Gullas hails BPO provider for expanding operations

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu first district Representative Eduardo Gullas has commended business process outsourcing (BPO) provider Aegis PeopleSupport Inc. for expanding its operations in Cebu that would mean 2,500 additional staff.

Gullas said that Aegis PeopleSupport is building another P685 million 14-level office in Cebu “at a time when other firms are cutting back on capital spending” due to the lingering economic downturn.

“This is definitely most welcome, coming at a time when other firms are aggressively laying off workers, or have ceased hiring as result of the global economic meltdown,” Gullas said.

Through his campaign to equip Filipinos with English and other foreign language skills, Gullas, an educator, has been a key congressional backer of the country’s booming BPO industry.

PeopleSupport Inc. is one of the pioneers in the local BPO industry. The company was acquired by Mumbai-based Aegis BPO Services (a unit of Essar Global Ltd.) for $250 million in October 2008.

Aegis PeopleSupport is putting up its own building at the 24-hectare Asiatown Information Technology Park with an initial budget of P685 million, excluding the cost of land acquisition.

At present, the firm has more than 8,000 staff in three contact centers in the cities of Cebu, Makati, and Baguio.

The company intends to double its Cebu staff from 2,500 to 5,000 over the next 24 months.

In three years, the company plans to increase its Philippine staff to 20,000, as it seeks to double annual revenues from $500 million to $1 billion.

Aegis PeopleSupport provides outsourced contact center services to global corporate clients engaged in financial services, healthcare and insurance, and travel and hospitality.

It also provides translation, transcription and captioning services in 15 languages. — Garry B. Lao/LPM (THE FREEMAN)