Business product outsourcing sector sends warning to Bacolod

MANILA, Philippines - Officials of Bacolod City dismissed it as of no importance. But the problem is, if unheeded, the business product outsourcing sector intends to expand its business in Iloilo rather than in Bacolod.

David Rezzo of Teleperformance told Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue of the Bacolod Information Technology that their plan was to expand in Iloilo rather than in Bacolod. The reason: the holdup of three Teleperformance employees last week.

“I have to look out for my people and my foreign clients’ best interest,” Rezzo said in an e-mail to Sigue.

City Mayor Evelio Leonardia claimed that the problem was resolved last week during a dialogue with call center officials.

Unrealistically, however, Leonardia added the political agenda to the peace and order dimension of the problem.

“We considered the issue being raised now because it has been resolved already. They are isolated cases, but it is unfortunate that there are people, for political grandstanding, who are using the issue to ruin the integrity of this administration,” was Leonardia’s explanation for the strange attitude of the city toward the complaint by a call center official.

As a matter of fact, I earlier had called the attention of Bacolod and police authorities to the spate of holdups of call center employees and college students, too.

But then, if they insist on calling a legitimate concern by a call center official as politically inspired, well that could augur ill for the city of Bacolod. Possibly, it’s Iloilo’s gain.

Meanwhile, the House dangerous drugs committee will formally probe on March 5 in Iloilo the government prosecutors for allegedly protecting suspected drug pushers. The five suspects are called the “Balasan Boys.”

The drugs committee is chaired by Rep. Roquito Ablan (Ilocos Norte), according to fifth district Councilor Niel Tupas Jr.

The House will focus on the circumstances surrounding the downgrading of the drug charges against suspected drug pusher Noli “Boy Amo” Tiope and O’Henry Caspillo, two of the so-called “Balasan Boys.”

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency had filed complaints against both the transporting and selling of shabu.

Tupas claimed that prosecutors allowed Tiope and Caspillo to post bail and win their temporary liberty despite the PDEA’s belief that it had an airtight case against the two.

Tupas said the committee would also look into a report that the names and contact numbers of Iloilo provincial prosecutor Bernabe Dusaban and that of another prosecutor were recovered from the wallet of the Caspillo.

Earlier, Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas Sr. suspended the allowances of the Iloilo prosecutor’s office.

Dusaban allegedly did not adhere to the automatic review under Department of Justice Order No. 46, Series of 2003 for resolutions dismissing non-bailable offenses.