Google Philippines launched, job openings announced

Google on Wednesday launched its Philippine operations in Taguig City's upscale McKinley Hill Village and said it will soon open an office in the business and financial district of Makati City. "The Philippines is a key country in Southeast Asia in terms of its digital economy. Over 33 million Filipinos access the Internet regularly. And Internet use in the Philippines is set to grow exponentially. Research indicates that the number of Filipinos online will have nearly doubled by 2016," said Julian Persaud, Google Southeast Asia managing director. At the helm of the Philippine office is country manager Narciso Reyes, a finance and digital marketing and veteran, whose previous companies include Friendster, Komli, and LycosAsia. "The Philippines is the second top user of Internet in Asia. We're also the fastest-growing smartphone market in Southeast Asia. So we're excited to be deepening our investment in the Philippines with our (local) office," Reyes noted. The event was also attended by Presidential Communications Undersecretary Manuel L. Quezon III, who spoke on behalf of Presdent Benigno Aquino III to welcome the Internet giant to the country. "Setting up shop here in the Philippines is a vote of confidence in the country. We hope that Google's entry will encourage more local businesses to go online and tap into international markets," Quezon said. Both Persaud and Reyes noted the Philippine staff is still small at the moment but the company will be announcing openings soon on its website. — VS, GMA News