Government support to keep BPOs on growth path

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. –Iris C. Gonzales, The Philippine Star