Facebook expands presence in PH, opens new office

Social media giant Facebook is expanding its business presence in the country, where it is used by over 66 million Filipinos.

Facebook recently opened a new head office in Bonifacio Globe City, Taguig, and launched initiatives to help small to medium as well as large businesses tap a $4-billion e-commerce opportunity.

“Businesses are embarking on the journey to digital transformation with the aim of unlocking growth opportunities and to better connect with today’s mobile-savvy Filipinos. In the Philippines alone, more than 50 million Filipinos are connected to an SME business page on Facebook,” said John Rubio, country director, Facebook Philippines.

“Looking internationally, we’re also focused on helping businesses connect with the 130 million people living outside of the Philippines who are already connected to an SME on Facebook based in the Philippines,” he added.

According to Facebook, it has partnerships with Bayan Academy and the Department of Trade and Industry.

Among the goals was to reach small to medium enterprises through so-called digital marketing workshops. Facebook wants to reach over 4,500 entrepreneurs across 25 cities across the Philippines in 2018.

Facebook, which mainly earns from advertising, said it also had solutions for large businesses.

Data from the company showed that over 95 percent of Filipinos on Facebook “discover” products through the social media platform.

Moreover, three out of five Filipinos proceed to purchase these products.

“For large businesses, we also want to help them realize untapped potential across all touch points—from strategic partnership and insights, to conversational commerce on Messenger, to hands-on workshops and education,” Rubio said.