ANGARA URGES IT-BPO SECTOR TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF STRONG GROWTH FORECAST

Senator Edgardo J. Angara called on the Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) sector to provide more high-value services in order to cash in on its strong performance last year, which is expected to continue this year.

Angara, Chair of Congressional Commission on Science Technology and Engineering (COMSTE), gave the statement following the release of a recent survey by the Economist Corporate Network (Economist) showing that the Philippines is the most attractive global provider of IT-BPO services in Asia, followed by China and India.

Forty-five percent of respondents said the Philippines is an attractive services provider, while 35 percent said the same for China. Only 25 percent of respondents said India is an attractive provider of IT-BPO services, in general.

The survey, however, reveals that India remains the global leader in software and services--which accounts for 87 percent of India's IT-BPO industry--largely because of the huge pool of highly qualified technical personnel. Increased demand for these services appears to suggest that India's software industry will continue to grow rapidly.

"Mobile Internet, cloud computing and software as a service applications represent the next wave of powerful technologies," explained the veteran lawmaker. "If our IT-BPO industry builds on their capacity in these areas, as well as on other high-value processes, then we will secure the Philippines' position as the most attractive destination for IT-heavy services."

He added, "The government shall continue to invest in this booming industry by providing free trainings and seminars in for people seeking job opportunities. This is a very promising age for Filipinos, especially highly educated, skilled and trained Filipinos.

"It will take leadership, guts and vision to reform education and achieve its strategic mandate: to prepare our people for the future--a future that is already here."