
for call centers and other business process outsourcing does not include Bohol yet. In the
scorecard maintained by the CICT, Bohol scored 100% on cost of operations, but has a very
poor 46% on manpower criteria.
Surprisingly, Bohol scored on the high 70s for infrastructure and business activity and this was
due to the presence of airport, seaports and the active business community represented by the
Bohol Chamber of Commerce and the ICT Council.
In the past years, government officials were not optimistic about the ICT industry due to the
perceived requirement of a fiber optic connection from Bohol to Cebu. However, the officers
from PLDT and Globe Telecom explained that the method of data transport is irrelevant
because the telco companies will deliver the specifications based on the service level
agreement or SLA and capacity using whatever data transport technology is used.
The two telcos presented their current capabilities in Bohol. PLDT showed their multiple
microwave links to Cebu and Dumaguete as well as their newly implemented ‘fiber in the loop’
interconnecting the various cell sites in Tagbilaran. Globe showed their newly commissioned
submarine fiber optic connection to Talisay, Cebu and Maasin Leyte.
Gov. Chatto had a small group meeting with Ms. Delfin, DTI Regional Director Asteria Caberte,
Provincial Director Maria Elena Arbon, Ms. Inday Dominise of BIPC, Bohol ICT Council
President Ms. Leah T. Magno and Bohol ICT Vice-president Jerome Auza and planned to send
a delegation from Bohol to various E-Services and BPO conventions. The governor expressed
his excitement to see Bohol ICT industry grow just as the tourism industry has grown over the
years.
On the other hand, plans to improve Bohol’s manpower pool by industry-academe linkage,
improvement of curriculum and improvement of access to the Internet for public secondary
schools is high on BICTC’s priorities for the next few years.