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GMA takes'sentimental
iourney'to BPO company
By MaricelV. Cruz
A FTER visiting her Roll-on-Roll-off ports Anoyo's last full year in office, grow-
ing from only $1.3 billion in 2003 to
A *a urban poir housing projects, Speaker $8.9 billion in 2010.
I \ Gloria Macapagal Arroyo continued with her By the end of her term in 2010, the
Philippines has assumed the No. I po-
"sentimentaljourney" by going to the first Business sition as top BPO destination. Today
Process Outsourcing office in the Visayas region. there are about 1.3-million Filipinos
\' working in the BPO industry.
A day beflre hosting the Hugpong -
Her. pioneering initiatives and her It is expected io grow to l.7-million
ng Pagbabago senatorial candidates administration's support to the indus- in the coming years accounting to l0 to
in Negros Occidental. on Mouday, by led to its phenomenal gonvth itt 15-percent share of the global market
Anoyo went to the Teleperforyrance the county. share.
office in Bacolod City, the first BPO These included tlre creation of the . Arroyo was delighted to see the
company that established office in the ITBPAP, creation ofthe Commis- growth of Teleperformance in Bacolod
Visayas which she inaugumted when sion on Information and Communica- Ciry and the entire country.
she was President in 2005. tion Techtology, providing investor "I'm so happy how it has grown
"Like what we did the last time, I support thrcugh the accreditation of and I'm so happy that those who were
want to go to my favorite projects. Of buildings used by the indusny, com- working here before are still here now
course developing the BPO ind$try pletion of intastucture projects like in higher positions. That's really some-
was one ol my proudest accomplish- airports, and training vouchers from thing to be said about the company's
ments and I remember this was a firsr the Technical Education and Skills ability to retain its.talents. That's re-
in the Visayas when we opened it Development Authority worth over ally a ground for oongratulations and
here. That's why we visited again in P800 million ftom 2007-09. of course they've grown," she said.
2010 when I was reviewing my proj- During her presidency, BPO indus- Arroyo has been going on a "senti-
ects," she said. try grew on an average of 65 percent menlal journey'' lo her favorite proj-
Arroyo has been credited for the per atrnum over a decade and had ects during her presidency as she pre-
rise ofthe BPO industry in the Philip- nearly half a million workers by the paxes to step down from public service
pnes. end of2009 which was then President on June 30.

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