Abad: Gov't will help booming BPO industry

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad on Monday assured business process outsourcing stakeholders that the government will "help the industry" as much as it can. In his keynote address at a CEO briefing organized by the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) and Outsource2Philippines (O2P), Abad cited the contributions of the industry to the economy. "The IT-BPM [information technology-business process management] industry’s achievements put a face to our aspirations for the economy to gain the momentum it needs to move forward," he said. Abad noted that in 2012, the industry generated $13 billion in revenues, an 18-percent improvement from $11 billion in 2012. "The industry’s success continues to foster growth in allied industries as well—from telecommunication to real estate development and even to food and beverage services," he said. The industry, however, faces risks such as the tight labor market, peso appreciation and competition from emerging BPM centers according to a survey among 154 IT-BPM executives, said IBPAP senior executive director Gilian Virata. Still, the industry is confident of meeting its revenue target of $16 billion for the year. Leaders of the Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPI), Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP), Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), Healthcare Information Management Outsourcing Association of the Philippines (HIMOAP); and Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA) presented their sector outlook and prospects for 2013.   Despite growing competitions in emerging markets, the contact center sector and the healthcare BPM sector continue to dominate their respective industries. Last year, HIMOAP posted its highest growth rate yet, with $430 million in revenues. CCAP reported a growth rate of 21 percent in 2012. The animation and game development industry also hopes to establish greater visibility on what the Philippines can offer the global market in these creative industries. ACPI and GDAP will continue to focus on creating original  animation and game development content. PSIA, meanwhile, is setting its sights on retaining and further developing its talent pool to sustain the sector’s momentum and increase its competitiveness. — BM, GMA News