Uber invests $1.5M for second facility in PHL

CLARK, Pampanga —After folding its ride-sharing service operations in the Philippines, Uber Technologies Inc. on Thursday formally launched its $1.5-million Center of Excellence (COE) here, its second in the country, to cater to customer support operations of the company.

The new COE will boost support operations of the company in Manila —currently Uber's biggest COE —which caters to support operations of the transport company across the globe.

Located along the McArthur Highway in Mabalacat, Pampanga, the $1.5-million COE has a 2,919.40-square meter space which will be home to some 160 employees.

"The Philippines is already home to Uber's largest Center of Excellence globally, and I'm delighted to unveil our second Center today, in Clark, to reaffirm our commitment to the Philippines, and the Asia Pacific region, through this significant investment," said Troy Stevenson, Global Head of Community Operations, said.

According to Stevenson, the Philippines currently accounts for a third of the company's community operations, which could increase given more plans to expand in the future.

"The Philippines has been a fantastic market for us, and it's where we have our largest population service agents," he said.

Operations in Clark will involve 80 percent core support solutions, and the remaining 20 percent will be for global scaled solutions. It will cater to Australia, Asia Pacific, and New Zealand markets.

"We found that Pampanga was best fitted for our needs now and also for the long haul," said Ricco Gamboa, Program Leader of the Clark COE.

"It was an easy decision to deepen our investment in the Philippines and open a second Center of Excellence in Clark, completing our existing Manila team," added Wen-Szu Lin, Director of Community Operations for Asia Pacific.

Located at the Bonifacio Global City, the Uber Manila COE currently takes up four floors with 5,500 square meters at SM Aura, employing over 1,000 team members.

Uber officially ended its ride-sharing operations in the Philippines in April 2018, after the sale of its Southeast Asian business to its rival Grab Holdings Inc. —LBG, GMA News