PASAY CITY, Philippines--Despite the current global recession, outsourcing presents a "time of opportunity" for the country, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said at the opening of the eServices conference here.

"BPO (business process outsourcing) continues to boom as global outsourcing is now aimed towards more cost-cutting," Arroyo said in a keynote speech.

Her speech focused on her administration's gains in growing the outsourcing industry into a billion-dollar industry.

"In 2001, we recorded 4,000 workers (in BPO). Now we have exceeded 400,000," she said.

In fostering growth, Arroyo said the country must focus on these areas: encouraging the building of telecom infrastructure to lower cost of connectivity, creating a legal environment in the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and harnessing human capital to address the sector's requirements.

She also stressed the need to expand of the "Cyber corridor" project and the creation of more "next wave cities" that target outsourcing investments.

"BPO is key economic driver and continues to create jobs and drive investments for the country," she said.

Early this year, the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP), the biggest organization of outsourcing providers in the Philippines, indicated that it was expecting a "cautious" growth of 35 percent for 2009. By 2010, the organization said the outsourcing industry will earn about $12 billion to $13 billion.