Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Expect an additional ₱7.2 billion in income for up to 40,000 Cebuanos and fellow Filipinos in Visayas and Mindanao when Cebu Exchange opens in 2022.
ArthaLand Corporation, the property arm of international food conglomerate Century Pacific Group, said in a statement that it will build Cebu’s first-ever “green” office project, the 38-story Cebu Exchange, at a cost of ₱8 billion.
Some 13,000 seats for business process outsourcing (BPO) agents in three shifts will be housed in the building, hence the 40,000 agents required.
Apart from BPOs, Cebu Exchange is also designed to accommodate traditional offices for homegrown enterprises and related services. Four floors in the building will be dedicated to retail spaces to serve the needs of its tenants and the community.
The new jobs expected from Cebu Exchange excludes the thousands of jobs generated by its construction and the hundreds more to be employed in the restaurant and retail industries once it is completed.
According to Frost & Sullivan, an additional three or four jobs are generated for every direct job in the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry.
Cebu Exchange will rise along Salinas Drive in the Cebu IT Park and will be easily accessible to key destinations, such as the Cebu Business Park, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport and the city proper.
IT-BPM expansion
In its Roadmap 2022, the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) aims to employ 1.8 million Filipinos and earn as much $38 billion (around ₱1.84 trillion) over the next six years.
The Philippine IT-BPM sector is set to grow its global market share by three percentage points to 15.5 percent in 2022 from 12.6 percent in 2016.
This target is achievable if BPO-friendly conditions are met, such as upgrading talent, enhancing competitive incentives and regulations, developing infrastructure in so-called next-wave cities outside of Metro Manila and sustaining high business confidence, among others.
The Cebu advantage
Cebu is among the top 10 preferred destinations of BPO companies in the world, said global outsourcing strategy group Tholons.
Cebu is highly competitive because of its well-developed international air and sea ports; quality labor force produced by over 400 secondary schools, over 30 colleges and 11 universities; and relatively cheaper cost of living, according to the Cebu Investment Promotions Center.
Greening the office landscape
ArthaLand will change Cebu City’s property landscape by introducing the first and only Grade-A office development that will meet dual green-building certification.
Cebu Exchange aims to achieve certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and the Philippine Green Building Council’s Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence programs.
The new building will include features like a water-efficient plumbing system, low energy-consuming air-conditioning, cost-efficient lighting and allocation for Low-Emitting & Fuel-Efficient Vehicle parking.
Industry experts and analysts believe that multinational players prefer to locate in certified green buildings due to cost savings from resource efficiency. According to the World Green Building Council, ecologically friendly buildings also promote greater earnings due to employee productivity, high morale and creativity.
Pursuing sustainable growth
ArthaLand is a boutique developer of sustainable, world-class projects, solidly backed by CPG Holdings, Inc. (CPGHI), its biggest shareholder.
CPGHI is led by the Po family of Century Pacific Food Inc., the country’s largest canned food company, which owns market leader brands such as Century Tuna, 555 and Argentina. ArthaLand’s other major shareholder is international investment firm, AO Capital Group.
ArthaLand’s other projects include top-end LEED Gold certified residential condominium, Arya Residences, as well as LEED Gold pre-certified premium office building, ArthaLand Century Pacific Tower. These projects are both located in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.
The company also announced recently the purchase of a prime, 8.1-hectare property in Biñan, Laguna as part of its medium-term expansion plan.
