Bacolod City surges in IT-BPM industry
By: Francis Allan L. Angelo
BACOLOD CITY is now at par with more established investment sites for the Information Technology and Business process management (IT-BPM) industry.
The City of Smiles was elevated Monday to the status of Center of Excellence for IT-BPM operations, joining the ranks of Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Clark as a premier IT-BPM host and a high-density location.
The Department of Science and Technology-Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO) and Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) gave the citation to Bacolod and Negros Occidental officials in Metro Manila.
The occasion timed with the announcement of Top 10 Next Wave Cities™ (NWC) for 2012. Next wave cities refer to areas in the country seen potential investment/expansion sites for IT-BPM firms.
DOT not worried with Taiwan snub
By: Tara Yap
AMIDST THE squabble between the Philippines and Taiwan, the Department of Tourism (DOT-6) still has hopes that the famed beach destination of Boracay Island will remain attractive to other nationalities.
“We should act proactively by attracting other markets,” said Atty. Helen Catalbas, DOT-6 regional director.
Taiwanese tourists have been cancelling their scheduled vacations in Boracay Island as a sign of protest after a Taiwanese fisherman was shot dead by Philippine Coast Guard personnel off the coast of Batanes last May 9.
Based on the 2012 arrival data, a total of 75,107 Taiwanese visited Boracay.
Alleged pusher yields P250K worth of shabu
By: Jennifer Ponsaran-Rendon
A suspected drug pusher from Pasay City was arrested following a buy bust operation Tuesday afternoon in Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan.
Sergio Santiago, 34, of M. Dela Cruz St., Pasay City was arrested in a joint operation of the Aklan Police Provincial Office intelligence operatives and Boracay Tourist Assistance Center (BTAC).
The suspect, who rented a place at Sitio Lutugan, Brgy. Manoc-Manoc, was collared after handing over a shabu worth P1,000 to a police poseur buyer.
When frisked, the suspect yielded additional 19 plastic sachets of suspected shabu with estimated street value of aroundP250,000, drug paraphernalia, two mobile phones recording his illegal drug transactions, and P2,350 cash.