Top real estate players eye Bohol as next IT-BPM hub

The Island province of Bohol is stepping up efforts to position itself as an emerging hub for information technology and business process management (IT-BPM), as major real estate players and service providers begin exploring opportunities outside traditional city centers.

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CBRE Philippines, the local arm of global commercial real estate firm CBRE, confirmed growing interest among its IT-BPM clients in locating operations in Bohol, particularly in Tagbilaran City.

The firm held its first official stakeholder engagement with the Provincial Government of Bohol recently, in a bid to facilitate investor alignment and infrastructure readiness.

“Our goal is to create value for our clients and simultaneously help unlock economic potential for the province,” said Jie Espinosa, CBRE Philippines’ Country Head.

“This is the first time we’re formally engaging a local government unit to promote a new IT-BPM destination,” Espinosa added.

The meeting, co-organized with the Bohol Economic Development and Investment Promotion Office (BEDIPO), brought together key stakeholders including representatives from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), TESDA, local real estate developers, telcos, and existing BPO operators like Ibex, TaskUs, Genpact, and Sagility.

Bohol Governor Aris Aumentado described CBRE’s presence as a significant step in connecting Bohol to the country’s high-growth digital services industry.