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Bacolod City, Philippines Thursday, September 6, 2012
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‘Cyber center to generate
5,240 jobs, P14B income’
SP working on win-win solution for loans
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Negros First Cyber Center in Bacolod City, when completed next year, is expected to generate 5,250 business process outsourcing jobs for Negrenses and close to P14 billion in salaries over a 15-year period, Negros Occidental Board Member Salvador Escalante said yesterday.

Escalante, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Finance, said five call center firms have already signified interest in renting space at the provincial government-built cyber center.

The income from the rent of the cyber center building is expected to be about P50 million on the first year, and will increase every three years, enabling it to pay for itself in 10 years, he said.

Future income from the rentals will be used for various projects of the provincial government, he added.

The jobs created and the rentals paid will have a ripple effect on Negros Occidental’s economy, Escalante added.

Escalante explained the purpose of the cyber center because of a request from Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. for an additional P170 million loan for it, on top of the P450 million approved last year.

The governor is also asking for SP approval of a P10 million loan for the building of six more classrooms at the Negros Occidental High School in Bacolod City, to be added on to a 24-classroom building, the construction of which has already started.

On Tuesday, Marañon challenged the SP members and Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez Jr. to a debate over the loans he is seeking amid what seemed like a delay in the approval of his request.

Alvarez reiterated yesterday that a debate was not necessary as the matter is being discussed within the SP.

Escalante said a win-win solution was being discussed within the SP as they do not want the already started cyber center to end up a white elephant.

He said the SP members were studying the details of the P170 million loan release sought by the governor and would likely approve the immediate needs of the cyber center first, such as electrical works, to be covered by the amount.

The amounts for the other items covered by the P170 million that are not urgent will be acted on at a later date, he said.

Escalante also explained that the six additional classrooms will cost P10 million because they will include a foundation to enable the building to have three additional floors in the future, and to withstand earthquakes.

The SP will defer acting on a P50 million loan for the construction of a three-storey Provincial Administration Center Annex Building and instead explore the use of some floors of the Philippine National Bank main building for needed additional office space, he added.

Escalante said the Committee on Finance has come out with a report on its win-win solution that has been signed by him and board members Miller Serondo and Emilio Yulo III, but this has yet to be signed by Board Members Manuel Frederick Ko and Raul Rivera.

The SP did not act on the governor’s request for approval of the additional loans for the cyber center and the NOHS classrooms yesterday, as a caucus with resource persons is set next week to explain to the board members the detailed engineering works, and how the amounts will be used, Escalante said.

Alvarez said that if a consensus is reached in the caucus on what is acceptable to all, an approval could be made at the next SP session on Wednesday.

The vice governor said the win-win solution explanation of Escalante sounds okay.

“There is no politics, believe me,” Alvarez said, referring to the SP deliberations on the loan requests of the governor.

If there was politics behind it, Alvarez said he would not even be talking to Escalante about options to be taken.

Both Marañon and Alvarez have announced that they are running for governor in 2013 and a second meeting of top leaders of the province is expected this week for them to try to reach a consensus to prevent a showdown in 2013.

Alvarez said expected at the meeting will be the six congressmen of Negros Occidental, Kabankalan Mayor and former governor Isidro Zayco, Marañon and himself.

He does not think business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco will attend the second meeting, the vice governor said.

Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Board Member Patrick Lacson said in a text message that not one board member has declared yet who he or she will support for governor in 2013, so why should Marañon challenge them to a debate or insinuate politicking on their part.

“If we engage in an investment using people's money…if ever there are questions, arguments or debate on the loan, it should be within the council during its sessions, not in public. If that happens, that’s what we may call politicking,” he said, pointing out that legislators function as check and balance to whatever the executive does.

“A BM's debate with the governor regarding his vision, platform and intention to loan would be, in my opinion, inappropriate,” Lacson said.*CPG

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