Philippines aims to become biggest IT-BPM market

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is confident of becoming the world’s biggest market for information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) on the back of continued government support and more quality talents in the local labor force.

“We are pretty much top two, top three in the IT-BPM servicing market in the world, hence why we have always been known as the destination of choice for IT-BPM services,” IT and Business Process Association Philippines (IBPAP) chairman Danilo Sebastian Reyes told The STAR in an interview.

With new government leaders coming in this year along with the increasing number of university-produced talents, Reyes said there is an opportunity for the Philippines to dethrone India as the IT-BPM servicing leader in the world.

“We can definitely maintain our position because of the continuing partnership between the industry which is represented by IBPAP, the government, and the academe together with the roadmap we are implementing and we will be developing. So I think we should be able to sustain, if not improve our position,” Reyes said.

“We’ve got the momentum, we have the credibility in the global market and certainly we have the people to deliver quality service,” he added.

But to be the world’s top market, Reyes said the country needs to address the industry’s biggest challenge to date which is the quality volume of talents coming in to the industry.

“If we are able to marry what are the actual industry requirements for employees and those that are being produced by the universities then the growth path of the industry will continue to be met simply because you have the right talent coming into the industry,” he said.

The IBPAP official said the service management program developed together with the Commission on Higher Education and state universities is expected to help in developing ready talents coming out of the university systems and become IT-BPO employees.

“If we are able to produce from the university system and increase the yield from the 500,000 university graduates that we have a year, then that would fuel the growth of the industry,” Reyes said.

Aside from more quality talents, Reyes said IBPAP is also calling for continued government support by making sure the incentive programs to retain and attract the companies operating and interested to invest in the Philippines remain.

He said the industry is confident in receiving the government’s backing regardless as to who wins in the upcoming elections.

“We don’t have concern per se because most of the candidates are always supportive of the industry. We remain steadfast in terms of our request to any administration both from the executive and the legislative to support the industry whether through programs that will help supply talent to the industry or laws that will make us competitive through incentives, data privacy, and other laws that will be supportive and laws that will not prevent or restrict the growth of the industry,” Reyes said.

“Any changing environment from the government incentives standpoint will always have also an effect on investment appetite,” he added.