MANILA – Google recently launched its new unit in Makati, in an effort to “bring the best of the internet” to the Filipino internet user.
Narciso Reyes, country head of Google Philippines, described the move as a major step for the tech giant.
“This is a big step for us because it enables us to be closer to our users, our partners and our advertisers,” he told ANC’s “Inside Business”.
Reyes is tasked to lead a sales and marketing team in the country to further the growth of their services by localizing more of their content to fit the needs of Filipino internet users.
“Google is all about bringing the world’s information readily available and we feel that being on the ground here is a step in the right direction,” he said.
Reyes said there are about 33 million Filipinos online, a number they expect to double by 2016.
He noted that in spite of the doors opened by online transactions, opening an office still has its advantages.
“What we found is that we are able to get more in touch with the local pulse and we are able to bring a better user experience to our users,” he said.
Reyes added the reception of Filipinos has been “tremendous.”
“It’s given us an avenue to be closer to our user base and just the excitement generated by that launch is testament of how exciting it is for us to be here,” he said.
Google has started hiring for the Philippine office, but Reyes did not say how many employees they plan to hire.
“It’s kind of a running number depending on how things stack up and how things progress,” he said.
source: abs-cbnnews.com
