By Iris C. Gonzales (The Philippine
Star) | Updated June 25, 2015 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines - The business
process outsourcing industry (BPO) expects continued growth in the medium term
with enough support from the government, an industry expert said.
Rainerio “Bong” Borja, considered one
of the pillars of the Philippine BPO industry said there is still much room for
growth for the sector.
Borja agreed with the view of some
Liberal Party members, including Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, a “Roxas
administration” would translate to continued growth for the BPO sector.
He said that as then Secretary of the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), now Interior Secretary Mar Roxas laid
the groundwork for the industry’s growth, referring to the broadening of tax
incentives that attracted call center investors as well as the creation of the
Call Center Association of the Philippines.
“Mar has been a big contributor and supporter
of the Philippine BPO industry since its inception. He was our industry partner
in government and was instrumental to our success. He was, as Secretary of the
DTI, architected of much of our industry’s growth,” said Borja, president and
country head of Expert Global Solutions.
Borja believes a “Roxas
administration” would indeed be a big boost to the sector.
“I would expect that if Mar becomes president
and the fact he has explicitly stated he will continue to support our
industry’s growth, can only be positive for us. We share the same belief that
the country is capable of sustaining further industry growth and will continue
to be a significant economic contributor,” Borja said.
Umali, for his part, said Mar has deep
knowledge of the industry and could push for its continued success.
According to real estate consultancy
CBRE Philippines, BPO companies have been fueling the growth of the property
sector with its various expansion needs.
In 2014, BPO revenues grew 18.7
percent to roughly $18.4 billion, translating to strong office space demand
since the start of the year.
CBRE expects demand to increase
further this year.
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