From zero in 2004, the number of agents employed by call centers in Bacolod city has grown to 18,000, Rep. Evelio Leonardia said yesterday.

Citing figures from the Department of Science and Technology, Leonardia said in a press release that the tremendous growth of the call center industry in the city during the last nine years has, in fact, elevated it to one of the four “Centers of Excellence in Communication and Information Technology” in the country, together with Manila, Clark and Cebu.

Leonardia disclosed this during the recent visit to the city of the world president and chief executive officer of Transcom Worldwide, one of the major call centers operating in Bacolod today.

CENECO to collect
3 cents more

The Central Negros Electric Cooperative will  collect  three  centavos more from consumers this year if the application for rate increase filed by the state-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. will be  approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission.

PSALM, one of the power suppliers of CENECO,  had filed the petition before ERC  last year for the approval of the universal charge for stranded contract  will increase rates by P0.1274  over  the next two years if approved.

CENECO general manager Suplicio Lagarde said CENECO and other utility firms cannot do anything but  comply with ERC's order once it grants the petition of PSALM.

Farmers camping out
again near DAR office

Members of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, National Federation of Sugar Workers and Bayan-Negros Occidental are staging a camp-out at the basketball court in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform office in Bacolod City until Friday to press for their concerns.

Christian Tuayon, secretary general of Bayan Negros Occidental, said that among the concerns is the alleged entrance of trans-national corporation DOLE-Philippines to the province, which they oppose.

Tuayon said they oppose the entrance of DOLE, a company known for exporting pineapple and banana, because they fear that this may lead to land-grabbing.