Ayala Land subsidiary Cebu Property Venture Development Corp. is optimistic the BPO sector in Cebu will continue to grow despite a slowdown in the US economy, which is the biggest client of the Philippines.

Cebu Property president Francis Monera told BusinessMirror that interest from BPO companies in Cebu remains high mainly because of its strategic location, its deep pool of talent and the amenities of the island’s tourism destination.

“More and more companies are realizing the benefits of outsourcing. We are not only seeing call centers but accounting services, human resources, architecture and software development,” Monera said.

“Cebu is an ideal destination for investors because it is a compact city where you can go to the beaches, the golf course, the malls and the mountains in just a few minutes; plus, it has all the amenities of a cosmopolitan city.”

Cebu Property’s flagship project in Cebu, the 25-hectare Asiatown IT Park, continues to attract local and foreign investors. The property has some 11,500 square meters of leasable area in four major buildings, employing close to 11,100 BPO
employees.

There are four ongoing projects in the property—the E-Biz of Cebu Property, the 11-story Skyrise 2, a 15-story TGU Tower and the 17-floor i3 building. The four projects will add 57,000 square meters of leasable space to Asiatown.

“Given the Asiatown experience, one square meter of leasable space translates to one job created. We are optimistic there will be more than 50,000 additional jobs in Asiatown alone in the next two to three years,” Monera said.

In 2006 the IT park only had 6,000 square meters of leased space and started only with software companies NEC and Epson as its first multinational clients. The property was named before as the Cebu Civic and Trade Center but was repositioned in 2000 by Ayala Group into a BPO hub, thus, Asiatown.

Located on the old La Guardia Airport in uptown Cebu City, Asiatown is also looking at a five-hectare phase two which would come into play depending on the availability of properties in phase 1.

Monera, however, said the fast arrival of BPO companies in Cebu would mean the talent pool is fast running out. He said there is a need for a concerted effort by the government and the private sector to catch up with the demand.

“More students should be encouraged to take IT courses because IT will be here to stay,” he said