Group says call center raid shouldn’t damage industry

Last Saturday’s raid of an alleged mail order bride business that posed as a call center office in barangay Banawa, Cebu City shouldn’t taint Cebu’s reputation as a leading business process outsourcing (BPO) destination in Asia.

Jun Saa, executive director of the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEDF-IT), said while the raid was “disturbing”, it “should be viewed in the right perspective.”

“We still have a globally competitive and leading ICT/BPO industry. These illegal operations are  minor compared to (legitimate call center firms) and it should not be magnified to taint the legal operations,” he said.

CEDF-IT is a consortium of industry, academe, government and non-government organizations (NGOs) representatives formed to promote and professionalize the BPO and information technology firms in Cebu.

Charges of estafa and violation of Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 were filed against suspects Mei Yee and Ligaya Vitor, owner and manager of Filipino Heart Internet Consultant (FHIC) at the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office yesterday.

NO BUSINESS PERMIT

Acting City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas said the business permit may be revoked if this is recommended by the  Cebu City Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.

Records of the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) showed that while the company paid  taxes they weren’t issued a business permit because they lacked some requirements.

The company  was registered as an Internet cafe and Internet consultant company.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday commended the police for the raid and arrests of the suspects.

“Even if they have a business permit, they can’t operate if they’re doing something else,” Rama said.

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