BPO, gov't. center to bring more jobs, progress in Nueva EcijaBy Marilyn Espiritu-Galang
PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija, March 9 (PNA)-- The new PHP1.5-billion government center and business hub in this capital city of Nueva Ecija is not only a template of President Rodrigo Duterte's advocacy of easing the process of doing business with the government but of bringing jobs and progress in one package.
This is how the the local and foreign officials described the complex where the newly-inaugurated Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) building 1 is now housed, along with other offices of some national government offices.
City Mayor Rianne Cuevas said the new complex is not only the face of progress in the city and the province but is also the biggest example of what development can do to transform communities into modern cities.
The Palayan City Business Hub (PCBH), which is a partnership between the city government of Palayan and the provincial government of Nueva Ecija, is designed to bring together under one roof the offices of several national government agencies that are often sought by people for services like passporting and license issuance.
"The projects are just some of the signs of the city's readiness to take on the challenges of leading the way for Nueva Ecija's path to progress," Cuevas said.
The lady mayor also said Malaysian Trade Minister Dato Sri Mustapa Mohamed, who graced Wednesday the inauguration of the BPO building 1, was also impressed with the new complex.
She said Mohamed noted the convenience of conducting business in one place is a big boost to the place's progress.
"Mohamed said such programs to make doing business easy is also being implemented in Malaysia," she added.
Mohamed, together with Tansri Azmil, chair of Alloy MTD, Malaysian Ambassador DatoRazlan Abdul Rashid, Cuevas, BCDA chair Vince Dizon and other top officials of the Malaysian firm led the inauguration of the first ever BPO here and in the province.
Malaysian conglomerate Alloy A MTD financed the BPO project.
Meanwhile, the PHP1.5-billion complex, composed of four buildings, will also feature the People's Center Building (PCB) which will house several government office.
Among the national government agencies with an agreement with the city government to start operations in the PCB, either already in the works or are being worked out, include the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), NBI, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Elections (Comelec), SSS, GSIS, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and PhilHealth.
The PCB offers more than just convenience to people who have transactions with government, according to city officials.
It has alloted airconditioned space for offices that would not require long lines for people waiting for passports, licenses and other documents.
Outside PCB, two more buildings are designed to house more BPO spaces with each building having 2,000 seats capacity and will feature commercial spaces on the ground floor that could be used for businesses that will cater to BPO workers.
A fourth building will be for other offices and retail establishments with three floors devoted to a 75-room hotel for Palayan City.
This building, according to the design, will have high speed internet connectivity and dedicated fiber optic lines, uninterruptible power supply and centralized airconditioning system.
The BPO buildings are currently being registered as Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA)-certified.
The first BPO office with 230 seats will start operations on March 15.
Cuevas thus urged all Novo Ecijanos working for BPO offices elsewhere to just come home "and take part in the development of not only Palayan but the entire province.
"There's no place like home," she said.
She also extended invitation to BPO companies to locate in Palayan and tap the talent that abounds in the province of Nueva Ecija in terms of skilled labor and industrious workers. (PNA)
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