MANILA - Ten cities in the Philippines were named as the next hubs for the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) sector.

In the latest Next Wave Cities (NWC) report, the Department of Science and Technology-Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO), Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), and Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC) proclaimed 10 "next wave" cities as top locations for local and international IT-BPM players.

These cities are, in alphabetical order:

Baguio City
Cagayan De Oro City
Dagupan City
Dasmarinas City
Dumaguete City

Lipa City
Malolos City
Naga City
Sta. Rosa City, Laguna
Taytay, Rizal

The locations were identified based on the 2015 assessment guided by the NWC scorecard, which includes the following criteria: talent, infrastructure, cost, and business environment.

All these are factored in to evaluate a city’s ability to enable and support the entry and growth of IT-BPM companies.

“The economic turmoil in the Western countries and China has spelled greater need to move business operations here in the Philippines where there is a large pool of talent and where it’s cost-efficient. The IT-BPM industry will see sustained growth in the coming years and that’s why industry players now move to the provinces where there’s great potential," said LPC chief executive officer David Leechiu.

Apart from naming the 10 next wave cities, government and industry leaders also elevated Davao City and Iloilo City to the status of "centers of excellence" for IT-BPM operations.

Davao and Iloilo joined the ranks of Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Metro Clark, and Bacolod City as premier IT-BPM hosts and high-density locations.

Special awards were also given to four cities that stood out in respective categories. Dasmarinas City was named as the city with Best in Talent Availability; Laoag City is Best in Infrastructure; Dumaguete City is Best in Business Environment; and Legazpi City is awarded with Most Active ICT Council and LGU.

NEW EMERGING CITIES

Ten "new emerging" cities were also recognized for their potential to become next wave cities.

These new emerging cities are, in alphabetical order:

Balanga City
Batangas City
Iriga City
Laoag City
Legazpi City

Puerto Princesa City
Roxas City
Tarlac City
Tuguegarao City
Zamboanga City

The NWC program, which was created in 2009, has spurred development not only for the IT-BPM sector but also for cities outside established IT-BPM hubs.