Outsourcing, real estate, tourism still drive economy

Business leaders’ views on 2012, outlook for 2013

By Aileen Garcia-Yap
Cebu Daily News

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The year 2012 was a year of growth in many  industries in Cebu.

Business outsourcing,  construction, real estate and tourism industries did  well while the export industry lagged, said Prudencio Gesta, president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Indusry (CCCI).

It was a phenomenal year not only for Cebu but for the whole country as well, said Gesta and  leaders of two other business organizations in Cebu—the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), and  Cebu Business Club (CBC).

They pointed to the  7.1 percent 3rd quarter Gross Domestic Product of the country.

In  separate interviews, they  said they were expecting 2013 to be a more robust year for the economy.

Winners

CBC president Gordon Alan Joseph said the retail industry should be added to the list of winner industries with agriculture as one of the low performing sectors this year.

“The construction industry was the biggest winner this year fueled by the still growing overseas Filipino workers remittances which then trickled down to many other industries like retail, real estate, and tourism,” said MCCI president Philip N. Tan.

NEW LOCATORS

At least  17 new BPO locators opened in Cebu this year, including  Asian Global Creation Philippines Inc., a Japanese-Filipino company; Quest Rightshoring Services Pte. Ltd. Philippines, a Singaporean company; and Clicklabs, a Canadian-Brazilian company, according to  the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEDF-IT).

The real estate industry is also in the upswing with more projects in the works including  Megaworld’s P10 billion Mactan Newtown, which started development work middle of this year.

The retail industry  got a boost with  the opening of a new SM mall in the north—SM Consolacion in the middle of the year.

According to the Department of Tourism, tourists  increased by at least 10 percent  in the first quarter alone  compared to year ago figures or 539,826 tourists arrivals in March in Cebu.

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The business leaders said the economic growth,  especially in the outsourcing industry was directly influenced by the growing positive image of the country among  foreign investors.

“Pnoy (President Benigno Aquino III) was able to focus on the key issues of perception of addressing corruption which resulted in  increased  investor confidence,” Joseph said.

He said the President was enjoying a high confidence rating from  Filipinos which  carried a positive impact on the economy.

In Cebu City,  however,  the city did not see  dramatic developments   because of the “dysfunctional” relationship between the City Mayor Michael Rama and the City Council, said Jospeh.

“The business sector doesn’t understand the reason for the dysfunctional relationship, the non-cooperation. In our perception, it is purely political in nature and it is holding back the developments of the city,” said Joseph.

mandaue example

Tan agreed. He cited Mandaue City as a similar example during the first term of Mayor Jonas Cortes.

Mayor Cortes and the City Council then had been at odds and had affected the services of the city.

After his first term, Cortes and the Council had worked together to improve the city.

“Now, Mandaue City government is seriously working together to make improvements in the city which includes the creation of the Mandaue City Investment Code. The code is still being polished with the mayor really looking at the future of Mandaue,” said Tan.

Good governance, according to them is indeed a key towards economic growth in any given locality may that be a whole country or a specific barangay, municipality or city.

Other winner industries like tourism, retail, construction and real estate will follow on the growth in investments in the outsourcing and OFW remittances especially that both help create more jobs and increase purchasing power of the general population.

Loser industries

They said that with the continued strengthening of the peso, the export industry’s recovery remains to be seen.

“The export industry is still in  the loser industry ctegory this year because despite some increase in volume of orders and a renaissance of sorts in some of our key markets, these  are being dragged down by the strengthening of the peso making the business less profitable,” Gesta said.

He said that reports suggesting that the peso would continue to strengthen with the continued economic growth of the country could mean the end of the exporters if the don’t make the necessary adjustments.

“They have valid complaints but they need  to have a strategy. They will need help definitely but not to defend a weak peso. It’s a world economy, the weaker the dollar the stronger the peso gets,” said Joseph.

Tan suggested that  exporters  innovate to remain competitive.

“By innovate I mean product innovation, quality, process innovation by looking for ways to reduce cost at the same time still produce the requirement and innovate on marketing and not rely on the traditional international trade shows abroad,”said Tan.

Joseph said the agriculture industry remained a loser industry because despite the growth in consumption rate, agricultural yield remains marginal.

PROSPECTS FOR 2013

The business leaders gave mixed expectations for next year.  With  2013  an election year, this presents  presents both challenges and opportunities for businesses. They said they expect  the same winner industries to grow especially with the government expected to invest more in e infrastructure like the expansion of the Mactan-Cebu International airport terminal.

“The year 2013 will have a superficial GDP (gross domestic product) growth because of the elections, however, if we continue with the momentum of 2012, we can expect the economy to expand further especially in major growth areas like Manila and Cebu,” said Joseph.

He said he would expect more investments in  manufacturing next year.

“Construction will continue to grow especially with the increase in government spending. Real estate will be a sub-primary industry while OFWs will remain to be our heroes,” said Joseph.

Gesta said if the government continues with the high ratings specifically on the reduction of corruption, the country’s economy would continue to grow.

Improved business registration renewal processes like what is being done in Mandaue City will also make it easier for investors to do business here.

According to the chamber leaders,  lack of adequate infrastructure remains the biggest limiting factor for Cebu and the rest of the country which should be addressed right away.

Over-concentration in IT (information technology) parks would also pose a challenge with increased population in these areas that could result to inadequate roads leading to traffic, said Joseph.

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‘Local BPOs helping firms in U.S. Europe survive their crises’

Published on Tuesday, 20 November 2012 21:09

Written by Dennis D. Estopace / Reporter

Americans and Europeans owe us and owe us big, according to C.B. Richard Ellis Philippines  Inc. (CBREPI).

Hundreds of Filipino workers burning the midnight oil and their youth, especially in business-process outsourcing (BPO) companies, have propped up business in the United States and European Union, CBREPI said in a statement.

“The Philippines is becoming the lifeboat for many US and European companies that need to outsource in order for their businesses to survive and actually preserve jobs back in the US and Europe,” it added.

The Philippine office of the Los Angeles-based CBRE Group Inc. also said that it sees “a return to and rapid expansion of” US and European multi-national companies (MNCs) in the Philippines, which is fast becoming the “BPO banking hub of Asia.”

CBRE Chairman Rick Santos was quoted in the statement as having said that such is “evident from global banks that are now relocating in the country for back-office support.”

“We are a multinational player without leaving our shores. Manila is now a strategic location for [MNCs and] banks as it supports and runs the world’s businesses out of the Philippines.”

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The company said the BPO sector has created 4.5 million square feet of new office takeup a year.

It also helped that the pace of infrastructure projects continued, with CBRE citing “improved access to the Clark Freeport Zone via the rehabilitated Nlex [Northern Luzon Expressway] and its link to the C-5 road.”

“These resulted in renewed interest to set up business in Clark such as logistics, manufacturing, hotels, housing and condominium as well as built-to-purpose BPO buildings.”

However, while the BPO sector largely spurs increased real demand across all market segments in the residential front, CBRE says “demand for the high-end market will be sustained in 2013.”

“Developers will focus more on mid-income residential market segment within the P45,000 [$1,093.10 at $1=P41.1675] to P80,000 [$1,943.30] square meter range reflecting the demand created from the growing population of families and young professionals and supported by the record-low interest rates.”

Santos said that low interest rates, ranging from 5 percent to 11 percent for short- or long-term payment schemes, “has opened the opportunity for more Filipinos to become owners rather than renters.”

Aside from BPOs, CBRE also noted that other economic growth drivers remain: dollar remittances from overseas Filipino workers and the tourism industry.

Santos also said it also helped that “US-Philippines relations [are] back on track.”

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Local BPOs remain undaunted by Obama’s ‘Bring Jobs Home’ bill

Published on Saturday, 17 November 2012 18:57 Written by Max V. de Leon / Reporter IT is said that “when America sneezes, the world catches a cold.” But what if somehow, during these lame-duck sessions, or at any period during President Obama’s second term, one of his previous priority bills—the Bring Jobs Home Act—earned the nod of the Republicans and became a law? Will the outsourcing world get a big headache? For the Philippines, if the words of industry players are to be taken as a doctor’s diagnosis, there is no need to worry at all. Both the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) have issued very encouraging statements that with or without the proposed law being enacted, the outsourcing industry in the country will continue to thrive. Benedict Hernandez, president of both BPAP and CCAP, said more than just cost savings, the Philippines puts in the table more winning propositions to American companies that are outsourcing here. He said four critical aspects would make American companies still decide to outsource some of their jobs to the Philippines, even at the risk of getting penalized by Washington as mandated by the proposed Bring Jobs Home Act. ENJOY GOOD LIFE + INVESTMENT, CLICK HERE    The first, of course, is getting quality talents at less cost. It is a given that the cost of labor here is far cheaper than in the United States. This is validated by a study made by the Everest Group and Outsource2Philippines (O2P). In the study, which is a major component of BPAP’s 2016 Road Map, Everest and O2P noted that the direct operating cost per full-time employee (FTE) for English voice work in the United States ranges from $70,000 to $72,000 a year. In the Philippines the cost per FTE is only $15,000 to $16,000 per annum. Already, that’s a staggering 350-percent cost reduction. And some companies have made the calculations that the Philippine proposition is better, even if the impact of the Bring Jobs Home bill were considered. “Some say there is still a cost advantage [here] even if the law were passed,” Hernandez told the BusinessMirror. The next consideration after cost savings is the availability of talent. Hernandez said even the economists and experts in the US are saying that in some parts of America, there is a mismatch between the skills available and the outsourcing jobs needed. This is why in some places in the US, call-center and other outsourcing jobs could not be filled up. In the Philippines, on the other hand, degree holders are available to take on both voice and non-voice outsourcing works. After that, Hernandez said the cost savings that American companies are getting from the outsourced jobs can be used by the firms for other purposes, be they expansion in the US or offshore, hiring of additional employees, or trainings to enhance the competencies of their existing work force. The fourth aspect addresses what every big company aspires for—risk management. Hernandez said by locating some of their functions in the Philippines and elsewhere, American companies are able to manage risks geographically. This means that if something bad happened in one of their locations, their operations would continue via the other sites. “This is why we have to change our perspective on this. It is not just about cost. We offer more,” Hernandez said. The Bring Jobs Home bill was sponsored by re-electionist Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and was pushed by President Obama as one of the priority measures to address the crisis in the US. The bill seeks to amend the US Internal Revenue Code and mandates the grant of tax credit for up to 20 percent of expenses incurred in relocating an operation to American shores. It also removes the fiscal perks enjoyed by companies that outsourced jobs to other countries. The bill was junked. However, with Obama winning a second term, talks of a possible revival of the bill surfaced. John Forbes, director and senior adviser of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said that while indications point to the dedication of the lame-duck sessions only to measures that would address the looming “fiscal cliff” in the US, no one can tell if a surprise in the form of the Bring Jobs Home Act could spring. Forbes said what the US Congress is now working on is a large tax bill that aims to cushion the impact of some revenue and spending laws that are due to either expire at the end of the year or take effect in January. These laws combined, including the debt limit and budget cut, are feared to put the US economy into recession. If a deadlock ensues between the Democrats and the Republicans and there is a need for a compromise, there is a long shot that the so-called insourcing bill could be factored into the talks and placed on the negotiating table. “But I believe that [insourcing] bill is not in the radar at this time,” Forbes said. Then, in the new US Congress, Forbes said Filipinos need not be too concerned about the bill getting passed. This, he said, is because the current makeup of Capitol Hill—with the Senate led by the Democrats and the Republicans dominating the House—would also be the same in the incoming Congress. Even if the bill is approved in the Senate, it is not likely to pass the House of Representatives. Aside from that, even if the bill became a law, Forbes said the Philippines would be in good stead. “Like in any business, it’s all a matter of cost.” Jojo Uligan, executive director of CCAP, said the industry is confident the US Congress would again junk the bill as the American lawmakers would give more weight to benefits that US firms are getting in outsourcing some of their tasks, particularly in the Philippines. “BPOs in the Philippines are very beneficial to American companies. We deliver quality service at lower cost. We are still confident that the bill would not pass like the last time. But we would continue to monitor the moves of [President] Obama and we will act accordingly,” Uligan said. BPAP, in a statement, congratulated Obama on his re-election to a second term despite speculation that his victory may resurrect talks on the passage of anti-outsourcing legislation in the US Senate. “We congratulate President Barack Obama on his re-election. While there has been speculation that anti-outsourcing legislation may be revisited, the Philippine IT-BPO industry will continue to support the US economy and American businesses to help ensure they are among the most competitive in the world while freeing up resources to create more jobs in the US,” said Hernandez. He added that “outsourcing business services to the Philippines helps make American companies more competitive and profitable. Profitable companies hire more workers, both here and in the United States.” “Numerous studies have shown that outsourcing has little negative impact on job losses and, in fact, fosters job growth in companies that outsource business processes. Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business economist Matthew Slaughter, in a study of the hiring practices of 2,500 US multinationals, found that for every job outsourced, nearly two new jobs are created in the US,” said Hernandez. From a $35-billion global IT-BPO market in 2009, the industry is expected to generate at least $220 billion in revenues this year, according to a report by the Everest Group. “Demand for global IT-BPO services is huge and continues to expand at a rapid rate,” he said. “Outsourcing is a win-win proposition, and we believe that both American and Philippine companies—and American and Filipino workers—will continue to benefit from the opportunities it provides,” Hernandez said. In 2011 the Philippines’s IT-BPO industry generated more than $11 billion in revenue and employed almost 640,000 Filipinos. By 2016, it is expected to grow to $25 billion in annual revenue and employ 1.3 million, according to an industry road map. When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs. Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City together with your own parking space at the low amount of only P12,000.00+ and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09164422611/09173373687.

Obama win seen to affect local BPOs

Obama win seen to affect local BPOs

Published on Thursday, 08 November 2012 00:39

Written by Recto Mercene | Reporter

The re-election victory of US President Barack Obama has reignited apprehensions that the US Congress may finally approve a bill which, if passed, would greatly diminish the flourishing business-process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines.

And a statement of US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas Jr. on Wednesday seemed to drive home the point even more.

“President Obama’s job is the same as President Aquino’s job, to provide jobs to Americans, just as President Aquino’s job is to provide jobs for Filipinos,” he said when asked about the “Bring Jobs Home” bill sponsored by Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, who is running for re-election. The Democrats hold a narrow majority in the US Senate, according to the latest election results. The Republicans control the House of Representatives.

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The bill was among “to-do list” for Congress that Obama unveiled earlier this year. Senate Republicans prevented the measure from reaching debating stage. The bill also is opposed by some large US business groups.

The Bring Jobs Home Act would provide a 20-percent tax break for the costs of moving jobs back to the United States and would rescind business expense deductions available to companies that are associated with the cost of moving operations overseas, according to newspaper accounts.

The information technology-BPO industry’s is one of the country’s economic pillars, employing 493,000 Filipinos and is expected to grow to 567,000 in 2013, according to Benedict Hernandez, president of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines.

He said the industry is one of the most dynamic and progressive sectors today and its growth in the last six years was five times higher than the average employment growth in the country.

“This means that employment opportunities in the voice industry is more lucrative compared with other industries,” Hernandez said.

Jojo Uligan, executive director of Contact Center Association of the Philippines, said the BPO’s voice sector was also better paying than other sectors.

“An entry-level position that typically requires a fresh college graduate or undergraduate can have a basic monthly salary of about P12,000 to P13,000. This is 38 percent higher than the basic minimum of P9,000,” Uligan said.

But with Obama’s victory, this rosy opportunity for Filipinos, especially to new graduates, may be coming to an end if the US president pursues the passage of the Bring Jobs Home bill.

During the campaign, Obama was criticized for being unable to provide jobs to some 3 million Americans, which partly explains his narrow victory over Gov. Mitt Romney.

Many Americans have suggested to Obama to bring back factories and jobs that have been outsourced to other countries, especially to China, India, the Philippines and elsewhere.

Thomas made the statements during the “2012 US Election Watch,” which he presided over at the SM North Edsa in Quezon City.

Invited to the occasion where students from various universities in Manila, World War II veterans, members of the media and officials of Quezon City hall.

At least 2,300 participated in a mock election and the result showed that 74 percent voted for Obama, while 24 percent went for Gov. Mitt Romney.

Ambassador Thomas said he was proud to be an American and to participate in the election held once every four years.

But the US envoy said there were other benefits for Filipinos of Obama’s re-election.

“Clearly, it’s a demonstration of democracy. The importance of democracy, how democracy is better than any form of government, despite its warts,” he said.

Thomas added that the Philippines is right to have a democracy, adding that there were 30 Filipino-Americans running for office in this American election.

“That is not happening in other countries,” he said.

“We share with the Philippines a privilege that unfortunately many people around the world do not have; the right to freely choose their leaders.”

He said that right has come at a high cost, paid by millions of Americans through the centuries, who fought and died for that right.

He mentioned Nathan Hale, a hero of the American Revolution, who reportedly said, “I have one regret and that is I only have one life to give to my country.”

Thomas said Filipinos also have one such personality, Ninoy Aquino, who said, “The Filipino is worth dying for.”

“Today that commitment to freedom continues, you all demonstrated that during People Power at Edsa.”

He added that when people talk about America, they mostly talk about military and economic power, but said that “what’s important is the right to vote, and we have that right.”

 The ambassador thanked the Filipinos for donating P10 million to the victims of Superstorm Sandy. He said his mother was also a victim of the superhowler. 

Later in the day, when Obama’s victory became apparent, Thomas said, “Now its time for America to leave the rhetoric behind and get to work for the good of the country.” He said he was proud to continue working for Obama and would also have been proud to work for Romney “if he had been elected, because that is what democracy is all about. It’s our duty to respect the will of the people and work for whomever the people have set.”

When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.

Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City together with your own parking space at the low amount of only P12,000.00+. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09164422611/09173373687.

PH consumers among world’s most bullish

Very optimistic about jobs, personal finances

By Daxim L. Lucas
Philippine Daily Inquirer

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Shoppers queue at a bakeshop in SM Southmall in Las Piñas City on Aug. 4, 2012. Filipino consumers continue to have one of the highest confidence levels to spend in the third quarter of 2012, according to a survey of residents in 58 countries. PHOTO BY RICK ALBERTO

Filipino consumers continue to have one of the highest confidence levels to spend in the third quarter of the year among residents of 58 countries surveyed by media research firm Nielsen.

Despite this, the latest results of the Consumer Confidence Index showed that spending remained “restrained” and that saving was the top priority for those surveyed.

Just like in the previous quarter, the Philippines was ranked third, behind Indonesia and India, in consumer confidence levels, with a score of 118, up from 112 in the same quarter last year.

“This paints a positive picture for the third quarter of 2012,” Nielsen Philippines managing director Stuart Jamieson said in a statement. “The high confidence can be attributed to the positive perception regarding local job prospects in the country for the next 12 months, which at this point is the second-highest worldwide.”

He added that “expansion plans in the energy, transportation, telecom industries and largely the BPOs (business process outsourcing), are helping to create this positive perception in the country.”

The Nielsen global survey of consumer confidence and spending intentions, established in 2005, measures consumer confidence, major concerns and spending intentions among more than 29,000 Internet consumers in 58 countries. Consumer confidence levels above and below a baseline of 100 indicate degrees of optimism and pessimism.

The study also showed that Filipino online consumers felt positively about the state of their personal finances, ranking second among the most optimistic about their personal finances in the world.

For the third quarter of 2012, perceptions of Filipinos on whether it was a good or a bad time to buy things that they wanted and needed over the next 12 months showed a slight improvement in confidence with 7 percent saying that it was an excellent time to do so as compared to 5 percent a year ago. Thirty-nine percent of the respondents said that it was a good time to buy compared to 42 percent in the third quarter of 2011.

When there was spare cash available in the household, 67 percent of Filipino respondents said they would rather put this into savings, while 34 percent would buy new technology products. Some 32 percent would purchase new clothes while 28 percent would pay off debt, credit cards or loans, and 27 percent would spend it on holiday or vacation.

“The Philippines is among the top 10 countries which prioritize savings when there is spare cash in the household,” Jamieson said.

Among the major concerns of those polled over the next six months, job security remained at the top of the list as it did in the same quarter last year. It was followed by work/life balance, health, welfare and happiness of parents, and education and/or welfare of children.

“This is a true mirror of the Filipino culture, which is very focused on the family,” the Nielsen chief said. “These five major concerns are all related to the family, whether it is for the parents’ or children’s welfare. If you look at it worldwide, the Philippines is number one among the top 10 countries who said that they are concerned about their parents’ welfare and happiness.”

In the third quarter of last year, Filipinos’ concern about the economy was part of the top five concerns but for this year, it ranked number six.

While recessionary sentiment increased seven percentage points in the Asia-Pacific to 52 percent, Filipino sentiment toward the economic state of the Philippines improved with 56 percent. This was a big difference if compared to Korean and Taiwanese respondents, 86 percent of whom were of the opinion that they were in a recession.

The report shows that to save on household expenses, Filipinos have lessened their expenses on new clothes, saving on gas and electricity, delaying their upgrades on technology like computers and mobile devices, switching to cheaper grocery brands and cutting down on take-away meals. Should economic conditions improve, the respondents said that they will continue doing these actions.

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Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City for only P12,000.00/month with

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Keep BPOs coming, property sector booming

By Charles E. Buban
Philippine Daily Inquirer

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FOUNDED and managed by (from left) Kittelson, lawyer Amanda Rufino Carpo, and Michael McCullough, KMC MAG Group since 1999 catered its services to wide array of clients from local to foreign multinational companies with the most creative and cost-efficient real estate solutions.

Despite its robust growth in the past decade, the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is still expanding. In fact, according to one  of the Philippines’ leading residential real estate services providers, the end of this expansion is still nowhere in sight.

“The country’s BPO industry will remain strong and continue to experience robust growth for several more years,” said KMC MAG Group chair and cofounder Gregory Kittelson concurring to an industry road map that expects the industry to achieve annual revenue of $25 billion (P1 trillion) and employ 1.3 million individuals by 2016.

The country’s BPO industry is gearing up for a 20 percent growth this year.

This development bodes well for the Philippine-based commercial and real estate service provider that already leased out more than 46,000 sq m (that’s 4.6 hectares) of floor space (largely in Metro Manila) since it started operations in 1999.

Keyrole

Kittelson said: “Metro Manila offers very suitable infrastructures and abundant office spaces that so many multinational BPO firms aspire for. KMC MAG Group has played a key role by providing these firms with excellent office spaces that are right at the center of business districts and transport systems, allowing thecompany to become more accessible to current and potential employees and business partners.

The company’s efforts did not escape the regional attention as KMC MAG Group was cited as “Highly Commended Real Estate Agency”’ for the Philippines by the International Property Award-Asia Pacific (in association with Bloomberg Television and Google). The International Property Award-Asia Pacific identifies the highest levels of achievement in real estate, development, architecture, interior design and marketing in both the residential and commercial sectors, focusing on services, sustainability, high living standards, ergonomics, originality and creativity.

Kittelson said KMC MAG Group is able to achieve this because the company provides an all-around support not only for foreigners establishing BPOs in the country but also for multinational enterprises and local businesses that require similar services.

“Consider us as a one-stop shop for companies that intends to operate in the Philippines. With a wide access to proven network of vendors, we provide exclusive representation guarantee and commitment to personalized service regardless of the client’s size,” said Kittelson naming HTC (186 sq m), FOX (465 sq m), Omniglobe (2,044 sq m), Huawei (1,115 sq m) as well as NAC Tower (27,871 sq m) as some of its major clients.

He explained that while the majority of their clients are focused on tenant representation, KMC MAG Group has localized its services to cater to the needs of start-ups and call centers, offering unique services such as serviced offices and seat leasing facilities. “We utilize a process-driven team approach to deliver superior results and value for their clients,” he added.

Tremendous growth

Among the financial districts that is seeing tremendous growth, according to Kittelson, is the Bonifacio Global City, which is now being widely marketed as the ideal residential and business district next to Makati and Ortigas.

“The fact that BGC is already home to upscale residential condominiums attests to this,” said Kittelson whose company’s residential team works closely with corporate clients to find them housing within their place of operation.

Kittelson, together with Amanda Carpo, also leads Kittelson&Carpo Consulting, a firm that assists foreign companies in processing business permits, government compliance, work permits, payroll, visas, as well as executive search, requirements that every BPO or foreign company needs to set up a business in the Philippines (last year, the company registered over 150 foreign-owned BPOs in the country).

“Such services KMC MAG Group and Kittelson&Carpo Consulting provide allow ease and credibility to establishing businesses in the Philippines. With satisfied clients, we expect continued growth in the Philippines’ BPO industry as well as the Philippine economy,” he assured.

When in Philippines, please visit gregmelep.com for a more comprehensive real estate investments.

Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City for only P12,000.00/month with its own parking lot. Hurry while the supply of units last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown below.

Tel. Nos. (032)555-8464/09164422611/09173378637