In a speech delivered during the recent E-Services Philippines conference, Roxas outlined five important elements that would play a significant role in driving the country's outsourcing strategy further. According to him, the government needs to 'reconfigure' tax incentives given to foreign investors and instead, channel these incentives into improving the country's workforce.

CEO Forum. Senator Manuel Roxas III speaks before the e-Services Philippines 2006 CEO Forum on the economic impact of IT and BPO.

Instead of offering tax holidays upfront to companies who wish to set up operations, he said the government could grant incentives to investors who would put a premium on training local workers. The end goal, essentially, is to improve the industry's competency in terms of human resource.

'I've seen companies who implement a lot of in-house training, more than the usual training routine,' said Roxas, noting the need for more combined efforts between the government and private sector.