Press Release
August 2, 2011

ANGARA REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR CYBERCRIME, DATA PRIVACY,
DICT MEASURES FOR BPO GROWTH

Senator Edgardo J. Angara assured Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) stakeholders of his firm commitment to support the booming industry in the country by pushing for the passage of three important pieces of legislation.

Angara renewed his commitment today at the International Contact Center Conference and Expo 2011 and the 10th Anniversary of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP).

Established in 2001, the CCAP is the official organization of contact centers in the Philippines comprised of 53 member-companies, representing more than 80 percent of call center workers in the country. The conference and expo is the biggest in Asia, attracting up to 9,000 delegates from all over the region.

"We have overtaken India in voice services even if they started way ahead of us. Call centers earned US$5.7 billion last year, compared to India's $5.58 billion. But we should not really be surprised, we owe this to Filipino creativity," said Angara.

He continued, "The IT-BPO industry has grown by more than 500 percent in terms of revenues and 400 percent in terms of jobs, all in less than a decade. The potential for Filipinos to excel in this field is truly immense.

"Experts predict that the industry can earn as much as US$50 billion by 2020, employing even more Filipinos. It currently contributes 4.5% to GDP, and we should help it grow further. This is why we need to sustain this growth by passing pieces of legislation needed by the industry."

The Philippines has so far captured 15% of the global BPO market. The country was also awarded "Best Outsourcing Destination of the Year" in 2010 by the United Kingdom Outsourcing Association and named in the IBM Global Trends Report as the top outsourcing destination in the world.

Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, is sponsoring three bills for the advancement of the ICT and BPO sectors.

The Data Privacy Act aims to improve security and confidentiality of personal information gathered by the IT-BPO companies, while also safeguarding the collection, use and transmission of said information without constraining industry growth.

The Cybercrime Protection Act, which Angara authored and sponsored on the floor, will protect 30 million Filipino Internet users from fraud, theft, hacking, child pornography and child prostitution.

Angara, chair of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering, also authored the bill creating a Department of Information and Communications, a dedicated agency to the concerns and needs of the ICT and BPO industries.

He urged the Aquino administration to take a definitive stand in support of the growth of the sunshine industry, and not send mixed signals.

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