Pampanga cities now rising IT hubs

By George Trillo

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The two cities in this province are eyeing to become the new information and technology (IT) hubs in country, the two IT councils from this city and from Angeles said last week.

The Information and Communications Technology Council of San Fernando said that it is now initiating steps that will make the city a central technological hub with ready resources and an expert manpower pool of technology experts in the advent of the internet and Business Process Outsourcing in the country.

The council, which was created by by Mayor Oscar Rodriguez in 2007, is partnering with other concerned stakeholders to provide the necessary IT services to the private and public sectors in the city.

Council president Jim Jimenez said that they are starting to train students, IT graduates and other aspiring IT people to develop software infrastructure needed in the bid of the city to become the leader in the IT industry in the region.

Partners of the ICT Council include the academe, the San Fernando Electric Light and Power Company (SPELAPCO) and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT).

Meanwhile, the Metro Clark Information and Communications Technology Council (MCICTC), said that stakeholders in the ICT industry are eyeing Clark to become the country’s next BPO hub.

MCICTC shared that a number BPO firms in Metro Manila are either expanding or transferring to other places including Clark.

“Metro Clark is at par with Metro Manila and Metro Cebu as a premier global investment haven for IT and IT-enabled industries,” it said.

It added that Clark, being a premier Freeport, has an airport and other facilities that will support the operation of BPO firms.

MCICTC is a founding member of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines. It was established in 2008 when some 40 stakeholders convened to determine the readiness of the Metro Clark area to host emerging markets in the global IT outsourcing industry.