MANILA, JANUARY 23, 2013 – Search giant Google Inc will be deepening investment in the Philippines as it opens a new office in Manila. This move to localize operations was announced to members of the media on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at the Blue Leaf Pavilion, Taguig City.
“The Philippines is a key country in Southeast Asia in terms of its digital economy and tech-savvy population,” said Julian Persaud, managing director of Google in Southeast Asia. “This new office will allow us to better engage with our local users, partners and advertisers.”
With over 33 million Filipinos accessing the Internet regularly to study, shop, search for ideas, opportunities, create new businesses and connect to each other, Google sees Internet use in the Philippines to grow exponentially, with research indicating that the number of Filipinos online will most likely double by 2016, Persaud added.
The Philippines is made up of a vibrant and growing online community and setting up shop here in Manila is the natural next step, said Narciso Reyes, the newly-appointed country manager for the Philippines. Prior to joining Google, Reyes was the regional sales director for social at Komli, carrying with him over 16 years of digital experience in Asian and US markets.
Guests of honor: Undersecretary Manuel L. Quezon III, Google Philippines Country Manager Narciso Reyes, and Google SEA Managing Director Julian Persaud answer questions from the press.
“Our local team will be committed to providing better services to our Filipino users and to helping businesses – large and small – grow locally and globally, contributing to the growth of the Philippine economy,” Reyes said. “We envision Google as part of everyday Filipino lives and as a partner in the development of local communities, culture and business.”
The new office is in line with Google’s ongoing efforts to provide and improve its services for its Filipino users, to help Filipino businesses grow both locally and globally and to tap into local talent.
Representing President Benigno Aquino III, undersecretary Manuel L. Quezon III graced the launch and talked about how the government’s partnership with Google has made information dissemination and rescue efforts easier.
“We are delighted that Google has decided to set up an office in Manila. Their presence is a testament to their commitment to the Philippines. We hope that Google’s entry will encourage more local businesses to go online and tap into international markets. We are looking forward to collaborating with Google more in the future,” Quezon said.
Google’s Philippine presence
The office launch is not company’s first foray in the Philippines. Even without an office in the country, Google’s presence was strongly felt in the past few years. In 2011, Google Maps launched a version with a Filipino user interface, allowing Filipinos around the country to better access the search platform and find local geographic information – from online maps to satellite imagery and even driving directions – on their PCs and mobile phones.
In the same year, Google partnered with the Ayala Museum to bring the museum’s ‘Diorama Experience’ exhibition – a collection of 3D models portraying significant moments from Philippine history – online with Art Project powered by Google. Through this project, people from around the world can access the museum’s collection, just as Filipinos could now enjoy works by masters like Monet and Van Gogh in high resolution from the comfort of their homes.
Google in time of need
Coordinating crisis response efforts during natural disasters through Google Maps helped solidify Google’s presence in the country. In the aftermaths of typhoons Ondoy, Sendong, Pablo and the 2012 monsoon floods, Filipino volunteers added crucial updates to the maps, including information about missing people, road conditions, developing news and locations on where to donate relief supplies.
Helping Filipino creators
2011 also saw Google launch the Chrome Web Store, giving Filipinos greater access to locally relevant and developed apps and information, allowing local developers to easily build and distribute their apps to the 310 million people around the world who already use Chrome.
YouTube Philippines was also launched that year, giving Filipinos a new online space for the national community to engage with content relevant to Filipinos and to give Pinoy creators the opportunity to increase their reach, allowing them to generate revenue from their work.
Google on the education front
Last year, the Department of Education made the leap on to the cloud with Google Apps for Education, improving the ability of over 600,000 educators across the nation to stay connected using a common email, chat and calendar and to collaborate on the cloud with tools like Google Docs, Google Sites and Google Groups. Since DepEd’s launch, major Filipino universities – Ateneo De Manila University, De La Salle University and University of Zamboanga – have also ‘Gone Google’, connecting a total of over 50,000 students using Google Apps.
November 2012 saw the much-talked about Google Free Zone launch, seen first in the Philippines.
Working with one of the largest telecom operators in the country, Google Free Zone gave people access to the World Wide Web through their mobile phones, extending basic Google services, such as Google Search, Gmail and Google+, on Internet-enabled feature phones without a data charge.
Google’s Philippine headquarters is said to be located in Central Makati. Job openings can be viewed on its website: www.google.com.ph/jobs
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