Warranted anticipation

GOVERNMENT PLANNERS, including lawmakers, labor and sectoral leaders and perhaps Congress should take seriously the plight of BPO workers and OWs.

For so long, our economy depended on the remittances of our modern-day heroes, the OFWs, who labor in different countries just to keep it afloat and the needs of their respective families completed.

Thus, the chair of conglomerate SM Investments group, a highly successful and resultsdriven company owned by the Sy family warned that the country “must develop its basic industries and reduce reliance on business process outsourcing (BPO) and our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to sustain growth in the coming years”.

Without doubt, our economic plans are mainly anchored on the remittances of OFWs and income from call centers, said chair Jose Sio who anticipated that in about five years, call center agents may be replaced by robots as Artificial Intelligence (AI) firmly sets in in this industry.

It was reported that the BPO sector generated some $23 billion last year and the cash remittances of OWs were registered at $28 billion, amounts so vital to our economy.

It is lamentable that the government still relies heavily on these two sectors and has no visible alternatives therefor.

It is about time that government agencies like NEDA and DOLE looked into alternative sources to cushion the impact of probable losses from the phasing out of BPOs and the cessation or diminution of the cash remittances from OFWs.

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Locally, the Mabalacat City Public Employment Service Office (PESO) is proactive in jacking up the employment opportunities of the city residents.

In tandem with Dole Region III, it endeavors to find ways to provide gainful employment to ablebodied citizens and trainings for ot her s.

In its training schedule, it will farm out its Slaughtering course to Global Experts School of Science and Technology, based in Barangay San Agustin, City of San Fernando.

It has a roster of about 20 applicants and upon completion of the documentary requirements, it may give its go signal to Globex, headed by Mr. Reynaldo Aquino to start the training.

Other skills trainings are on the dock, this, according to Bernard B. delos Reyes, the current PESO Manager.