Brief History of BPO sector in the Philippines
country.
One of the most robust sectors in the Philippines
right now is the information technology and business
process outsourcing (IT-BPO) sector. More than just
a lucrative enterprise, the IT- BPO sector has also
proven to be the largest and fastest growing industry
in the country. There is no denying its major role in
providing quality jobs and encouraging economic
activity and investment even in areas outside Metro
Manila
Of course, the IT-BPO industry was not an overnight
affair. Credit is due to the handful of individuals who
saw the potential in the business in its early stages.
Among them are the likes of Rainier "Bong" Borja,
who is often regarded as the most articulate voice of
the Philippine BPO industry.
Karen Batungbacal for her early involvement and
series of contact center firms: and Secretaty Mar
Roxas, who, during his tenure as secretary of the
Department of Trade and Industry, saw the potential
of the industry, reached out to key leaders to promote
foreign investment...      ●525,000 employees in call centres
Brief History of BPO sector in the Philippines
In fact, one of the key contributions Mar Roxas made
to the BPO industry was lobbying in congress to
revise Republic Act 7916, so that buildings or floors
in buildings could register as an ecozone. That meant
that the building BPO industries were exempt from
paying national and local taxes, and only had to
contribute 5% of their gross income as tax a major
enabler during that time.
Another significant but unexpected contributor to the
BPO industry was Bill Gates. He donated Microsoft
Apps Licenses to the PCPS program, which not only
saved the government huge expenditures, but during
the critical, early stages, it also enabled the BPO
industry to function and thrive.
Brief History of BPO sector in the Philippines
1992- Frank Holz, under the Accenture group,
created the first contact center in the Philippines
    ■1995 The Philippines Congress passed the Social
Economic Zone Act, lowering area requirements for
development and offering tax Incentives to attract
more foreign investors.
    ●1997- Sykes Asia set up shop and becomes the
first multinational BPO company in the Philippines.
1999- Jim Franke and Derek Holley found eTelecare,
more popularly known as the first call center in the
    ●2000- The BPO industry accounted for 0.075%
of the country's GDP.
    ●2001- People Support, a US-Based outsourcing
center, restructured their business, and moved their
operations to the Philippines, providing 8,400 jobs.
    ●2003- The Convergys Corp. opened up two call
centers in the Philippines. The Philippines, along
with India, was chosen by the president of the
company, Jack Freker, as part of the company's
global expansion and revenue generation plan. 
    ●2005 The Philippines gained 3% of the global
BPO market, which accounted for 2.4% of the
country's GDP.
    ●2006-ePLDT Ventus was at the forefront of the
local BPO landscape
        ●This improved the Philippine domestic
economy by 5.4%
        ●11,000 people were employed across North
America, Europe, and Asia
    ●2010-The Philippines was declared the world's
BPO capital! 
    ●$8.9 Billion in revenue generated
    ●2011- The BPO industry becomes one of the
biggest and fastest growing job providers in the
private sector $11B revenue generated and 638,000
Filipinos employed. Revenue comprised 5.4% of the
country's total GDP
    ●2013- Revenue generated climbs up further to
$15.5B and 900,000 Filipinos are employed full time
    ●2016- BPO industry is projected to generate
1.3M new jobs, with 17% annual growth
6. Strong government support
As one of the economic pillars and main revenue
generators of the country, the Philippine Government
recognizes the potential growth of the industry by
providing strong support and infrastructure for BPOs
and for businesses setting up an outsourced team.
Some of the government and industry initiatives to
ensure the Philippines maintains its place as one of
the top outsourcing destinations include:
    ●Partnerships with universities in the Philippines
to create BPO-specific curricula to prepare the future
BPO workforce 
    ●A voucher system from the Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) as
funding support for call centre training
    ●Tax and non-tax incentives to support foreign
investment
    ●Creation of national Information and
Communications Technology council.
7. Cultural compatibility
Tracing back, the Philippines was colonised by
foreign forces from Spain, the United States, Japan,
Portugal, and other countries. As a nation that was
colonized by various foreign invaders in the past,
Filipinos were influenced by ethical values,
traditions, customs, behaviours, and ways of life that
weren't originally theirs. This history is what
comprises the Filipino character at present. Not only
have they adopted many of the western cultural
traditions but also the lifestyle. They communicate
effectively with their foreign partners in the industry
as there is almost no language barrier and can speak
about common topics of interest from sport, politics,
television, news or work concerns. This western
lifestyle adoption has created compatibility among
Filipinos and foreign cultures giving them the edge
against other nationalitie in providing excellent BPO
services.

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