Tue for Wed / May 21 for May 22, 2013
Dennis D. Estopace, Reporter
THE Philippine government plans to spend P5 billion a
year to boost the share of the country’s offshore industry in gross domestic
product growth.
A total of P25 billion is being allotted by government
to meet the goals and objectives of the Philippines
“This is a broad-based government support scheme
aligned with the objectives of the industry,” Science and Technology Secretary
Mario G. Montejo said during the launch of the IT-RM Tuesday.
The head of the Department of Science and Technology
(DOST) said that the support involves ten line agencies, several bureaus, and
even the central bank.
Montejo added that these agencies and government units
are expected to coordinate with each other to address the key issues affecting
the IT-Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry.
The IT-RM would focus on attracting and training workers
over five years to build a 1.1-million “talent base.”
Jose Mari P. Mercado of the IT and Business Process
Association of the Philippines (ITBAP) said the industry is on track with this
as a hundred trainers and professors from key universities would graduate this
week from a government-sponsored training program.
Other goals of the IT-RM are: strengthening the Philippines
Montejo said based on industry data of 2012,
government incentive schemes have resulted in returns from corporate and
personal taxes collected that are four to five times the amount of the foregone
taxes from the incentives from 2005 to 2011.
The Information and Communication Technology Office of
the DOST said in its paper that total incentives provided by government to
generate new jobs amounted between US$1.1 billion to US$1.4 billion for seven
years beginning in 2005.
Mercado, ITBAP president, said industry leaders are
optimistic the sector can meet its target US$25 billion gross revenue target
for 2016 if this partnership between the public and private sector continues.