WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT IGNORING BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING?

WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT IGNORING BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING?

Isn’t it ironic that we are hailed globally as the “Call Center Capital of the World”—and yet, the Philippine government hardly supports the very industry that earned us that title?

Let me ask plainly: How many government agencies actually use Filipino call centers or Customer Relations Management (CRM) services? Probably just a few, if at all. It’s almost laughable, if it weren’t such a missed opportunity.

As of 2022, over 700 contact centers operate across the country, employing around 1.4 million Filipinos and generating billions in revenue. That’s no small feat. And yet, this thriving sector has grown largely without serious government patronage or structural support.

Management experts will tell you: the best way to strengthen an export product is to first cultivate it locally. That allows you to fix bugs, prove the concept, test sustainability, and build scale—all before going global.

But not in the case of our BPO sector. Here, it went global-first, local-never. We skipped the logical development ladder. Our BPO companies became world-class suppliers for foreign clients while being ignored by our own government. That must change.

And it's not too late, Mr. President. In fact, the moment is ripe.

Start small, if you must. Start by engaging local CRM providers to handle public hotlines, digital services, or even basic e-governance support. There’s no reason a government agency should be struggling to manage inbound queries when local BPOs are literally world experts in this field. Why are we outsourcing abroad what we could easily insource locally?

Look at how Accenture operates: their ICT professionals are “embedded” in client offices, bringing not only expertise but also their own hardware. It’s efficient. It’s cost-effective. And it’s a model that’s already proven to work. Alternatively, they also support work-from-home (WFH) arrangements—which brings me to the bigger picture.

The Work-at-Home (WAH) phenomenon could very well be our answer to the long-standing OFW dilemma. Imagine a future where Filipinos no longer need to leave the country just to earn a decent wage. Imagine families that stay intact, while still receiving dollars. That’s what WAH offers. It’s already happening quietly through online freelance work and remote employment via BPOs—but it could grow much faster with government intervention.

So let me pose a few questions to our national leaders:

·       Why aren’t we training more workers specifically for remote BPO employment?

·       Why aren’t CHED, TESDA, and DTI more involved in this workforce transition?

·       Why haven’t DOLE and DMW created programs to support remote workers the same way they support OFWs?

·       And perhaps most critically, why is there no task force exploring this massive potential?

Mr. President, I respectfully suggest you create that task force. Make it inter-agency. Include DOLE, DMW, DFA, CHED, TESDA, and DTI. Give it a clear mandate: build a national roadmap for scaling WAH and local BPO employment—especially for government services.

We already have the talent. We already have the infrastructure in key cities and provinces. What we lack is coordination, vision, and political will. This is low-hanging fruit, and yet it’s being ignored.

Our BPO professionals are world-class. They’ve put us on the map without government help. Imagine what they could do with help. Imagine what it would mean for our economy if we finally closed the loop—by becoming not just the global provider, but also the local user of our own BPO expertise.

Supporting this industry is not just an economic move—it’s a nation-building strategy. It keeps families together. It creates jobs without requiring migration. It taps into a digital future where geography no longer limits opportunity.

Mr. President, the BPO industry is not just knocking—it’s pounding on the door of government attention. The question is, will we finally answer?

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres
iseneres@yahoo.com, 09088877282, senseneres.blogspot.com

08-28-2025

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