Philippines

The information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry has grown to be the second largest source of dollar income for the Philippine economy, generating in 2015, about 1.2 million direct jobs and US$ 22 billion in revenues.

The development and continuous expansion of the IT-BPM industry is attributed to the following factors which now shaped the current IT-BPM industry: .

• The establishment of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) by the country’s former president that paved the way for foreign IT-BPO firms to set up operations in the Philippines. Under PEZA, IT parks were provided adequate support for infrastructure and tax holidays.
• Development of one of the pioneers in the IT and service outsourcing industry, Accenture Global Resources Center
• Establishment of Contact Center Association of the Philippines in 2000 under the Department of Trade and Industry to promote the Philippines as a global leader in the IT-BPO industry.
• Establishment of the government program Telecentre.org as a digital literacy campaign and livelihood training program on Microsoft for overseas Pilipino workers (under the guidance of a Pilipino-owned single proprietorship BPO company which offered worldwide services on web design development, social media management, mobile and web application development and virtual staffing)
• Development of high-end property at premier locations to copy the concept of Silicon Valley live-work-play real estate developments, intended to encourage foreign outsourcing companies to invest and set up in this developments where IT-BPO companies operate

• Information and communication technologies: The number of companies in Belarus producing intelligent products which are in demand around the world has grown rapidly (i.e. World of Tanks, a multiplayer online game developed by the Belarusian studio Wargaming.net)
• Applications for communication (i.e. Viber software development is implemented in Belarus)
• Solutions for business. Among the automated ERP class (enterprise resource planning) in the CIS countries, the largest developer in the region of ERP-systems is the “Galaxy” corporation, headquartered in Minsk. To date, the company’s software is used by more than 6,000 enterprises of CIS countries, representing various sectors of the economy.

The rapid growth of the IT-BPM industry presents several challenges:

• Branding the Philippines both internally and externally of its outsourcing capabilities beyond voice BPO. The Philippine BPO industry has now taken over India’s lead spot as BPO voice provider. But, while the country has also been a significant provider of non-voice complex services, this is rarely known or recognized
• Policy shift. There are proposals to change tax holidays, temporary reductions or elimination of taxes for the BPO industry. This might serve as deterrent for foreign investors to the Philippine market to the reductions of the country’s competitive advantage
• High turn over rates. The rate of replacement of the workforce in the IT-BPO industry is as high as 50%
• The shift in demand of voice information. The industry is projected to shift with the demand in terms of having new firms enter the country or expanding the services provided by having KPOs or Knowledge Process outsourcing which could then cater to new demand and fulfill a wide set of roles. These roles would be as follows: Market research, Fraud analytics, Equity research and investment, banking Insurance and actuarial Engineering services, Web development, Data integration, Project management Research and development, Medical transcript preparation and legal processes

The best time to visit the Philippines is dependent on the weather condition, which could get unpredictable. The country has 2 seasons, the dry season or summer (March-May) and the wet or rainy season, usually starting as early as mid May to September. It is advisable to check on the weather beforehand especially when travelling during the rainy season so as not to get caught in a typhoon which occurs frequently during this season and may even occur in between months during the entire year. On other months (September to March) there are celebrations of festivities inherent in the regions, such as the founding of the city or in honor of the patron saint of the town or province. The weather gets much cooler in months of December to February

01 January New Year’s Day

02 January Additional Special Non-working holiday

08 February Chinese New Year (special non-working holiday)

25 February EDSA people Power Revolution

Maundy Thursday

Holy Week Good Friday

Black Saturday (special non-working holiday)

(The dates of Holy Week are defined by the date of Easter Sunday, which is a movable feast, and falls on different dates from year to year).

09 April Day of Valor

01 May Labor Day

21 August Ninoy Aquino Day (special non-working holiday)

29 August National Heroes’ Day

01 November All Saint’s Day (special non-working holiday)

30 November Bonifacio Day

24 December Christmas Eve (special non-working holiday)

25 December Christmas Day

30 December Rizal Day

31 December New Year’s Eve (special non-working holiday)

Dates for Eid’l Fitr (holiday marking the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan) and Eidul Adha (an Islamic holiday commemorating the feast of sacrifice) are approximate. Actual dates are confirmed yearly in accordance with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF).

Standard Time Zone (Manila): GMT/UTC +8hours

*Daylight Saving time does not apply

The country is among the top 10 countries worldwide where a visa for international travelers is easiest to obtain.

US and Europe passport holders are required to have their Visa to be at least 6 months valid before expiry to be able to stay in the country for 30 days, although foreign travelers may renew their visa in the country. A flight out ticket should be presented upon entry in the airport immigration.

Temporary Visitor’s Visa for Business Purposes

The visa application requires the personal appearance of visa applicant.

In cases where distance makes it difficult for the applicant to travel to the Consulate, the visa application may be lodged by mail. In such cases, the accomplished visa application form and passport photograph must be noted by a Justice of the Peace, the visa fee payment must be in the form of a postal money order, and a self-address Registered Post envelope must be provided by the sender.

Requirements for the application for Temporary Visitor’s Business Visa :

• Passport with a minimum validity of six months beyond applicant’s intended date of departure from the Philippines;
• Duly accomplished Visa Application Form signed by the applicant;
• Passport-size photo (2 pieces)
• Proof of bonafide status as tourist or businessman
• Photocopy of applicant’s confirmed flight booking, itinerary or airline ticket
• Payment of visa fee

Note: The Consulate may require other documents to confirm certain circumstances relating to the applicant’s stay in the Philippines;

Visitors wishing to stay beyond the authorized 59 days may apply for an Extension of Stay at any office of the Bureau of Immigration in the Philippines before the 59 days run out. Visa extension fees will apply

The Philippine peso (PHP or PhP or P) is the currency of the Philippines. The PHP exists as coins and bank notes. Current exchange rate of the PHP against the US Dollar is 1USD = PHP 46.91

The national and official language in the country (as declared in the Constitution in 1987) is Filipino, alongside English which is widely spoken and used as the medium of instruction in schools, as well as in business transactions, legal transcriptions and media and signages in public places.

Depending on the region in the country, Filipino and English are jointly spoken with the local dialects of the region. Of these over 170 dialects, 12 have been recognized as auxiliary languages, official in their respective regions (to wit: Cebuano,Tagalog, Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Waray-Waray, Kapampangan, Bikol, Albay bikol, Pangasinan, Maranao, Maguindanao, Kinaray-a,Tausug) with numerous variations spoken by the native speakers within the same region.

Private and government offices are open either from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Most commercial establishments are open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. Banks are open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays, with automated teller machines (ATM) operating 24 hours.