Boosting BPOs in 2023: Payoneer and PH outsourcing companies share insights for industry growt

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Payoneer Regional Vice President of South East Asia Miguel Warren gives an impassioned speech during The Payoneer 2022 Forum

The Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) industry continues to be a reliable source of employment for Filipinos. In fact, the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) recorded a 10.6% increase in revenue last 2021 at $29.49 billion. With the pertinent role that BPOs play in the country, leading cross-border payments platform Payoneer aims to strengthen the industry further through intensified collaborations with outsourcing leaders in the Philippines.

Payoneer recently held a forum at New Clark City to discuss industry trends, challenges, and opportunities with key stakeholders.

“I think it’s really important to bring together all the different stakeholders that are involved in cross-border international business so we can interact, engage, and learn from each other on how to take the customer experience to the next level. At Payoneer, it’s our goal to help customers grow internationally, to go global, and to be able to help them realize all the potential that tomorrow holds,” said Miguel Warren, Payoneer Regional Vice President of South East Asia.



Filipinos: The Gold Label Customer Experience

Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) Managing Director Rosario Cajucom-Bradbury noted that the Philippines accounts for 40% of the global customer experience market by headcount, owing to the ‘gold label’ quality work of Filipinos.

With Filipinos being known globally as one of the best in the outsourcing business, more opportunities await Filipinos not just in Manila but in other provinces too. Aiming to generate an additional 1.1 million direct jobs by 2028, IBPAP targets to strengthen the presence of BPOs in cities outside of Metro Manila. In terms of emerging locations for the industry, Cajucom-Bradbury noted that Iloilo, Pampanga, Angeles, Metro Clark, Bacolod, and Davao City are already being leveraged for voice-based and transactional BP services.

“Our vision is to become the world’s number one experience hub for digitally enabled and customer-centric services while driving inclusive and sustainable economic growth and social growth for the Philippines,” said Cajucom-Bradbury.



Growing BPOs in PH: CEOs share lessons and opportunities

One with the goals of IBPAP and CCAP, CEOs of different outsourcing companies exchanged stories and insights to further strengthen the BPO industry in the Philippines.

In his talk, Clark Outsourcing CEO Zack Williamson shared the importance of building a ‘COOLture’ to keep employees engaged and inspired. Creating a fun environment starting with the office design and balancing it with high belief in employees, are some of his topline tips for BPO leaders.

On the other hand, Guerilla Creative Marketing President Vanessa Janssen pointed out the importance of acquiring the right clients. She said, “Find the right clients who pay the right money for your staff. A good company, culture, leadership, and management will spot the potential.”

Meanwhile, TeleWorkPH Founder and CEO Marge Aviso reminded about the importance of partnerships especially with regards to cash flow. “Partners make or break your future. I cannot emphasize enough how paramount Payoneer has been as a partner to Telework PH because of their ability to collect cash right away.”

Payoneer is the leading cross-border payments platform that offers innovative solutions so companies can thrive in the global digital economy. The company is trusted by the world’s leading digital brands serving over 2,000 top marketplaces.

“The forum not only allowed us to understand the industry better but also inspired us to ‘take the big leap’ with IBPAP and the whole outsourcing community. For us at Payoneer, taking that leap means staying true to our goal of connecting more freelancers, online outsourcing businesses and BPOs to global opportunities now more than ever,” said Warren.

Japan-affiliated Telco - InfiniVAN, Inc., Joint-Build Partners now on Phase 2 of PDSCN Project to build longest, largest domestic subsea cable system

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



The Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN) project initiated by Japanese-affiliated telco InfiniVAN Inc. that has successfully laid and landed 15 segments of the soon-to-be longest and largest capacity domestic subsea cable system in the country entered its Phase 2 during kickoff ceremonies held on January 20, 2023 at the NSD Compound, Subic Bay Freeport, Olongapo.

Joint-build partners Eastern Telecom and Globe Telecom joined Infinivan representatives at the event.

An “Express Route'' was fittingly completed by end 2022 that successfully landed system segments in Subic, Cebu, Siargao, Boracay and other far-flung islands. This first phase of the P150 million project laid down the foundation of the longest and largest submarine fiber optic cable network that would distribute internet connectivity to wholesale, enterprise and residential customers nationwide when completed. Phase 2 will interconnect these landing points terrestrial fiber routes.

After a successful engagement with KCS, a subsidiary of Japanese telco KDDI, in Phase 1, the PDSCN project welcomed NTT-WE Marine (NTTWEM), a subsidiary of NTT, Japan’s largest telco, as its new partner for Phase 2. NTTWEM’s Subaru vessel is the ship to be used for the submarine cable implementation of Phase 2 of the project.

InfiniVAN and partners are eyeing April 2023 as the completion date of the submarine cable laying phase. The route design of the system means that it will have easy connectivity with present and future international submarine cable landing stations, thus enabling the project proponents to extend those international submarine cable capacities for distribution to the rest of the country.

“We see this as an opportunity to fulfill our objective of providing connectivity to far flung areas and hope that the good communications infrastructure will also pump-prime local economies in those areas,” InfiniVAN’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Engr. Alberto “Abet” Espedido said,

Martyr or Murderer Trailer Primer to be released on Feb 3, Maid in Malacanang to be shown on Feb 8 on Viva Prime

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

"mamayang tanghaling tapat,

sama-sama nating panoorin 

ang isang bidyong maghahanda sa atin

para sa pandaigdigang paglulunsad ng

#MoMOFFICIALTRAILER "

The second chapter of  Darryl Yap's Maid in Malacanang (MiM), brought to us by Viva Films and Vincentiments, is soon to be shown most probably this February or anytime early 2023, but before that they are scheduling the release of the official Martyr or Murderer (MoM) movie trailer primer this 12noon of February 3 as announced by Darryl Yap on his Facebook page earlier today.

But the news gets even more interesting because just a few days after, MiM, the very controversial and highest grossing Filipino movie in the last three years is soon to be shown online on February 8 via Viva Prime, the wholesale and for family streaming platform of Viva Entertainment. The movie trailer primer will be released online on February 3, while the full trailer will be on February 9.

"Inuunti-unti ang pagkabog sa ating mga damdamin ha..para mas lalo siguro tayong ma-excite sa mga malalang pasabog na inihanda ni Direk"

Viva Prime will feature local content, including new and classic titles, Hollywood, Asian and Korean blockbusters, series, concerts, Livestream, documentaries and more. The price for subscription is only P49 a month and P99 ad-free.

It is no surprise that the opening film of the platform is Darryl Yap's MiM since it is currently Viva's very successful movie garnering a huge interest not only here in the Philippines but also abroad especially among the Filipino communities living and working there. Also take note that MiM was accused of spreading historical revisionism due to the sensational scenes shown from the release of its trailer...and what were also depicted on the actual movie.

Viva Prime, to serve as a platform for Viva stars as well as emerging artists, is child-friendly and more family-oriented compared to Viva's already two year old and successful VivaMax which is also a livestreaming channel but also shows mature or adult-oriented films starring the likes of AJ Raval. But Viva Prime will also deliver "edgy content" for the general audience so that it could also compete with global streaming platforms like Netflix. 

In terms of "edgy", MiM is without any doubt very edgy as its content has been touted as going against historical facts, and more aligned closer to fiction since many of the scenes in the movie are supposedly taken from the stories of the Marcos family helpers and "maids" who worked in Malacanang and witnessed the last hours of the Marcoses before they left, or were forced to leave, the country to escape the wrath of the Filipino people that were about to enter the Malacanang palace during the People Power movement on EDSA. Such stories were never part of what's officially written in historical records or documents...or what others would say as "walang resibo" meaning they could not be verified or found on any news documenting the events during those years when the Marcoses abruptly had to say their farewells to the country.

However, Darryl Yap claims that their movie, especially MoM, is very truthful: "We have the ugly truth" as heard from his interview, and "#MartyrorMurderer carries the Beauty of the Ugliest Truth" when he posted a picture of former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos together with Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, as well as it's counterpart photo of a scene showing Ruffa Gutierrez and Isko Mkoreno (portraying the roles of Imelda and Ninoy in MoM), that he additionally captioned as IMELDA and NINOY * New York 1983.

Thus, many are talking about MiM and MoM:

"The truth will always prevail, it may take days, months or years, but it will, so hold your seatbelts." says one comment expressing an opinion that the real truth is actually depicted in the movie instead of what we were told or made to believe throughout the past years when the Marcos family were no longer in power.

"I think February 25 ito ipapalabas para sakto sa People Power Anniversary" says another comment guessing on the possible show date of MoM.

"Hindi pwedeng ilabas ng February 25. Either February 22 or March 1 ang showing." replied another.

Incidentally, there was even a comment before if Darryl will be doing more than just a trilogy since he playfully used MiM, MoM, and MaM (Mabuhay Aloha Mabuhay) for his three movies so why stop there, why not complete all the remaining vowels MuM, and MeM....making it five instead of just three. 

If the three movies in this trilogy will continue to break records and become blockbusters too, for sure they will not think twice in making more. The question is "Will there be more controversial stories to be revealed that will continue to capture the interest of the many Marites of the Philippines?"

With Senator Imee Marcos being also a producer of the movies, and the fact that MiM relayed that she is the one being referred to as the "Maid in Malacanang" and not the actual maids, there has been the looming suspect that these movies are nothing more but attempts "to deodorize the stinking reputation" of the Marcoses, but if ever that is true, Darryl Yap is definitely brilliant on how he creatively makes his movies very much-talked about and watched.