CALIFORNIA-BASED information Technology and business process outsourcing services provider UST Global has invested $16 million in a new facility in Bonifacio Global City, marking the start of its aggressive expansion plans for the country.

UST Global chief executive Sajan Pillai said the new delivery center at McKinley Hills would house about 1,000 IT professionals over the next 12 months, from the 200 already working in the facility.

In the next three years, he said the company hoped to expand its workforce to between 3,000 and 5,000 employees.

For future expansion, the company will consider locations outside of Metro Manila. At this point, however, he said it was most convenient for UST Global to stay within the confines of Metro Manila, due mainly to the good infrastructure support in the area.

UST Global chief marketing officer Stephanie Moore said the Philippines could be a formidable force not only in BPO, but also in IT services, particularly software development, if it only had the right business environment.

?The Philippines is known for its BPO services, but we see that Filipinos are also very technical, yet more outgoing than their counterparts in India. In software development, communication with clients is very important so you know what type of software they need and want. The Filipinos? more outgoing nature is good for client interactions,? she said in a briefing yesterday.

?Many companies are looking at an ?India+1? strategy, but everybody?s wondering who the +1 will be. I think the answer can be the Philippines, especially if the government will invest more in the industry,? she added.

By investing more in the industry, she said the government should consider giving incentives to schools that would be able to churn out computer science graduates who could meet the requirements of the software development industry.

Pillai added that the country could opt to follow ?what India had done right,? which included the establishment of special economic zones and captive facilities for software development, as well as close collaboration between the academe and the industry.

?The 10-year tax shelter has also done wonders for the industry in India. The Philippine market is not suitable for software development, while India offers a technology business-friendly environment. I think the Philippines should make more investments in these areas,? he said.