Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines -- To maintain Cebu's strong competitive advantage in the global business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, industry players will conduct a roadshow in the United Kingdom (UK), presenting the province as an investment destination.

Joel Mari Yu, managing director of the Cebu Investment and Promotions Center bared they will be partnering with the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) for the roadshow scheduled middle of this year.

“It is only logical to choose the UK in looking for potential investors because it is the only English-speaking country in the Eurozone,” Yu said.

He said BPO stakeholders in Cebu are now tapping other markets apart from the United States following a bill pending in the US Congress that seeks to discourage US-based companies from outsourcing.

US House Bill 3596 or the Call Center and Consumers Protection Bill discourages outsourcing by making those that outsource ineligible for federal grants and loans for five years.

The said Bill further states that companies are also required to disclose the physical location of agents in customer service and allowed the option to be transferred to a local agent. Companies that fail to report overseas locations risk paying a penalty of $10,000 a day.

"There is a bigger untapped market out there apart from the US and the UK is a good example of that. It will not be difficult to sell Cebu to UK investors because of our track record in the global BPO industry," Yu pointed out.

Cebu City has been in Tholons’ top 10 list of outsourcing destination, staying in the ninth spot as an emerged destination for global outsourcing two years in a row.

Tholons is a strategic advisory firm for global outsourcing and investments.

Yu said that part of the CIPC strategy to entice more UK companies to outsource here is by naming the big names in the IT industry that have set up offices inCebu. "Nothing sells better than being able to identify who is already here," he
added.

Source: Manila Bulletin; News; 11 Feb 2012