With Peza green light, IT-BPM projects gear up for WFH rollout
THE Board of Investments (BOI) has greenlighted 627 information technology and business-process management (IT-BPM) projects geared toward “paper transfer” registration to engage in 100-percent work-from-home (WFH) arrangement.
“As of December 15 the number of projects endorsed by [the Philippine Economic Zone Authority] Peza is at 786…[Out of that number, we were able to award certificates of registration to 627.] Project cost is P98 billion,” Executive Director Evariste M. Cagatan of BOI said during a virtual media briefing last Friday.
For his part, BOI Managing Head Ceferino S. Rodolfo unveiled the number of new projects in the IT-BPM sector with BOI’S 100 percent WFH policy. Data presented has 53 already having applied with the bureau. This, he said, is equivalent to P7.3 billion and employs 15,100 people.
However, of the said IT-BPM projects, only 20 have been registered with the BOI; nine have been okayed, and 24 projects are still pending for approval.
BOI, Rodolfo claimed, is currently maintaining its deadline of December 31, 2022 for the paper-transfer registration from Peza to the bureau.
“So far we’ve worked within the deadline. So we’ll assess based on the numbers provided…[of course, we’ll work closely with the IT-IBPAP [Business Process Association of the Philippines],” the BOI managing head said, then added that the number might have already been final, and that others may not be interested to transfer. “So we have to work really closely with the industry.”
Rodolfo said the BOI is coordinating with Peza and the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) to carry out the process of the papertransfer registration.
From its perspective, Peza’s Deputy Director General for Operations Vivian S. Santos said last Monday that it has arrived with an internal deadline, which was on December 16, based on Peza Memorandum Circular (MC) 2022-070.
“The BOI would not extend Peza’s endorsement. So, in order for [us] to endorse on or before December 31, we need to also come up with a deadline…the [one] we have provided in our MC is December 16. That’s the last day of filing,” Santos said.
The Peza official however noted that the agency will ensure that applications with complete requirements will be endorsed to the BOI on or before December 31, as the papertransfer effectivity that will allow complete WFH will be on January 1, 2023.
As of December 12 Peza said it has received 351 applications for the paper transfer of registered business enterprises (RBES) to the BOI.
According to the Peza MC 2022070 dated October 24: “The earlier deadline of December 16 is to ensure that PEZA will have sufficient time to review the applications before we endorse it to BOI.”
“The endorsement by Peza to BOI is considered as a certification of its ‘no objection,’…that the endorsed RBES are compliant with the terms and conditions of registration, and are in good standing,” Peza told the Businessmirror last month.
Pursuant to the Department of Trade and Industry MC 22-19, which was supported by the FIRB issued on October 18, the RBES have until December 31 to exercise the option to register with BOI. (Related story in the Businessmirror, December 15, 2022: Peza vows to meet deadline for submission of RBE applications.)