Bush urged to pick RP for non-core US government services

The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham) is urging President Bush to recommend that non-core US government services such as accounting, customer service and document digitization be done in the Philippines as a way of helping its ally.

President Arroyo is the only ASEAN leader who has been vocal in her support for the US-led campaign to disarm Iraq.

In a letter to President Bush, AmCham president George P. Henefeld said "the (Bush) administration has announced a policy of increased outsourcing of non-core government services. Some of these could be performed in the Philippines, as a back room operations for the Federal government, with rapid data transfer over the Internet."

"Sending some of this work to your Asian ally could achieve savings for the American taxpayer while creating jobs in the Philippines which may otherwise move to other less strategic low-cost offshore locations," Henefeld said.

Henefeld said that accounting, customer service, document digitization and search, engineering design, HR services, medical transcription and telemarketing are some of the services now being performed in the Philippines for corporate America.

Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel Roxas II welcomed Henefeld’s recommendation.

Roxas said Henefeld’s recommendation is "an explicit manifestation of confidence in the country’s capacity and achievement in business process outsourcing."

"The recommendation is an affirmation of our capabilities and a good opportunity for our growing IT-enabled businesses," Roxas added.

Roxas further noted that "AmCham’s strong confidence in the talents of our people will ensure that more jobs will be created for our people right here in the country and our workers will no longer be forced to leave their families, withstand extreme loneliness and work abroad in search for the proverbial greener pasture."