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(Manila Bulletin) Organizations are, more than ever, expected to provide their customers with world-class support. Though great service has always been a requirement for a business to be successful, “world-class” looks different in today’s world. We live in an instantaneous society, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To truly be customer-focused, organizations have to adapt to what society needs, and that simply isn’t always a worthwhile endeavor to take on internally. This is where call center services in the Philippines add tremendous value.

“Outsourcing your customer support to a call center in the Philippines allows your organization to deliver high-quality customer service, 24 hours a day, seven days a week – precisely what your customers are looking for. Even more, call center services in the Philippines help you achieve that at a fraction of the cost of providing the same level of support in-house or onshore outsourced,” says Ralf Ellspermann, CEO of PITON-Global, an outsourcing provider specializing in award-winning call center services in the Philippines.

Not only is employing call center staff in-house much more expensive than an offshore outsourced solution, but employees also come with more costs than simply their paycheck. It costs your organization to recruit, hire, train, and continuously develop employees. “Adding to the expense further, the turnover rate for call center-like roles in the US is high as it isn’t a particularly sought-after job – forcing you to start the expensive cycle all over again,” says Ellspermann… Read More

(BusinessMirror) TWO years ago, then central bank Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. set out to put the country shoulder to shoulder with 14 nations in the world. It was a noble ambition.

The impetus came along with the release of the World Bank’s comprehensive database on global financial inclusion. The 2017 Global Findex database, a data set that is published every three years, showed that the Philippines has one of the weakest financial inclusion coverages in the region, as reflected by the low account-penetration in its adult population.

In particular, only 34 percent of the country’s adult population has a form of formal relationship with a bank or a financial institution. This pales in comparison with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and five additional countries namely Australia, China, Japan, Korea and New Zealand; collectively known as the Asean+5.

In the Asean+5 bloc, Singapore had the highest account penetration with 98 percent of its adult population being included in their financial system. This is followed by Malaysia’s 85 percent, Thailand’s 82 percent and Indonesia’s 49 percent… Read More

(Daily Tribune) As the government and the private sector have already aired their utmost backing to revive the micro, small and medium enterprises, the country’s fastest-growing logistics and courier services company, heeded calls for such initiatives and launched the “Juan Asenso” campaign that focuses on bringing sustainable business opportunities to all Filipino MSMEs, as well as a long-term commitment to its employees.

Through the campaign, the company’s partners and customers will have better support in terms of business training and access to the Flash Home Branch System and Flash Express Key Account System, respectively.

At the internal launch of the campaign, Flash Express consultant Alvin Chew said within a span of one year, the company was able to achieve several milestones within the frame of the company’s vision and goals.

“We were able to expand all over the Philippines in just a couple of months after we kicked off our operations; we were able to disrupt the market; and most importantly, we were able to improve the logistics industry in the country,” Chew said.

Through the combined efforts of all the business units of the company, it has recorded a total of 95 percent serviceable areas all over the Philippines as of August 2022.

The company will continue to look after employees’ welfare and well-being, as one of its key goals for the year is to build a stronger company culture where employees can thrive and improve.

It is also geared toward further enhancing its economic efficiency, constantly improving its processes, and sparking business development to encourage more investments to flow… Read More

(The Manila Times) Turning to the headline topic, it behooves Filipinos, especially the millions enamored of America and wanting its forces in our air, sea and land supposedly for our protection, to keep in mind the rightful assessment of the United States from no less than the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr., echoing the nationalist, anti-colonial thinking of Claro M. Recto.

In 1965, his first year as president, Marcos Sr. pointed out that “it is to serve her own self-interest and to safeguard her security as a nation and her position as a world leader, and only incidentally for our protection, that America has built up her imposing military and diplomatic establishments in our country” (“The Foreign Policy of Ferdinand Marcos: From Traditionalism to Realism” https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/42981548.pdf).

A decade later, the martial-law ruler warned: “If the purpose of American military bases is to strengthen American military posture in the Pacific, or in the Indian Ocean and throughout the world, does this not expose the Philippines to the animosities, suspicions and the conflicts arising out of this American military build-up — animosities and conflicts that we have no participation in making, and do not these bases endanger the safety of the Filipinos and the Philippines not only from conventional armed attack, but from possible nuclear attack?”.. Read More

(Journal Online) This August, the Southern California Academy (SCA) welcomes Nathan Tan, their first Filipino athlete, into their elite basketball program. SCA is a prestigious sports preparatory academy located in Southern California in the United States offering both academics and elite sports programs. SCA’s basketball program has been ranked no.1 numerous times in the whole state of California and in the top 5 in the whole of the United States.

Southern California Academy is led by no less than the best coaches in the US with head coach Chris Chaney who has produced 19 NBA players and over 70 international pros, with 150+ NCAA Division1 players, 850+ career wins, multiple National Championships and National Coach of the year awards to his name.

Last year Nathan played his senior year in high school for Scotland Campus in Pennsylvania, a prestigious sports school in the East-Coast of the US. Scotland Campus PA is nationally ranked in the top-10 best sports preparatory schools in the whole of the US.

NBA prospects Dior Johnson, a four-star recruit and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, a five-star recruit are products of SCA and Scotland Campus respectively. And for a home-grown Filipino athlete like Nathan, being part of the same elite sports program under the best coaches in the US who has produced superstars is nothing short of an honor… Read More

(Manila Bulletin) The Department of Tourism (DOT) is offering incentives to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and balikbayans (returning Filipinos) who can bring home with them relatives, friends or acquaintances to the Philippines.

DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said the move is part of the government’s efforts to boost the tourism industry.

Frasco said the “Bisita, Be my Guest Program” that she is promoting is not the new tourism slogan that they are carrying right now.

“This is not the new tourism slogan of the Philippines as some has misrepresented. Rather, this is a guest incentive program,” she uttered.

According to Frasco, they will be offering incentives to compensate the OFWs and returning Filipinos who can bring home with them at least one or two companions when going back to the country.

She said this will may bring more tourists and travelers visiting the country, adding, “This is intended to invite and benefit OFWs that bring home a relative or a friend to the Philippines, with raffle prizes, discounts, and privilege for them as they tour around the country.”… Read More

(NHK World) Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to visit Indonesia in September, in what would be his first overseas trip since taking office.

A presidential spokesperson made the announcement on Friday, adding that the visit will be followed by another to Singapore.

The Philippine foreign ministry previously said Marcos was considering a visit to Washington after being invited by US President Joe Biden, who wants to strengthen bilateral ties.

China is also placing importance on the Philippines. Vice President Wang Qishan and Foreign Minister Wang Yi have visited recently.

The Philippine leader appears to be taking a cautious approach to ties with China and the US by choosing a fellow member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as his first foreign destination… Read More

(The Manila Times) TOURISM is an important economic driver for the Philippines, and with each change of administration, the new tourism secretary and the Department of Tourism (DoT) launch an enthusiastically ambitious plan to attract more visitors to the country and expand the tourism sector.

The current DoT under Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina Garcia Frasco is no different, but faces much tougher challenges than its predecessors. In order for its tourism strategy to be successful, the DoT and tourism stakeholders will need to be keenly aware of market conditions and adjust their plans to match.

Some of those challenges were revealed in a webinar on Thursday presented by the economic analysis and advisory group Oxford Economics and the International Air Transport Association. The current reality and medium-term prospects for the air travel industry were laid out in detail and they are somewhat discouraging… Read More