NOTE: THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHRONICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.
Some 3,000 Boholanos will be employed when the Bohol Business Park will commence its operations by next year.
This direction for more employment followed after the groundbreaking last Wednesday of the Bohol Business Park at the old City Airport where IT business establishments will be constructed.
Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado’s development agenda is job creation.
“I yearn for the day when a Boholano does not have to leave home to seek out a decent, good-paying job outside the province,” Aumentado said during the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Bohol Business Park.
With this project, Aumentado hopes to offer a better quality of life and a brighter future to every individual and family in Bohol.
The old airport, formerly used as a jogging area and for events during July’s Sandugo festivity, is the site of the Bohol Business Park. This transformation, a result of the Aumentado administration’s efforts, signifies a runway of opportunities for Boholanos.
As of 2022, the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry estimates that about 30% of BPO jobs have been relocated to the provinces, closer to a larger potential workforce. Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony symbolizes Aumentado’s commitment to shape tomorrow’s digital landscape beyond mere infrastructure; it embraces the transformation of ideas into reality.
As provincial administrator Asteria Caberte welcomed the guests, she recalled the beginning of a dream and aspirations for Bohol, saying: “This all started with a dream and aspiration, which led us to our grand vision of a Bohol Business Park in the heart of Tagbilaran City.”
Caberte also expressed gratitude to the city government of Tagbilaran led by Mayor Jane Yap, who also graced the event, for its full cooperation and support in making this event successful.
Aumentado was joined by Vice Gov. Dionisio Victor Balite during the event along with Sangguniang Panlalawigan members Jamie Villamor and Lucille Lagunay.
Representatives from Sagility Philippines, Innercore Construction and Realty Creation, the Management Executive Board, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Atlantic Erectors Incorporated Engineering and Construction, the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and representatives from the ICT Council also attended the event.
Kenneth Obis, Director for Business Development of Innercore Construction and Realty Development Corporation, borrowed the words of Denzel Washington, saying, “You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too.” With this being said, he acknowledges the challenges that lie ahead, from conception to execution.
Obis also emphasized that this journey through perseverance and shared vision will unlock the province’s full potential. “Today, we not only dream but set concrete goals to ensure our success. Innercore Construction and Realty Development Corporation, in partnership with Sagility, leads this journey towards prosperity.”
Fed delos Lado, Sagility vice president for operations, expressed his excitement to start operation in Bohol expected to begin in the last quarter of the year or the first quarter of 2025. Delos Lado said he is thankful that an LGU like Bohol has a mindset of developing an area in terms of IT infrastructure.
“The governor is really a good ambassador of the province, making the entire Bohol province different from others,” Delos Lado remarked, expressing his impression on how the governor works to develop diversified businesses beyond tourism.
The provincial government aims to build a foundation that not only supports growth but also serves as a catalyst for progress in the community, especially in an era driven by innovation and technology. This milestone puts Bohol on the taxi bay and soon anticipates the Bohol Business Park to take off.
In partnership with Sagility Philippines, a U.S.-based, tech-enabled healthcare business process management company, the business park holds significance especially for socio economic, infrastructure growth and development and innovation that serves as a milestone for Bohol.
Among those present during the ceremony were Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado, Vice Gov. Dionisio Victor Balite, provincial administrator Asteria Caberte, Sangguniang Panlalawigan members Jamie Villamor and Lucille Lagunay, and Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Yap.
Representatives from Sagility Philippines, Innercore Construction and Realty Creation, Management Executive Board, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Atlantic Erectors Incorporated Engineering and Construction, and Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry also graced the event.
The BPO sector is the powerful driving force in the Philippine economy and biggest generator of jobs with 1.4 million direct jobs and 3.61 million indirect jobs in the year 2021 contributing $29.5 billion in revenue.
About 30% of BPO jobs are in the provinces closer to more potential workforce.
“We recall and draw inspiration as we validate the commitment of the governor to create jobs in his agenda,” Caberte said in her welcome remarks.
She added that the governor’s vision “goes beyond mere infrastructure and also embraces transformation of ideas into reality and aspirations into achievement.”
“We aim to build a foundation that not only supports the growth but also serves as a catalyst for progress in the community,” Caberte added.
Sagility Ph stressed that it is the first locator in the Bohol Business Park.
For his part, Aumentado said Bohol is blessed “to have enticed major investors who have been fully convinced of the potential as an emerging ICT destination and are ready to take advantage of great opportunities that are waiting for them in the province.”
“At the heart of the City of Peace and Friendship, a new BPO facility will soon rise transforming this idle property as a thriving economic center that will greatly boost our talented workforce,” the governor noted.
He said this will also symbolize a new beginning for the site of the Old Airport as it will finally part with its storied history as an aviation hub for many years.
“You see, I yearn for the day when a Boholano does not have to leave home to seek out a decent, good-paying job outside the province,” Aumentado declared.
He concluded that with this project, “I truly hope that we can now offer a better quality of life and a brighter future to every individual and family here in our dear home, a place called Bohol, the ‘Heart of the Philippine Islands.’”
The province of Bohol envisions to be a smart, resilient and inclusive province advancing climate smart agriculture and sustainable tourism to provide a much-needed boost to human capital and propel the local economy towards greater heights.
