Teleperformance chooses Iloilo over Bacolod for expansion

BACOLOD CITY — Call center Teleperformance Philippines has chosen to expand its Western Visayas operations in Iloilo City in Panay, citing security issues in this city.
Teleperformance Managing Director David Rizzo cited a robbery incident that had victimized their agents here.
"I will expand in Iloilo this year instead of growing in Bacolod and this is a contributing reason," Mr. Rizzo said Bacolod Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue in an e-mail. Iloilo’s police-citizen ratio is nearly twice that of Bacolod’s.
Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia said he was surprised by Mr. Rizzo’s reasons for choosing Iloilo over Bacolod.
"For me, this comes as a surprise since a few days ago, top officials of Teleperformance sat down with us and the police on the matter and the meeting ended on a positive note," he said.
He added that his critics might have fed Mr. Rizzo with inaccurate information.
Mr. Leonardia said security for the call center sector is one of the city government’s top priorities. "In fact, we have prepared additional streetlights to ensure the safety and security of call center workers," he added.