DAVAO CITY, Philippines--Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies and tourism in Mindanao were expected to bring in revenues of more than US$10 million by the end of 2009, a projection made by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) showed.

DTI Undersecretary Merly Cruz said in a report, a copy of which was obtained by the Inquirer on Tuesday, that the target for the BPO sector alone was more than US$7 million.

In 2008, Cruz said BPOs raked in close to US$6 million.

Aside from the projected increase in revenues, Cruz said BPOs were also expected to produce about 500,000 jobs in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City and in Southern Mindanao.

As for the tourism industry, Cruz said the DTI projected an income of US$5.5 million.

She said they were expecting to realize the projection because income in 2008 alone reached US$4.3 million.

Cruz said the expected increase in tourism revenue was due to the government's active push for Mindanao as a medical tourism area.

"The government targets to enhance the medical and wellness facilities in Mindanao in a bid to make it the medical and wellness tourism destination in Asia," she said.

Cruz said the government, through the Department of Tourism, also endorsed the P9-billion package for tourism projects, which would include hotels, resorts and spa, and medical centers to improve what the island could offer.

Aside from BPOs and tourism-related ventures, Cruz said they also increased their projection for other sectors.

She placed the projected income for the processed food industry at about US$2 million by the end of 2009.

Cruz said they have been considering strategies to boost exports, such as market diversification, which would entail a review of promotions to the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the Middle East markets.

She said the government, with the cooperation of the private sector, would enhance product positioning of halal products through the Halal Certification Board.

"Other efforts include the Export Pathways Program and the Regional Interaction Platform for Philippine Exporters (Ripples), both of which are support measures to facilitate exportation," she said.