‘Cyber center to bring in
12,000 jobs, P1B in pay'
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Negros First CyberCentre (NFC) that is projected to help generate 12,000 jobs by 2016, will have a ripple effect that will boost the economy of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, Director General Lilia de Lima of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority said yesterday.

The NFC is projected to have a workforce of 6,000 within its premises, generating aggregate annual salaries of about P1 billion, Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. said.

The other 6,000 jobs that the NFC will help generate outside its premises will come from the non-voice sub sector, such as games and software development, animation, and medical transcription and billing that offers a promising prospect of another P1 billion in annual salaries for the young workforce of Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, it was also stated.

Create more
ecozones, PEZA urges
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Director General Lilia de Lima of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority yesterday challenged local officials to push for the creation of more economic zones in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City that, so far, have 25, citing the huge agro-industrial and manufacturing potential of the province.

De Lima, who was the guest speaker at the Negros First CyberCentre dedication and laying of time capsule, said that, aside from the jobs in information technology created in the province, work is also needed for those who do not reach high school or college.

She noted that, every year, more than one million Filipinos reach working age so the country needs to create one million corresponding jobs annually.

A website study of 120 cities in the Philippines released recently showed Bacolod City at the top of the 20 most livable cities of 2012, based on research data and analysis, and on the European Intelligence Unit Procedure.

This is not the first time that Bacolod has been rated as most livable city. In 2008, it was also given the same distinction by MoneySense Magazine.

Categories considered in computing the ratings of the 120 cities studied were: Stability – 25 percent, Culture and Environment – 25 percent, Healthcare – 20 percent, Education – 10 percent, and Infrastructure – 20 percent..