BOI director Angelica Cayas (left) poses with Cherry Mobile representatives at the CeBIT Fair. (INQUIRER)
The Philippine delegation to the largest international information technology (IT) expo said it has generated several investment leads in the form of outsourcing possibilities and potential inbound visits, indicating that the Philippines is still a viable destination for IT–business process management investments.
Angelica Cayas, Board of Investments (BOI) director for International Investments Promotion Service, said they facilitated over 70 meetings and business queries at the CeBIT Fair in Hannover, Germany.
“The Philippines had a country pavilion, showcasing our country branding and competencies in voice and non-voice BPM and electronics industry,” Cayas, who headed the Philippine delegation, said in a statement.
“Our pavilion also highlighted the support services already in place such as real estate, telecom infrastructure, and human resources to support IT-BPM-related business activities in the country,” she added.
The delegation, organized by the BOI and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Berlin, consisted of nine companies with 17 representatives from the IT-BPM and electronics sector, real estate, industry association, and business chamber.
Cayas noted that IT-BPM is the fastest growing industry in the country, with revenues reaching $22 billion in 2015 and around 1.2 million full-time employees.
This year, she said the industry targets $25 billions in revenue and create 1.3 million direct employment opportunities.
The electronics sector is a top contributor to the Philippine economy, accounting for 49.3 percent of total Philippine exports in 2015. The country hosts about 500 semiconductor and electronics companies.
CeBIT, acronym for Centrum für Büroautomation, Informationstechnologie und Telekommunikation, is touted as the largest computer and IT expo in the world.
The Hannover edition attracts the most number of visitors and exhibitors. In 2016, the fair attracted 100,000 visitors with over 3,300 exhibitor companies from 70 countries.