MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo disputed reports that a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm retrenched nearly 900 call center agents, and said that the firm was even planning to hire more.

Arroyo said she was "very alarmed" at the reported layoffs in Advanced Contact Solutions Inc. (ACS), and had it checked.

"So we checked with that center, ACS, and they totally denied it," Arroyo said in a speech before she switched on the University of the Philippines-Ayala Land Techno Hub in Quezon City on Friday.

"In fact, they are looking for more workers and they were even telling us the story that other call centers like Teletech and others read the news, they called up ACS and said, where are the workers you are laying off? We want to absorb them right away, but ACS said they were not laying off anyone: ‘We're looking for more,’” she said.

Arroyo noted that the information and communications technology industry continues to exhibit "robust" growth and employment demand is "on the rise."