New York, USA—Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon M. Lopez discussed the preparations for the expansion of a leading New York-based IT-BPM in the healthcare sector, Anthem, Inc., with its Diversified Business Group COO Rajat Puri and Strategic Operations Head Stella Aquino.
The trade chief reaffirmed the country’s continuing advantages as an Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) investment destination, citing the reforms and other measures undertaken by the current administration of President Duterte to entice more foreign investors in various industries.
“With the Duterte administration’s continued push for major economic reforms, supplemented by the country’s sound policies and systems in place, we are beginning to see increasing interest in many new sectors such as those related to telecommunications, broadband, interconnectivity, satellite services, and other digital infrastructure such as data centers for hyperscalers and the corresponding renewable energy projects that are expected to serve as the source of power for these projects,” Sec. Lopez said.
The trade chief also outlined the recently growing US investments in the country, specifically in green metals mineral processing, renewable energy storage systems, and other digital infrastructure.
For his part, Mr. Puri expressed strong optimism about the Philippine business environment, stating diversity, inclusion, and equity as some of its strong competitive edge as an investment destination. Anthem is also considering opportunities in the pharmaceutical technology sector, with hopes that the country can help in leveraging its potential expansion. As Mr. Puri and Ms. Aquino reaffirmed the company’s intent to continue to grow in the Philippines, they also highlighted Iloilo as a very good location with a strong base of nursing talent.
Also present in the meeting were Board of Investments (BOI) Managing Head and Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo and Philippine Trade and Investment Center-New York (PTIC-NY) Commercial Consul Benedict Uy. During the meeting, the Undersecretary expounded on the incentives Anthem can avail with registration with BOI under Strategic Services or Export Services in the 2020 IPP (Tier 1 under SIPP). Usec. Rodolfo also mentioned that with respect to telco infrastructure, the country recently registered a PHP155 billion project by rolling out fiber infrastructure. They stressed that the objective is to improve telco infrastructure, especially outside Metro Manila.
“Infrastructure developments in the countryside will mean better economic activities and more opportunities in other areas of the country. Regional development has always been one of the key priorities of the Duterte Administration that will ensure the long-term, inclusive, and sustainable growth of our economy, beyond administrations and across generations,” Sec. Lopez explained. Anthem, Inc. is one of the largest health benefits companies in the United States. It started its operations in the Philippines in November 2018 for its Global In-House Center (GIC) project of Anthem Inc. under the name Legato Health Technologies Philippines, Inc., with a project cost of PHP950-M and about 1,000 employees. Anthem has established offices in BGC and Iloilo and currently has grown its workforce to over 8,000 in just 4 years. ♦
Date of Release: 2 May 2022