SILAY, Negros Occidental --- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today cited the local business environment here for making the city among the country’s fastest growing business process outsourcing (BPO) destinations.

The President addressed an audience of about 200 major locators, call center agents, and media at the Teleperformance Phils. facility beside the Luxur Hotel.

Silay-Bacolod is part of the Cyber Corridor, which traverses the country from Baguio to Davao.

As defined by the private sector, the academe, and government, Cyber Corridor is composed of ideal locations for information and communications technology (ICT) firms engaged in call centers, software development, medical, accounting and legal transcriptions, engineering design, animation, and game development.

“From only 2,400 workers in 2000, we have created what is today a global powerhouse: the Philippine BPO industry. We have achieved this by investing in digital infrastructure, formulating appropriate policy, creating the legal environment, and developing human capital,” the President said.

“The 500,000 jobs created in information and communications technology (ICT) are part of the legacy I will leave, a legacy of hardwork, a strong and stable economy, renewed global engagement, major investments in healthcare and education and dramatic improvements in physical infrastructure like the Bacolod-Silay Road, the Bacolod Airport, and RORO (roll on roll off) ports,” the President said.

“The Philippines with its 90 million population is closing in on India, which has one billion people in the ICT world,” the President said.

“Much work remains to be done but I am determined to turn over to a new government a new Philippines ready for the challenge of bringing the nation to the verge of first world in 20 years,” the President stressed.

The President was accompanied here by Commission on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Secretary Ray Anthony Chua, Press Secretary Crispulo Icban Jr., Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Ricardo Saludo, and Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) Chairman Augusto Syjuco.