Communal settlement for single moms to rise in IT Park

A communal settlement for single mothers who wish to work as call center agents is set to rise within the IT Park in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.

In his news conference last Friday, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said a private entity has pledged to donate around 500 square meters of land within the IT Park for the construction of residential quarters.

“The donor is giving land for this purpose. Other companies will subsidize its early operations. But first, we have to organize the recruitment. They will be screened and those that will qualify will undergo a 6-month consultation for the residential quarters. We’ll be inviting all kinds of advisers for that,” the mayor said.

He said the residential quarters will be patterned after the kibbutz in Israel, but the building design will be similar to that of the DropIn Center in Barangay Parian.

The kibbutz is a collective community that aims to develop mutual aid and social justice. Traditionally located in rural areas, it has a socioeconomic system based on the principle of joint ownership of property, equality and cooperation of production.

Aside from this, Qualfon Cebu has expressed interest in hiring all single mothers who wish to work in the business process outsourcing industry.

Osmeña said that Qualfon will provide buses for the workers residing in the quarters to address concerns on safety and transportation.

“I’m very serious about this. We have lost productivity because many single mothers go back to the province because they can’t live in the city. It’s wasted life, the way I look at it,” said Osmeña.

With call center companies needing at least 50,000 new employees, he said the communal settlement will hopefully encourage single moms to “go out and work,” since other members of the community will be there to take care of their children’s needs. /