(File photo)
MANILA – The inclusion of workers in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector in the government's A4 coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination priority list will further spur economic recovery, the country's trade chief said on Friday.
In a statement, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez noted that the BPO sector is one of the economic activities that support the economy as its operations remain open despite quarantine lockdowns.
“This is helping the economy in its recovery efforts, in saving jobs, and contribution to dollar revenue generation. That, in turn, is helping solidify further the economic fundamentals of the country and stable credit rating for the country,” Lopez said.
The DTI has endorsed the inclusion of BPO workers in the A4 priority group.
“(The) IATF supported the move following justifications that DTI presented on the importance of BPO in the economy, citing huge contribution in export revenues, reaching close to USD30 billion a year, bigger than OFWs’ (overseas Filipino workers’) remittances,” he said.
A DTI attached agency, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), has also requested the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to include the sector in the next group to be prioritized for Covid-19 vaccines.
Lopez said the BPO sector “didn’t lay off workers and even continued to hire during this pandemic.”
The country is one of the biggest BPO players globally, directly employing 1.32 million people and creating four million indirect jobs.
“We cannot afford to disrupt its very good momentum, especially in this time of the pandemic,” he added. (PNA)
