Accenture opens in Ilocos Norte

Accenture new delivery center in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte. (Lei Adriano)

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

SAN NICOLAS, Ilocos Norte—A working student Camille Joyce Calipjo, 22, of the Divine Word College of Laoag struggled through a long and tough journey to finish her accountancy course but it’s all worth it, she is now one of the pioneer employees of a giant information technology and business process management (IT-BPM), which is now officially open for business in this northern gateway of Luzon.

For Ms. Calipjo and the rest of the over 200 new workforce of Accenture Philippines’ newest delivery center in San Nicolas town, she said, “It’s a life changing experience” to be part of this global company, servicing about 89 companies worldwide.

“Despite being just a fresh graduate, actually I’m graduating on March but I was already hired during a school job fair, Accenture participated last year,” Ms. Calipjo said.

Since February 2015, Accenture has started hiring and training about 200 local graduates, including graduating students and experienced professionals in the province to provide health administration and finance for the company’s global clients across Europe and North America.

The new three storey-building of Accenture constructed under a built-to-suit scheme with the VENVI group of companies, a real estate developer in the province was inaugurated on March 4, which is strategically located between the cities of Laoag and Batac.

Next to Metro Manila and Cebu, the new facility is now the third delivery center Accenture has built in the country.

Two years ago, Accenture Philippines through Benedict Hernandez, service delivery operations lead met with Ilocos Norte Governor Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos to discover what Ilocos Norte has to offer in the field of the growing IT-BPM industry.

“This is the best kept secret in the Philippines for us,” said Mr. Hernandez during the inaugural program at the new facility attended by locos Norte officials led by Ms. Marcos and San Nicolas Mayor Melanie Grace Valdez.

Ilocos Norte’s optimal telecommunications infrastructure, accessibility to the Laoag International Airport, presence of special economic zones, education centers and a deep pool of local talents have impressed investors like Accenture to expand business in the province.

Now operating for two months, Mr. Hernandez boasts of the “incredible Ilocano talents who are at par if not better” in terms of performance to the other delivery centers in the country.

According to Mr. Hernandez, Ilocos Norte is an ideal site for IT-BPM companies having outstanding universities and colleges, producing graduates with a passing rate several times higher than Manila.

“We are very happy because finally they are here. It took us five years [since 2011] working with the provincial government [under Ms. Marcos] trying to convince the industry [BPO] to come to the province,” said Professor Marlina Lino, coordinator of Project C4 (Coaching for a Call Center Career) of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in partnership with the Ilocos Norte government which funded the trainings for students who may wish to apply as call center agents.

Aside from trainings, Ms. Lino said MMSU has revised some of its curricular offerings to include BPO subjects to prepare students to consider working in the industry.

For her part, Ms. Marcos, whose platform of government is centered on job generation noted that while Ilocos Norte is host to multi-billion companies of renewable energy plants such as wind and solar power, the opportunities for local employment is very meager.

“In the BPO industry, it’s the other way around. Certainly, we are counting on you to accelerate growth through jobs, through reliable, well-paying and fulfilling jobs for our youth,” Ms. Marcos said.

Ceremonial tree-planting. (Lei Adriano)

Among Filipino groups, Ilocanos are the most famous migrants. They are located everywhere in search for a greener pasture. Their top destinations are the United States of America particularly in Hawaii, Canada and some parts of Europe. When you go to a foreign land or elsewhere in the Philippines, most of the Filipinos there knows Ilocano language or at least trace an Ilocano root in northern Luzon.

The out-migration in Ilocos Norte has never been a major concern in the province until in 2010, a study showed that four out of 10 Ilocanos are left with no livelihood.

Recognizing this problem, the Marcos administration started to initiate reforms to prevent apparent brain drain in the province as most of the graduates would prefer to seek employment outside this dominant agriculture province and apply for work abroad.

Over the years, some families who are left behind in the province have also developed “remittance dependency” from a family member working overseas. This is evident with the presence of the most number of banks and remittance centers scattered everywhere in Ilocos Norte’s major commercial districts.

Under the Task Force Trabaho program of the provincial government, meant create more jobs for Ilocanos and reduce dependency to dollar remittances, the Marcos administration has aggressively promoted Ilocos Norte as an alternative destination for various investment opportunities including BPOs. 

From an initial hiring of 200 new workforces, Accenture hopes to hire 5,000 people more in the near future to help expand its delivery center in Ilocos region.

Beyond earning profit for the company, Manish Sharma, Global Delivery lead for Accenture Operations said the Philippines economy remains very strong and as competitive as India and the rest of other countries.

This is why a lot of foreign companies are expanding in the Philippines for business, said Mr. Sharma.

“Our dream is to make this a vital community and a better place for the local people,” he added.

On top of generating more jobs for Ilocanos, the company through Accenture Corporate Citizenship, underscored its commitment to the province’s environment and education sectors. During the inaugural ceremonies, Mr. Sharma and Ms. Valdez led a tree planting ceremony in front of the delivery center while its local employees conducted computer skills training program among select grade school pupils of Barangay Pasion Elementary School to further enhance their knowledge and skills in basic computer applications.

Meanwhile, Accenture’s move to finally expand in the province was made easier with its partnership with VENVI Group of Companies, a real estate developer owned by the Valdez clan in San Nicolas town.

To have its own building is a major requirement for Accenture and this sealed the deal in Ilocos Norte with the favorable action of San Nicolas town, adjudged as the most business-friendly municipality in the country.

Under a built-to-suit scheme, VENVI partnered with Accenture to build its third delivery center in this northern gateway of Luzon, situated near Ilocos Norte’s first—and so far only—mall which earlier stirred further development and prompting other big time investors to expand food chains and restaurants, hotels and condominiums and other commercial and entertainment facilities here.  

According to Atty. Hilario Valdez, chief executive officer and chairman of the VENVI Group of Companies, it has been one of the aspirations of VENVI to put Ilocos Norte in the world map of the BPO industry hence they supported Accenture’s move to expand business in the province.

“We are happy and blessed to have you here in San Nicolas. You are only on your second month of operation and you have already started your Corporate Social Responsibility program. Not all companies do that,” said Valdez as she vowed the local government unit of San Nicolas will always be in support to Accenture’s endeavors, which she said the presence of the company is now actually attracting more investors in the province.

To date, Expert Global Solutions (EGS), also a major IT-BPM provider is also building up its new building near Accenture’s new facility at the Valdez Center while Robinson’s mall has expanded two floors for BPO.

In 2014, the Department of Science and Technology has awarded Metro Laoag as best in IT-BPM infrastructure and a premier Next Wave City or an alternative IT-BPM destination to Metro Manila and Metro Cebu.