FAITH Colleges on braving the new world

CITY OF SAN FERN AN D O— DTI Undersecretary and Board of Investments (BOI) Managing Head, Dr. Ceferino Rodolfo, and key officials of the Philippine IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry reached out Wednesday, 01 July 2020, to stakeholders in the Americas region, highlighting projected growth and expanded opportunities, and citing the industry’s resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the webinar organized by the Philippine Trade and Investment Centers in Washington DC, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto and Mexico City, jointly with the Manilabased Foreign Trade Service Corps, the Export Marketing Bureau and the Board of Investments, Undersecretary Rodolfo and the private sector representatives tackled how the Philippine IT-BPM industry, capably continued supporting the IT-enabled back-office requirements of overseas businesses in North America. During the imposition of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the country, the IT-BPM sector provided virtually uninterrupted support to global clients, especially those in the healthcare sector, which operated at a 90 percent capacity.

Rodolfo credited the Philippines’ solid economic fundamentals for cushioning the impact of the pandemic on the country’s recovery efforts. He shared that the Philippines recorded strong pre-Covid economic growth performance averaging at 6.6 percent and posted a relatively low average inflation rate of 3 percent from 2016 to 2019, and a strong fiscal position with a highest revenue-to-GDP ratio revenue (16.1 percent) and lowest debt-to-GDPratio of (39.6 percent) since 1997 for 2019. The prospects for Philippine growth show a sharp Vshaped recovery by 2021, with a growth range of 7.1 to 8.1 percent and expanded opportunities for the ITBPM sector.

“Our registered approved investments have actually risen. In the first half of 2020, our record shows that we are 112 percent higher in terms of approved investments compared to the same period last year. Most of these investments have gone to infrastructure, energy, and transport— very important sectors when you look at the modernization of the Philippine economy,” Rodolfo said.

Rodolfo cited the 60,000-kilometer nationwide fiber optic network nationwide, manufacturing support facilities, a third a telecom player, and satellite-based connectivity solutions with high-degree local manufactured content as strategic projects that will support the projected rebound in 2021.

IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) President and CEO Rey Untal highlighted that 2019 was a strong year for the IT-BPM industry, growing by 5.8 percent in Fulltime Equivalent (FTE) headcount and 7.1 percent in revenues, despite the challenges brought about by geo-political developments and disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence/Intelligent Automation.

“Growth in 2019 was driven, in part, by incumbent third-party operators that continued to expand. We saw a bit of expansion in healthcare,” he added. “Likewise, we saw a number of multinational global in-house centers (GICs) investing and/or expanding in the Philippines. Lastly, if we look at the creative sectors, specifically animation and gaming, they’ve had their fair share of growth as well.”

Untal credited the government, including the DTI, BOI, and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), for including the BPO sector as among those recognized by the government’s COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force as essential businesses that were allowed exemptions during the ECQ period. “That allowed us to operationalize two work streams: the on-site skeletal model, as well as the work-from-home capability,” he said.

Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines (HIMAP) President Rogelio Salazar Jr. shared that 80 percent of HIMS businesses achieved on-site productivity levels, with GICs achieving 80-90 percent productivity and quality levels within three to four weeks from the start of the ECQ period.

Salazar also said that the HIMS (health information management services) segment of the ITBPM industry is expected to post the highest revenue and FTE headcount growth range for 2019 to 2022, showing its strength as a high-value contributor to the national economy. “Over the next few years, we foresee the HIMS sector in the Philippines continuing to grow at a much faster rate than the IT-BPM industry as a whole. That growth will primarily be led not only by third-party players but also more GICs looking at the Philippines for redundancy, scalability and adaptability in their operations,” he added.

Jessica Shields, head of International Business Operations of Dexcom Philippines, Inc., cited talent availability, labor arbitrage, and cultural fit as factors in Dexcoms’s decision to establish operations in the Philippines. She also highlighted the strategic partnership between industry and the government, enabling the sector to thrive even during the pandemic. Dexcom, headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, invested in GICoperations in Taguig in January 2019, and is one of the world leaders in diabetes care technology.

Ninety-five participants from North America and other parts of the world attended the webinar, while the Facebook Live video garnered almost 5,000 views as of this writing.

( PR)

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO---Braving the new world comes with a lot of challenges, preparations, and questions especially in the education space. To address the fears and pain points of parents and students, FAITH Colleges is organizing "#BraveSolutions for the New School Year," a three-part webinar series featuring the key players in the FAITH Academic Community and invited experts in the fields of education, health, safety, and wellnessl.

Organised by the FAITH's College of Allied Health Sciences and College of Education, webinar key subjects include Learning Continuity Plan on July 11, Saturday at 10:00 am and Safety and Learning in the New School Year on July 18, Saturday at 10 am.

The #BraveSolutions webinar series resource persons are FAITH Colleges Executive Vice President Juan P. Lozano; FAITH Colleges Senior Vice President for Basic Education School Dr. Ma. Rosario B. Cesario; FAITH Colleges Senior Vice President for Academics and Research Dr. Lalaine V. Manalo; and Dean of the College of Allied and Health Sciences Diane M. Velecina.

Guest panelists are Dr. Venus Oliva ClomaRosales, Pediatrics and Public Health expert from 101 Health Research; and e-learning expert Dr. Edizon Fermin, vice president for Academic Affairs of the National Teachers Co l l ege.

BraveSolutions will be streaming live via Facebook Live thru Zoom Video Conferencing. The webinar is open to the public. To register for free: http://www.firstasia.edu.ph/ Web i n ar Ser i es.

This webinar series is co-presented by DIWA Learning Systems Inc, with the support of Health 101 and IXL LIMA Security Group.

( PR)