Dumaguete is now in the list of the Top 10 best outsourcing locations in the country. Already a current host to several call centers and other business process outsourcing companies, Dumaguete is projected to cash in on the estimated $ 1.2 billion in BPO revenues, bringing the industry’s total earnings to $ 9 billion in 2010 from $ 7.2 billion last year.

Davao City topped the list as it scored 99 percent in the availability of graduates and workers, out of the more than 30 locations assessed, results of Next Wave Cities scorecard revealed. The talent criterion carries the largest weight of 40 percent in the overall ranking which makes the Davao the Best Outsourcing Destination in the country so far.

Sta. Rosa, Bacolod, Iloilo, Metro Cavite, Lipa, Cagayan de Oro, and Malolos also topped the scorecard ranking of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, the Commission on Information & Communications technology and the Department of Trade & Industry.

In addition to talent, the other factors affecting city ranking are infrastructure, cost, and business environment. In particular, cities are scored for the quality of their roads, access to international and domestic flights, presence of providers of fiber optic networks, reliability of power supply, availability of property sites, cost of labor and office space, vulnerability to natural disturbances, peace and order situation, among others.

Dumaguete and Baguio filled up the two slots earlier occupied by Metro Clark and Bulacan, which had been reclassified to a more competitive status. In a press briefing, BPAP chief executive officer Oscar Sañez said that in 2010, Metro Clark advanced from Next Wave City status to an established information technology-BPO hub, joining the ranks of Metro Manila and Metro Cebu.

Sañez attributed this to Metro Clark’s excellent infrastructure with 100 percent rating, proven ability to market itself globally and its ability to provide investor assistance. Bulacan East and Bulacan West this year were also consolidated into Malolos area.

Apart from the top 10 best outsourcing locations, Sañez identified other aspirants as Dagupan, Legazpi, Metro Subic, Metro Naga and General Santos. Gigi Virata, BPAP’s information and research director, said sites included in the list of Next Wave Cities are the focus of their promotion efforts. Virata said these cities would have some advantages when they also market themselves to the media and investors.

For his part, Sañez said the Next Wave Cities program provides a great avenue for local empowerment. He said these cities will increase talent pool and stem salary and rental inflation in “first-wave” locations. “Having 10 Next Wave Cities and more will ease the pressures to raise salaries and rental rates in these major hubs, and spread the benefits of employment, higher incomes and increased business activity across the country,” he noted.

As of end -2009, there were about 422,000 employees in the Philippine IT-BPO sector. Virata estimated that the identified top locations for outsourcing could generate an additional 265,200 employment in the next two years.

Commission on Information Communications Technology Sec. Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III said the Commission is fully committed to the Next Wave Cities initiative of championing regional growth through ICT.

“These Next Wave Cities will continue to be our rallying points where, given the impetus and the correct resources, will spur economic growth the way this government has envisioned to be. We see prosperous cities in regions across the nation as a result of their maturity and readiness to compete in the IP-BPO arena”, he said.