Cyberpark to offer 38T jobs in Mandaue

CEBU, Philippines – Mandaue City mayoral aspirant and incumbent sixth district Representative Luigi Quisumbing believes that thousands of jobs will be generated once the Norkis Cyberpark on AS Fortuna Street starts operating.

The 2.8-hectare cyberpark is seen to generate 38,000 new jobs to become a flagship business for the Norkis Group of Companies.

He said the area, which used to be a warehouse for Norkis' multicabs, will become a new site for business process outsourcing firms.

He said the number of jobs needed will however depend on the kind of BPO that gets into this new "IT Park" in Mandaue.

There is no problem inviting over BPOs here, as he said the "spillover" in Cebu City's IT Park will trickle to Mandaue being the closest.

The property will have five buildings for BPOs to cost Norkis P6 billion.

He said apart from jobs, the cyberpark will also help spur economic growth in Mandaue, adding to the buzzling development of its manufacturing industries.

Norkis, which is also into vehicle manufacturing and distribution, coffee production, horse racetrack operation, and financial and travel services,  held the groundbreaking ceremonies for the first office tower and started working on the first component of development in 2014.

The first phase of development will be complemented by The Arcade, a retail strip featuring food, service and entertainment shops, also to be completed by September.

Upon completion, the whole of Norkis Cyberpark development can house more than 114,000 square meters of office and retail space.

"The Norkis Cyberpark project will help push development in the Mandaue City area as well as increase overall economic activity,"  said Norberto Quisumbing Jr., chairman of the Norkis Group of Companies.

As an introductory offering, Norberto said office space in the first tower would likely be rented out at P350 to P400 per square meter, slightly lower than the rates in other business parks in Cebu.

With a low office vacancy rate of two percent and despite the entry of more players in Cebu's BPO-oriented property segment, Norberto said demand for office space was expected to remain high.

In diversifying into office property development, the Norkis group is banking on the project's strategic location, good reputation and credit standing and the bright prospects of the BPO industry.

As the project gains traction, each new building in the complex is targeted to be taller than the last one to accommodate more BPO locators. The second building will have eight stories; the third, 10; the fourth, 12, and the fifth with 20 stories.

The Norkis group was built by Quisumbing in 1962, starting with motorcycle distribution and manufacturing but has now expanded to industrial and service businesses. (FREEMAN)