60% of BPO firms yet to comply with community quarantine guidelines

ABOUT 60 percent of the total business process outsourcing (BPO) companies have yet to comply with the guidelines on community quarantine set by the City Government of Davao.

As of Monday, March 24, the team led by City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) head Generose Tecson were able to initially inspect 54

BPO companies.

She said of the 54 companies, 33 of them were compliant to the order of the City Government of Davao.

Based on Executive Order No. 20, BPO companies can either keep a skeletal workforce, provide them with temporary accommodation arrangements within the vicinity and shuttle service or allow their agents to work from home.

Tecson said most of the companies who have complied with the guidelines employed both options.

“Because the big companies can afford it and not all accounts are possible for work at home because of the Data Privacy Act,” she said.

She added about 50 to 60 percent of the BPOs’ agents worked as skeleton workforce.

Meanwhile, she said four companies were recommended for closure since they cannot provide either accommodation for their agents within the vicinity or implement a work-from-home arrangement.

Eleven companies are set for re-validation or those who are trying to comply with the requirements while six companies were already inactive before the community quarantine was implemented.

According to Davao City Investment Promotions Center investment head Christian Cambaya, there are a total of 85 active BPO companies operating in Davao City. This means about 37 BPO companies have yet to be assessed in the following days.

In the EO No. 20, BPO/Call Centers that cannot comply with either of the arrangements will be closed down immediately.