GMA is the father of the IT-BPO Industry, NOT Mar Roxas– BPO Industry pioneer

Mar is not the ‘Father of the IT-BPO sector.

During the campaign period of the 2016 Presidential elections, former Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas has been seen and quoted saying that he is “the Father of the IT-BPO Industry” in the country.

In one of his political engagements in Muntinlupa before a group of call center agents , he insisted that he was the one responsible for starting the local business processing outsourcing industry during his stint as Department of Trade and Industry secretary when president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was the president of the republic.

 

Former DILG Secretary Mar Roxas (photo credit to owner)

“We started and expanded this BPO sector when I was still DTI chief. I still remember that people would laugh at me as they did not understand what are call centers, or IT-BPOs. But now, you can see that more than one million jobs and livelihood are created,” Roxas explained.

“There’s really a big impact to our economy, and I am overjoyed for the support and trust that they have given me and our countrymen can expect that the development of call centers, IT-BPO sector will give relief to our countrymen,”  former DILG Sec. said. 

This has been disputed, and has been categorically called as misleading.

Industry pioneer Oscar Sañez, who led IT and Business Processing Association of  the Philippines from 2007 to 2011,calls out that statement of Roxas and explains that the industry’s phenomenal growth should attributed to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo the sitting president at that time.

Sañez,explains that there were only 2,400 call center employees in 2000 when Mar Roxas was appointed to head the DTI and he served as such for less than a year because he tendered his resignation in 2001 at the height of the second People power uprising against then President Joseph Ejercito Estrada.

Upon GMA’s ascension to Malacanang he reappointed Mar Roxas to the DTI portfolio, he resigned for the second time for being a senatoriable in 2003.

It was during the time of Mar Roxas was a senator that the industry exponentialy, growth was at an average of 65 percent per annum over a decade and had nearly half a million workers by the end of 2009 which was GMA’S last full year in office.

“I know how  much the business process offshoring  and outsourcing sector owes  Mrs. Arroyo.  We are proud to describe ourselves as a successful model of real private public partnership or PPP,” Sañez  added.

Arroyo as sitting president then supported the growth of the IT-BPO industry with governmental policies like the creation of the I”TBPAP, the Commission on Information and Communication Technology, providing investor support through the accreditation of buildings used by the industry, completion of infrastructure projects like airports, and training vouchers from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority worth over P800 million from 2007-09.“

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Report from Manila Standard