ILOILO City – Despite the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this southern city took up most business process outsourcing (BPO) space in 2020. It outpaced Makati, Ortigas and Taguig, according to the latest assessment of the Leechiu Property Consultants (LCP).
Iloilo accounted for 48,000 square meters (sqm) of office take-up last year out of 191,000 sqm space took by the BPO industry in the country, LCP data showed.
LCP chief executive officer David Leechiu said the BPO industry took up nearly half (191,000 of the 389,000 sqm) in office space demand in 2020.
Roughly a third of the office spaces occupied by BPO locators were acquired in the first quarter as quarantine restrictions enforced from the second quarter to the fourth quarter prevented them from expanding their operations.
Meanwhile, second to Iloilo is Makati City with 35,000 sqm, according to a philstar.com report, followed by Ortigas (27,000 sqm), Bonifacio Global City in Taguig (24,000 sqm), and Cebu (16,000 sqm).
Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas was elated. He said this showed that even in the midst of the pandemic, businesses, and BPO companies specifically, want to invest in this southern city.
“They see Iloilo City as safe. We have a very proactive city government that talks to them about the problem of the BPOs and nalipay gid ako because they will provide employment especially for our new graduates,” the city mayor said.
Treñas cited Megaworld Corp., developer of the Iloilo Business Park which plans to transform the third floor of the Festive Walk Mall into a BPO space.
“Kadamu na gid kuno nagapangayo sa ila nga dugang nga offices for BPO,” the mayor said./PN
