Tacloban City (March 3) --- The very first call center in Eastern Visayas formally opened Monday with 225 employees to man its maiden operation in Palo town Leyte province.

APAC Customer Services, Inc., which services mostly newspaper and healthcare companies in the United States, has reportedly invested roughly P200 million for its Leyte operations.

Michael Marrow, APAC chief executive officer, expressed confidence that their operations will succeed despite the economic slowdown.

"We're a cash-saving company for many of our clients," he said.

Marrow added that APAC's is planning to hire about a thousand workers in time for the company's full operations this summer, which is expected to generate employment opportunities for Leyte residents and even the whole of Eastern Visayas.

Douglas Almond, APAC vice president for international operations, said that they chose to open a call center in Leyte because of the area's strong telephone connectivity, rich pool of school graduates and strong support from the local government.

Leyte Gov. Jericho Petilla ,eanwhile expressed support for the venture. He said his plans include making the province an IT destination.

"We are closely coordinating with APAC because their performance will spell the future of IT business in Leyte, "he said.

APAC, registered under the US stock exchange National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ), has 50 offices located in over 43 countries worldwide.