DAVAO CITY — Information and communication technology (ICT) stakeholders in Davao City are revisiting their industry road map after London-based consultancy firm Tholons, Inc. downgraded the city’s standing in the top 100 outsourcing destinations.

Lawyer Samuel R. Matunog, president of ICT Davao, Inc., said they held a meeting last week to discuss the latest Tholons report, which placed the city at the 85th rank among top industry destinations, down from 69th last year.

“We have decided to review our industry road map so that we can address the gaps,” said Mr. Matunog.

He added that the association will be drafting specific steps that would have to be undertaken.

Mr. Matunog said ICT Davao does not believe that the report entirely reflects the true standing of the city’s industry, but the group is taking it seriously because the Tholons ranking is valued by foreign locators.

The company is an adviser on global outsourcing and research. It has been producing annual reports on the top 100 outsourcing destinations in the world.

What brought down the standing of Davao City were the indices on digital and innovation, which received significant weightage for the first time this year. The city was also still near the bottom on infrastructure, talent, skill and quality of life. On the other hand, the report cited the city’s best aspect was the cost of doing business.

Mr. Matunog said he believes “for certain that the track record of our players in innovation speaks for itself.”

He added that he also “cannot believe how we can rank low in the quality of our human resource with five autonomous universities based in Davao City alone,” and cited that Manila-based industry leaders have recognized the skilled manpower in the city.

In April, during the Philippine Impact Sourcing Conference in the city, Benedict C. Hernandez, board chair of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines, said the city has evolved faster than expected from just a recruitment area to one of the top areas in the country for locators. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

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