BPO stakeholders to discuss red tape, other problems of doing business in PHL

Red tape is strangling interest in doing business in the Philippines, a recent World Bank study indicated. “Doing Business 2013” ranked the Philippines a dismal 138th out of 185 surveyed economies for 2013, pointing to “the length of time and processes involved in establishing and doing business in the country,” which “remains complicated compared with neighbors such as Hong Kong SAR, China, and Singapore” despite efforts to curb corruption and implement tax incentives. The Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and Outsource2Philippines will host a CEO briefing to discuss the problem and how it affects investor confidence in the country, particularly as it pertains to the information technology-business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry. The briefing panelists will also discuss how to achieve its goal for 2016 of 1.3 million direct jobs in BPO and US$25 billion in revenues. At the briefing, which will take place on Dec. 11 in Makati City, BPAP senior executive director Gigi Virata will present the results of a recent BPAP-O2P survey about setting up and expanding operations in the Philippines. Discussions will be led by speakers and panelists including Philippine Economic Zone Authority deputy director general Mary Harriet Abordo, Trade Undersecretary for trade and investment promotions Cristino Panlilio and National Competitiveness Council private sector co-chairman Guillermo Luz. — Edgardo Tugade/BM, GMA News