US-based business process outsourcing (BPO) operator VXI Philippines has expanded its local presence with the formal launch of its ninth site in the country at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.
The facility houses about 185 workers, with about 20 to 30 of those personnel relocated from Manila. The company, however, said it intends to hire all agent-level positions locally as a way of contributing jobs in the area. The site is expected to employ over 400 people within three months and by the end of the year, the number is expected to reach over a thousand.
Gracing the inauguration were Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad III, and VXI top executives led by executive vice president and country manager Jared Morrison.
In his welcome address, Morrison cited the huge contribution of Filipinos in the growth of the global BPO industry and the role of VXI in continuously developing local talent and allowing them to flourish in the world stage.
?We compete with companies in countries all over the world and we are able to see Filipinos rise to the top, outperform other countries and other locations where the work is done. Filipinos are better, and that?s why this industry has been so successful here,? Morrison said.
Lagunzad, meanwhile, read a message from DOLE secretary Silvestre Bello III who was unable to attend the event due to a prior engagement. According to Bello, the launch of VXI?s newest site in Clark “will realize the many aspirations of our jobseekers to the secure employment opportunities.?
For her part, Robredo noted the extraordinary growth of the BPO industry in the country but warned of the possible challenges that it will face in the future such as AI (artificial intelligence) technology. Robredo also endorsed her Angat Kabuhayan project which bridges the gap between employers and workers.
?I?m glad that VXI has not just provided jobs for many of our countrymen but has been a very good employer to most of them,” Robredo said.
The event also witnessed the ceremonial turnover of VXI’s donation for “My Dream in a Shoebox: Rebuilding Marawi”, with Marawi residents on hand. The campaign has been supported by VXI Global Holdings, with the help of Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines or (IBPAP) and communications agency Team Asia. The aim of this initiative is to empower learning and education through donations in shoeboxes filled with school supplies.
As for other expansion its, Morrison said they already have a shortlist but is is keeping it private. ?But what we found in Clark is employable workforce, great infrastructure, as well as the right kind of talent and graduates,? he said.
VXI vice president for operations John Rex Arenas said the company’s employee-centric culture sets the BPO firm apart from its peers in the local outsourcing industry. ?We have been built from Action-Per-People philosophy. We bring the best out of our employees which allows us to foster a nurturing environment where everyone contribute to our end goal,? he said.
