Singapore firm to expand IT development business in RP

Despite gloomy economic prospects in Asia, Singapore-based Ascendas Pte. Ltd. plans to expand its IT development business in the Philippines, encouraged by the country’s growing popularity as a preferred site for outsourcing and backroom operations.

Ascendas (Philippines) Corp. recently launched the second phase of its IT zone project at the Camelray Industrial Park II, slated for completion in 2005.

Ascendas chief executive officer Chong Siak Ching said the company has been receiving inquiries to help local business find space for call center operations and the like.

"This is an area where Ascendas will proactively facilitate by offering our high quality business space solutions," Chong said. "We can bundle our range of products and services to best fit their entire location needs."

The concept, according to Chong, was to allow companies to focus on setting up their business while Ascendas worried about their space needs.

Ascendas first introduced its ready-built facilities to the Philippines in 1999, providing quick start-up to investors through customized and bundled solutions ranging from design, project management, financial arrangements and the like.

To date, Chong said Ascendas has invested a total of $56 million in the Phase 1 development of CIP II which had been equipped with underground fiber-optic facilities and a dedicated power plant.

Ascendas uses the power supplied by CIP II Power Plant Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary that has a dedicated 21-megawatt diesel-fired generating power plant that exclusively supplies uninterrupted power to locators in CIP II.

Ascendas, according to Chong, is now the top privately-owned economic zone in terms of approved projects, with 35 locators that have invested a total of $152 million and employed a community of over 3,000 people.

Phase 2 of the project is expected to be completed in 2005 and would also provide new designs.

Chong said Ascendas is looking for opportunities for further investments in the country, encouraged by the government’s programs for the IT sector and e-services.

"The Philippines is increasingly sought after as an outsourcing center for IT services such as data entry and processing, and call center operations," Chong said.