PHLs needs to utilize ASEAN integration opportunities for BPO sector — DOST-ICTO

ShutterStock imagel center

MANILA – The Philippines needs to utilize the ASEAN integration opportunities with support of the Information Technology-Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector, according to Department of Science and Technology – Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO) Deputy Executive Director Monchito Ibrahim.

”We also need to focus on ASEAN market, it’s huge. If we’re able to penetrate the ASEAN market and develop ourselves as a leader, then definitely we will become a true global leader, way ahead of our ASEAN neighbours,” Ibrahim told PNA Wednesday on the sidelines of the 2014 Annual Software Conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City.

He stressed that the Philippines is the ICT hub of the world and also needs to maintain a hold with the opportunities in the nine states of the ASEAN region.

Also, Ibrahim said the country has to market itself more, announcing it as the global leader, which may bring in more investments.

In a presentation, he compared the efforts of other countries such as Thailand, which had been offering government solutions and held a Thai International Business Process Outsourcing Expo, and Singapore, trying to position itself as an ICT hub.

Further, Ibrahim noted the importance of the Philippines as having a huge share of more than roughly USD 50 billion revenues to be ushered in by the IT-BPM industry within ASEAN by 2016, excluding the telecommunications sector.

”Our neighbours have done their homework, they have started to upgrade. We haven’t actually done that,” he said.

He pointed out the Philippines’ efforts to join expos are not enough to catch up with their efforts, citing the need to have a dialogue between the government and private sector for a strategic direction to capture a fair share of the potential revenues of about more than USD 50 billion.

Previously, the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) projected earnings of USD 25 billion by 2016.

Moreover, the country must announce its specialty on the business process-oriented and service-oriented specialties of the local IT-BPO industry, according to Ibrahim.

He said the Philippines has dominated voicemail services since 2011 and its growth has continuously increased year by year.

For the industry that needs more development, the DOST Deputy Director cited the game development industry which has a huge potential for growth, due to its youth.

He added the government office has been doing its share in bringing local developers to other countries to market their products, with the program having been started only last year but the outcome has been very good.

HP’s Global Delivery Application Services Philippines and South Pacific director Emmanuel Mendoza told the PNA another opportunity for the Philippines, is the emergence of new occupations within the industry, coming more from back-office related jobs.

“We’re trying to do IT-enabled capabilities, not only the IT-BPO industry, but the work with back-office research, marketing and product development gets merged. So what we are trying to create, is a wealth spring of IT enabled or information enabled consultants. That’s going to play a huge part very broadly in the future on how work is done,” he said.