The Department of Trade and Industry counts engineering and design among five segments under outsourcing although others like call centers and software development are given more attention due to potential market size.

'We need government support probably through trade missions, I'd really like to see this become a national program and be able to market the country as an engineering and design hub,' said Tiu, adding that collaboration between the government and private sector should also focus on capacity building in terms of workforce.

Tiu, emphasizing quality over quantity, added: 'Compared to other countries, Filipinos are very creative and we easily learn and adapt to new technology and this is what makes foreign companies want to locate here.'