Cebu City ‘BPO Day’ on March 28 gets City Council’s okay

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Council approved on its third and final reading the proposed ordinance dedicating March 28 as “BPO Day” in Cebu City.

The proposed ordinance authored by Councilor Pancrasio “Francis” Esparis was approved during its regular session on Wednesday, April 24.

In a phone interview with Esparis, he said that he was happy after the council members supported his ordinance.

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“Nakita usab nila ang kadako nga mahinungdanon sa paghatag og bili ngadto sa atong mga trabahante diha sa atong BPO,” he said.

(They also saw the big imporatance of giving worth to our workers in the BPO industry.)

During the public hearing last March 6, a BPO company representative suggested renaming it to Business Process Management (BPM) during a public hearing on March 6, saying that “it is already now an expanded business process.”

But in the interview with Esparis, he said that after he consulted her various sources, he said that the “BPO” is more familiar with the public compared with the BPM.

“More familiar pa gyud gihapon ang BPO, especially ngadto sa atoang mga trabahante ug ingon man sa mga tawo. Kay when you speak of BPM, daghan pang mangutana unsa ang BPM?,” Esapris said.

(BPO is still more familiar, especially to those who work there and also to the public. Because when you speak of BPM, many will ask what is BPM?)

Cebu City BPO Day

The BPO Day is intended to highlight the importance of the BPO industry in Cebu City’s economic growth and to acknowledge the efforts of both employees and employers.

When asked what the BPO employees could get during this day, Esparis said that the Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP) woould be in charge of its celebration.

Although the ordinance did not provide details of what the BPO employees could receive on that day or incentives perhaps, Esparis said that it would be something the DMDP could coordinate with the various BPO companies operating in the city.

“Aron nga makahatag sila og tabang alang sa pagsaulog kay niila naman ta kanila nga usa sa labing dako kaayo nga nakatampo sa ekonomiya sa nasud,” Esparis said.

(So that they can give help in the celebration because we already recognized them as one of the biggest industries who helped in the economy of the country.)

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BPO employees’ reactions

After learning about this ordinance, some BPO employees in Cebu City also expressed their happiness for finally having a day to honor their occupation.

Fatima Benido, a team leader of a BPO company in Cebu City, told CDN Digital that it is “an honor” for it is like “to be seen and celebrated in a day.”

“Our lives revolve around working for a living, compromising our health and somehow getting jealous of those who work during the day and live a normal life as we should,” Benido said.

As someone who has been in the industry for more than five years, Benido said that she truly appreciated their job, “even at times that it can be exhausting.”

“The BPO industry is not just an industry that contributes to the economic growth of the Philippines but instead it shapes us to be globally competitive individual, trained us to be resilient through all the breakthroughs, and made us realize that our lifestyle may be different from others but we can still aid our means for a living and that’s all that matters,” Benido added.

Meanwhile, to Juliana Marie Rodenas, she said that it would be “great” that the local government had recognized and appreciated the industry where she worked at present.

“Because, let’s be honest here, sukad pagpandemic or even before that, the BPO industry has helped a lot of people who can have access to a good work environment. And makakwarta jud dayun even working from home kay naa pa may companies mooffer og work-from-home setup,” said Rodenas.

(Because, let’s be honest here, since the pandemic or even before that, the BPO industry has helped a lot of people who can have access to a good work environment. And they can really earn money right away even when working from home because there are companies that will offer a work-from-home setup.)

And to Rey Jie, she was thankful as well that the city government recognized “the significant contribution of the BPO industry to Cebu City’s economy” through the ordinance.

“It’s great to see acknowledgment of industries that play a vital role in a city’s growth and development,” Rey Jie said.

Esparis said that the proposed ordinance is now waiting for the mayor’s approval.