MANILA – Business process outsourcing (BPO) companies in Cebu have resumed operations hours after a strong quake struck many parts of Central Visayas this morning.
In a statement, the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) said call centers in Cebu temporarily stopped operations this morning “to ensure the safety of thousands of employees.”
A 7.2-magnitude quake shook Central Visayas around 8:00 a.m., causing damage to many structures in the provinces of Cebu and Bohol.
Citing a report by the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEDF-IT), Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) president and chief executive Jose Mari P. Mercado told InterAksyon.com that there were “no reports of damage” so far among BPO companies operating in Cebu.
“Evacuations occurred, but [operations] back to normal now. All on heightened alert for aftershocks and prepared to evacuate if necessary. Safety of our employees is paramount,” Mercado said.
“Several buildings have been safely evacuated immediately after the earthquake and are undergoing structural assessments for safety by the building owners and their engineers. Re-entry into the buildings will only commence once the buildings have been cleared that they are safe,” CCAP president Benedict C. Hernandez said, adding that “the safety of contact center employees in the affected provinces is its number one priority.”
Cebu hosts about 100 BPO firms, while the rest of Central Visayas is home to about 20 companies, Mercado said. About 70,000 people are employed by Cebu-based outsourcing firms.
Most of the firms within the Cebu Business and IT Park are contact centers, which “have business continuity plans that we follow for such events… ensuring their employees are guided to ensure their safety and welfare,” Hernandez said.
Cebu City ranked 8th in global advisory firm Tholons’ 2013 Top 100 Outsourcing Destinations report.
source: interaksyon.com
