President Aquino, delegation leaving for Switzerland on Jan. 23 World Economic Forum

President Benigno Aquino III will leave shortly before midnight of Wednesday, Jan. 23, for Davos-Klosters in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum (WEF), Malacañang said Saturday.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Aquino and his delegation will leave at 11 p.m., and return to the country on Sunday, Jan. 27.

"He was invited to give the keynote speech at the partnership against corruption event where he will share the Philippine experience in battling corruption," Valte said on government-run dzRB radio.

She also said Aquino will meet and discuss issues with global business leaders, and make a pitch for the Philippines as "under new management and we are open for business."

Aquino will also meet with the Filipino community in Zurich on Jan. 26 before returning to Manila, she added.

Valte said Aquino's delegation will have Cabinet members, including:

1. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario
2. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima
3. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad
4. Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo
5. National Economic and Development Authority head Arsenio Balisacan
6. Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras
7. Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office head Ramon Carandang

An article on Radio TV Malacañang (RVTM) said some 1,000 member-companies and heads of state will participate at the annual WEF meeting.

It said the WEF aims to facilitate global, regional and industry transformation.

"The President is scheduled to address the WEF's activity on 'Anti-Corruption Reception' hosted by the forum's partnership against corruption.  A series of meetings will also take place at the sidelines of the said forum which includes the ASEAN plenary session on 'Resilience in Diversity,'" it added.

RTVM said Aquino will also meet the Filipino community in Zurich where donations will be turned over to the Philippine government for the victims of Tropical Cyclone Pablo (Bopha). (http://bit.ly/VdhHsT)

GMA News 

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Manila, Cebu Up the List of Preferred BPO location in the World

Manila and the Cebu City again carved their name as among the top preferred outsourcing destinations in the world, ranking third and eighth in the list of emerging business process outsourcing (BPO) sites based on a study by investment advisory firm Tholons.

Manila's ranking improved by a notch from last year, an indication of the improving status of the country in terms of being a preferred BPO site around the world.

"Cebu is now ranked 8th in the Tholons Top 100 Outsourcing Destinations Report for 2013, which is a rank higher than in 2012," said Cebu Investment and Promotions Center (CIPC) Managing Director Joel Mari Yu.

"This means Cebu City continually displays its great competency in the global outsourcing industry," he said.

Yu added that the improvement is a "big thing" to celebrate in the face of challenges in manpower availability.

Apart from Cebu and Manila, Tholons cited five other cities in the Philippines – Davao, ranked No. 70; Sta. Rosa, Laguna, No. 84; Iloilo City, No. 93; Bacolod City, No. 94; and Baguio City, No. 99.

Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology Inc. (Cedf-it) Executive Director Jun Sa-a said Cebu deserves to be promoted in the 2013 Tholons list as it has proven it could scale and improve the quality of its manpower.

"This is a proof that the Philippines is giving India a serious challenge in this industry," Sa-a said.

Jerry Rapes, chief executive officer of Exist Global, shared the sentiment. He attributed Cebu's improved ranking to the hard work and collective effort of industry players, government and the academe.

"This is a validation that what we are doing is good but we should not just maintain that standing, we should move forward," Rapes said.

Availability and quality of workers were among the criteria in selecting the top outsourcing destinations. CIPC estimates that there are about 95,000 people employed in the BPO industry in Cebu.

It also said that the average of 24,000 college graduates produced every year, complemented by skilled young individuals who want to start their careers in the BPO industry, has helped Cebu strengthen its reputation as a BPO destination.

"The primary roadblock for Cebu to advance higher is the lack of qualified manpower," Yu said.

He admitted that while Cebu City has good infrastructure, demonstrated its capability in almost all IT spectrums, it still falls short in providing the industry with qualified IT/BPO workers.

Yu said that in 2012 alone, about 20,000 to 25,000 jobs were generated by new companies that set up businesses in Cebu.

"Cebu continues to have challenges to face before it can become the top business process outsourcing destination, especially because the competition in many surrounding areas of Asia is fierce. Cebu will have to work to continue to build its reputation as an outsourcing leader to make it to the top," Yu concluded (http://bit.ly/VvLpKI)

Manila Bulletin 

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More Business Missions to Investment opportunities in the Philippines

The Philippines is experiencing a record number of inbound business missions. The Board of Investments (BOI) recorded a total of 487 inbound business corporation visits from January to October, 2012 – 147 individual company visits and 34 multi-company delegation missions.

The Department of Trade and Industry expects the visit of more business missions from six countries –

1. German
2. Sweden
3. Italy
4. England
5. Turkey
6. France

The above six countries to explore investment opportunities to help attain the goal of R300 billion investments this year are on top of traditional investment sources such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The increase in inbound missions is attributed to transparency and dynamism of the Aquino Administration, and the confidence of foreign investors. The Philippines is among the world's booming markets; international credit ratings agencies upgraded its rating to an investment grade, citing a steady growth pace. There is also renewed interest from the United Kingdom (UK), France, and Canada, and growing interest in non-traditional markets like Russia, Turkey, Middle East (Oman, Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi), and Nigeria.

In November 20-23, 2012, the Philippines welcomed, for the first time in 65 years, a big Italian business delegation, the Confederation of Italian Industries, Italy's biggest association of manufacturing and services companies, that met with trade associations here such as the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Italian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. The UK Trade and Investment, the body that connects UK firms to the global market, is considering ways to tap the Republic of the Philippines' economy and invest in infrastructure, health care, and transport.

A Philippine business mission to Ankara, Turkey, last year presented to investors the country's growing economy, indicated by unprecedented growth in the stock market, inflow of overseas Filipino workers remittances, steady export growth, 22% increase in BOI approvals, domestic financial sector, efficient revenue collection, and improving global competitiveness ranking. In 2012, there were 18 outbound missions, a number of which were BOI-led, to Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Australia, and Cambodia, for prospects in electricity generation and transmission, hydropower, tourism, energy, e-vehicle, agro-business, shipbuilding, and investments in economic zones and in Mindanao.

The Manila Bulletin, led by its Chairman of the Board Dr. Emilio T. Yap, President and Publisher Atty. Hermogenes P. Pobre, Executive Vice President Dr. Emilio C. Yap III, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Cris J. Icban Jr., Business Editor Loreto D. Cabañes, Officers and Employees, congratulate the Department of Trade and Industry headed by Secretary Gregory L. Domingo and Board of Investments Managing Head Undersecretary Adrian S. Cristobal Jr., and wish them all the best and success in their partnership to attract more foreign investors to the Philippines. (http://bit.ly/Xb3LgQ)

Manila Bulletin 

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