THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it will consult with the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry to map out possible responses to potential US legislation that will call for the reshoring call centers to the US.
鈥淚 am setting a meeting with the BPO industry,鈥 Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque told senators during the DTI budget hearing on Monday.
Senators had queried the department about the proposed 鈥淜eep Call Centers in America鈥 bill.
Introduced in the US Senate earlier this year, the bill aims to impose restrictions on US firms that outsourcing call center operations.
鈥淲e do not want that to happen. I have to meet with the BPO companies to check what their sentiments are and what they plan to do,鈥 she told 大象传媒.
鈥淲e are not sure yet if it is really going to happen, but鈥 it is really best that we get to meet them because鈥 we want to find solutions, and鈥 they will be able to tell us their recommendations,鈥 she added.
Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian called the US bill
鈥渁 clear and pressing danger to us considering that we earn close to about $40 billion a year, so if these call centers shrink and eventually disappear, talagang patay tayo (it will kill us) because that鈥檚 about 2 million call center agents na mawawalan ng trabaho (that will lose their jobs), and the repercussions will be really tremendous,鈥 he said.
鈥淭his is just a bill for now, but we need to be forward-looking, and we need to have contingency measures,鈥 he added.
Asked to comment, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman George T. Barcelon said: 鈥渢he US government has to think twice because artificial intelligence won鈥檛 be able to completely eliminate humans. And definitely their cost of providing such services would shoot up with their pay, which is 4-5x higher than offshoring.鈥 鈥 Justine Irish D. Tabile
