BPAP News

PSIA elects new board members, eyes US$3B by 2016

(Manila, Philippines, February 15, 2013) — The Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), a partner association of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines that promotes the growth and global competitiveness of the country’s software development and IT outsourcing industry, recently named its 2013 board of directors.

They are Nora Terrado, president and country manager of Headstrong Philippines, as president; Joey Gurango, founder and CEO of Gurango Software, as vice president; Ito Gruet, VP-Business Development of Computer Professionals Inc., as corporate secretary; and Cristina “Beng” Coronel, president of Pointwest Technologies, as treasurer.

With a new set of officers, PSIA hopes to continue its successful stride in this year’s organizational goals, particularly in increasing membership, export and domestic revenues, and securing resource scalability. The association expects a 30 percent increase in employment for IT professionals as well as 150 percent growth in intellectual property (IP) assets.

Manila, Cebu in Tholons’ top 10 global outsourcing destinations

(Manila, Philippines, January 31, 2013) — In the latest annual ranking of the top 100 global outsourcing destinations by Tholons, a services globalization and investment advisory firm, Manila (NCR) claimed the number three slot, following Indian cities Bangalore and Mumbai. Manila, ranked No. 4 in 2012, has overtaken Delhi (NCR), India. Cebu City, formerly at No. 9, also went up one rank and pushed Dublin, Ireland from the eighth spot.

More Philippine IT-BPO hubs were also included in this year’s ranking. Although Davao slipped one rank to No. 70, Sta. Rosa City in Laguna climbed two spots to No. 84 while Iloilo is No. 93. Bacolod City re-enters the list at No. 94 and Baguio City is a new entrant at No. 99.

According to Tholons, the Philippines enjoys a more vibrant IT-BPO industry than either Indonesia or Malaysia. These three countries are considered the most promising Southeast Asian destinations in 2012. The region’s “maturing outsourcing brand, improving macro-economic environment, and expanding domestic markets” were cited as the reasons why large service providers prefer Southeast Asian markets, hence their upward movement in this year’s ranking.

BPAP elevates Hernandez to Chairman of the Executive Committee; Mercado appointed President and CEO

(Manila, Philippines, January 24, 2013) — The Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) announced that the Board of Trustees has elevated Benedict Hernandez to Chairman of its Executive Committee. Jose Mari “Jomari” Mercado was appointed President and CEO.

Mercado will assume his new role effective March 16, 2012, and Hernandez will continue to act as President and CEO until the appointment takes effect.

Hernandez, who has served as President and CEO since January 1, 2012, will oversee the execution of the Board’s strategic initiatives. He will also serve as the Board’s Trustee In-Charge of Talent Initiatives and will oversee strategy and execution of industry talent development, wellness, and retention programs. Hernandez will continue to concurrently serve as President of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) and as Lead for Accenture’s BPO Service Delivery in the Philippines.

Outstanding games honored at GDAP Game Development Festival

(Manila, Philippines, January 24, 2013) — Philippine-made digital games Streetfood Tycoon, Word Stack, Undead Fever, Puzzle Pets Adventure, Purefoods Tender Juicy Shop for Mommy, Innkeeper HD, Grav, and Noypi Nota were honored at the 3rd Philippine Game Development Festival (PGDF) for their excellent overall visuals, graphics, design, and function.

Sponsored by the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), the festival featured digital games in various categories. Top game developer companies from the Philippines, including Kuyi Mobile, MochiBits, Anino Games, NuWorks Interactive Labs, Soupware, BL-ED, Zeenoh Games, Kongregate, Komikasi, and Armorgames, participated in the event.

Streetfood Tycoon by Kuyi Mobile won the Cultural Award and the Best Handheld/ Mobile Game. Considered the number one strategy game in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Asia, the game allows players to establish their own food cart and sell a variety of street food. Meanwhile, MochiBits’ Word Stack, a word association game where the player must group words that are synonyms, antonyms, or compound, received the Innovation Award.

Game on! Leveling up careers in PHL game development

(Manila, Philippines, January 17, 2013) — Video game enthusiasts range from the casual gamer to the hardcore, but it is a serious business that is expected to rake in approximately US$30 billion in the Asia-Pacific region by 2016 according to a study by Ovum.

The gaming industry in the Philippines has still a lot of growing up to do, says Alvin Juban, head of operations of Secret6 and president of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP). “We’ve had the best two years of work. Before, we’ve had gaps between projects. Now what happens is when you end a project, you receive two, which is a good sign,” he said. According to GDAP, there are about 3,000 professionals in the industry representing roughly 60 companies.