On remote work — Can the Philippines export talent without exporting people? | The Howie Severino Podcast - video Dailymotion

GMA News

Being a virtual assistant (VA) is now the dream job for most Filipinos, according to a new Remitly study. As one of the growing professions in the remote work sector, VA work has given Filipinos greater access to international job opportunities.  Across the Philippines, a growing workforce of remote professionals is serving overseas clients from laid-back hubs like Bohol and El Nido. But behind the flexibility lies a tough reality: social isolation, job insecurity, and zero employee benefits.  In this episode, Howie Severino talks to Maria Sucgang, a millennial CEO pioneering a model that networks freelancers to provide the safety nets that foreign employers don’t give. They discuss the potential to keep talent in the provinces, reducing the need for foreign migration, and whether AI threatens the future of remote work. #GMANews #SerbisyongTotoo #BreakingNews  Watch the latest news stories from GMA Network's trusted news programs on the GMA Play app. Download now on Google Play and App Store. Also available on GMANetwork.com/GMAPlay and Android TVs!  GMA Network promotes healthy debate and conversation online.  Any abusive language that does not facilitate productive discourse will be blocked from this post.  For more updates, visit this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCpdvYcv59AgI_UbY4C1GhwFZ5CQL3N5c  For live updates and highlights, click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCpdvYcv59AiKdYH_GDSU7sBgfc7Cd1de   Breaking news and stories from the Philippines and abroad: GMA News Portal: http://www.gmanews.tv YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gmanew Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gmanews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gmanews Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/gmanews Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/gmanews  GMA Network Kapuso programs on GMA Pinoy TV: https://gmapinoytv.com/subscribe

Transcript

00:28Good morning, Podmates!

00:39Para pag-usapan yan and the advantages and disadvantages of remote work is someone who has made it her career

00:45to professionalize remote work and improve the conditions of remote workers.

00:50Siya si Maria Sukgang, co-founder and CEO of Remotify, an outsourcing partner that helps international businesses hire and manage

00:59remote teams in the Philippines.

01:01She was also named a Gentee Leader of Tomorrow by Tatler Magazine in 2025.

01:07Magandang araw sa'yo, Maria. Thank you for joining us.

01:11Thank you very much, Howie. Thanks for having me. Magandang araw, Siya.

01:15You are presently in Antipolo City, your home, no? And I am in Silang, Cavite.

01:21So, in a way, this is remote work for us. In a previous era, I would have to travel or

01:28we would have to travel to a common place or I would have to go to your home to have

01:33this conversation.

01:34Maybe an extra four hours back and forth between Cavite and Antipolo.

01:38And Antipolo, now I can be wearing shorts and slippers and not worry about the weather.

01:45Pag sinabing remote work, this is an example, no? What we're doing right now.

01:51Correct, correct.

01:52Naku, and dami rin nami employees in Silang, Cavite.

01:56Actually, we have employees around 30 provinces around the Philippines.

02:02Only 24% are in NCR, no?

02:05So, it's a beautiful thing to be able to democratize access to opportunities, right?

02:12So, itong sinasabi mong nasa iba-ibang probinsya.

02:15These are just the people you work with in your company, no?

02:19You have your own company trying to manage this relationship between clients and remote workers, no?

02:25But yung remote workers niyo mismo na kliyente niyo, I guess you call them your clients as well, right?

02:31So, they are our employees because we employ them on our record and that's what I'm pertaining to.

02:3830 provinces, across 30 provinces serving different clients.

02:42For our team naman, different provinces din.

02:46Onti lang yung nasa Metro Manila.

02:48My people lead and the payroll leader is in Nueva Ecija.

02:55Some of my HR team are in Laguna, right?

02:57So, but we meet every quarter para we make sure that we build those bonds and we can really serve.

03:03You meet online or you meet in a physical space?

03:06We meet in a physical space.

03:08I think that's still very important, no?

03:10So, even though we're remote working, every month we try to do an onsite at our office.

03:16We are registered in Pasig, but every day we just work remotely.

03:22And then every quarter we do our best to really invest in an off-site, actually, if it's at the

03:28beach or if it's at a nice Airbnb,

03:31to make sure that all of the activities that you can't do remotely, you invest time in building those bonds,

03:39right?

03:39Because it's easy to get very busy and very focused on the day-to-day nitty-gritty.

03:47But if you don't realign as a team, how could you be able to serve all of these employees across

03:52the Philippines and across the world for our clients, right?

03:56Okay, I'll ask you more about that kind of work, no?

03:59The work that you do and the work that your colleagues do, no?

04:02But let's zoom out a little bit and let's talk about remote work.

04:06So, pag sinabing remote work, what kinds of jobs are these?

04:11So, for us at Remoteify, ang mga usual na trabaho ay knowledge workers.

04:21We have a software developer in Sultan Kudarat.

04:24We have a Shopify developer in Bantayan Island, Cebu.

04:27We have special education teachers in Cebu helping children with autism in the U.S., coaching them.

04:35We have accountants.

04:37We have marketers.

04:39All of these, kapag remote work kasi, typically, it's advantageous if you have domain expertise and you are more autonomous.

04:47Kung bagay, yung mga usual remote workers, nakapagtrabaho na incorporate, they have the discipline, what it takes to actually be

04:55self-directed, right?

04:57And then they work full-time under the record of Remoteify and then working alongside the business of our clients.

05:08Our clients are usually from tech, typically knowledge work.

05:11So, in a previous time, before this big trend or kind of work started, these people would have to go

05:22to a physical space.

05:23And not just that, they would have to probably live in an urban center.

05:26Like, Bantayan Island is in Cebu province.

05:30Baka kailangan siyang pumunta sa Cebu City, di ba?

05:34Para magkaroon ng kanyang trabaho.

05:36But now, people don't have to leave home.

05:39Or they can live where they want, di ba?

05:42In terms of lifestyle and cost of living and still do the kind of work that previously, you'd have to

05:51be in a big city to do.

05:53In the union, siguro, one of the things that makes me so happy every day that, you know, before it

05:59was a question around, okay, do you move to Metro Manila, Metro Davao, Metro Cebu to have access to good

06:07jobs?

06:08And then before that, parang nauso naman is yung like OFW, you go outside of the country to have access

06:16to good jobs.

06:17Now, with the pandemic really blowing the lid right off of the globalization of work, right?

06:23Like, it normalized remote work that now it transformed into like, you don't export people, you export talent through digital

06:35means.

06:36Employees in the Philippines are able to compete globally, right?

06:39So, I think that's the beauty of it.

06:43And the attraction, I think, is very rational, no?

06:47That people are gaining three things that traditional employment has often forced them to trade against, you know, one another.

06:55So, first one is time.

06:57The second one is access.

06:59And the third one is earning potential.

07:01We recently ran a survey.

07:04It's funded by DICT through the Startup Grant Fund.

07:07And the result of this, we surveyed about 1,700 Filipinos through a community partner, which is FH Moms Community,

07:17the largest active homeworking, like, kind of freelance community around remote working moms, no?

07:26So, in that survey, 88% of them valued being able to work from anywhere.

07:32Another 88% cited that savings from commuting is what they like about it.

07:4180% valued working flexibly.

07:43And 70% cited both professional growth and higher income potential.

07:48But I think the most significant one is the quality of life, how we, you know, the impact is so

07:55significant.

07:5585% of them said remote work gave them more time with family, 68%, greater flexibility of schedule, and 66

08:03% reduced stress from traditional work environment.

08:07But I think for younger Filipinos, I think there is an additional shift in expectation, you know?

08:12So, parang they are entering a labor market where internet has effectively made the world their addressable job market, right?

08:21Like, before, kung nasan kang city, yun yung trabaho mo.

08:25Ngayon, the whole world is your addressable market.

08:28And they can find work through platforms, communities, social networks, rather than maybe waiting for opportunities to come through a

08:36conventional employer, no?

08:37In our response, people see jobs on social media, job platforms, in online communities.

08:44Those are the biggest, like, ways people find or discover remote work.

08:49I want to start with, ano, a potential pitfall din pagdating sa quality of life.

08:53Kasi sabi mo nga, a lot of people tell you in your surveys and probably anecdotally na parang nag-improve

09:02yung buhay nila in terms of spending more time with their families.

09:04But I've also heard, siguro ikaw na rin, yung kabaliktaran yan, some people, maybe not the majority, no?

09:13But there are some people who say, parang wala nang boundary yung trabaho at saka yung non-work life mo.

09:22Kasi nasa bahay ka palagi, no?

09:24Na minsan, kasi, di ba, I mean, if you have an office job, pagdating mo sa office, you know that's

09:29work.

09:29Pagdating mo sa bahay, you know that's your family and home life, no?

09:32But dito, you know, there's this kind of a mix where it might be harder for some people to manage,

09:39no?

09:40So, what do you advise your employees and your colleagues when it comes to that?

09:44I think, ano, very good point yun.

09:47Kasi while remote work creates a lot of opportunities and there's freedom and flexibility to it,

09:54there's also isolation, there's also, you know, di naman lahat merong may kasama sa bahay, right?

10:02Sometimes that social interaction and it takes a lot of discipline

10:08to make sure that you are able to really create a space where itong space na to,

10:18this is associated with work, meaning you don't take your laptop on your bed, right?

10:24And if you put your laptop on the work desk, when you shut the laptop off, then you, I don't

10:33know, you can detach.

10:35We should acknowledge the time that people gain back from remote work.

10:41It expands your earning potential, it allows parents and caregivers to stay economically active, right?

10:48It also opens jobs to people outside of major business districts, as we said earlier,

10:54and it gives Filipinos access to international employers without requiring migration.

10:59So, in our survey, Howie, more than half answered that they earn at least 40,000 pesos per month.

11:0831% earn 70,000 or more.

11:13And for context, the report cites that the average normal, the kind of sector monthly wage is 21,000.

11:20So, you compare the 70,000 to average if you're just locally working 21,000, right?

11:26But the danger is that freedom can come without a safety net, no?

11:30So, parang, bukod sa less visible yung cost ng isolation, burnout,

11:37continuously looking out for the next contract, right?

11:40Or doing your own tax filing, contribution, administration, like all of these, a silent cost siya, right?

11:48Pero 7 out of 10 respondents said that they lack employment benefits, right?

11:55They only receive salaries.

11:57Walang SSS pilot, pag-ibig, walang HMO.

11:59So, you'd have to kind of like look at, okay, what's the freedom of remote work?

12:04There are a lot of attractions to having this freedom.

12:09It's not just remote workers, no?

12:11It's also artists and writers who want their own time, di ba?

12:16A lot of them really depend on income from gigs that they get, di ba?

12:21Project to project, contract to contract, no?

12:24Your employees or the people that you deal with, no?

12:27Remote workers are not really that much different from, you know, freelancers or independent contractors

12:33who face the same kinds of issues, no?

12:37About security, no?

12:40Job security, employee benefits, work benefits, employee benefits, no?

12:44So, how do you resolve that when it comes to remote work?

12:50Because I guess presumably, a lot of these people went into remote work because they wanted that freedom.

12:56Do they still have that freedom when they work with you?

12:59Definitely.

13:00No, that's a good point.

13:01Like, as I mentioned earlier, like parang our employees are, a lot of them we've never met face-to-face

13:09apart from that we onboard them, we make sure that they have contract, we process their payroll,

13:15we give them HMO, like all of them health insurance, right?

13:19But people are from 30 different provinces and so they have that freedom and flexibility.

13:24Pero, they have, so for example, if we do the timekeeping for them and they work on a holiday,

13:31they'll get holiday pay because they're actually full-time employees, right?

13:35Iba naman kasi, to be fair, there are also freelancers that want multiple gigs, like multiple clients.

13:44If that's the case, they typically register themselves as freelancers, right?

13:49And then they pay for their SSS for that pag-ibig.

13:51Pero, in our case, where you're working 40 hours a week for one international company

13:58and we are your outsourcing partner with the employer on record,

14:02we make sure you get paid twice a month.

14:04Hindi ka pwede yung basta-basta ang ma-fire ng walang rason.

14:07May KPI ka, may performance review.

14:09In Australia, recently, there was this Fair Work Act, no?

14:14Na parang, ano siya, landmark case where a Filipina got fired by an Australian company na wala silang partner in

14:25the Philippines,

14:26walang actual employer on record.

14:29And therefore, nung na-fire yung Filipina at nag-file siya ng case in Australia in the labor court,

14:36pinanigan siya ng labor court.

14:38Ang sinabi ng labor court, then walang ibang employer, di ikaw ang employer,

14:42so dapat you need to pay her Australian back wages and you need to reinstate her, etc.

14:48Pero kasi kung in-outsource mo in another country and the person is here earning money in the Philippines,

14:54then you should have either an entity or an outsourcing partner, right?

14:57Imagine mo yung ibang freelancers, they find in the survey may sumagot parang medyo matagal na siya sa client,

15:05wala silang kontrata, hopefully, nagbabayad naman daw, hopefully, bayaran siya lang lagi.

15:10Like, we can't leave it to hope, right?

15:13Or like some of them would find on Facebook or somewhere na parang hindi na sila binayara,

15:19nag-MIA na sa kanila.

15:20So, sino ang tutulong sa kanilang humabol nung payment na yun, right?

15:24Whereas, like, if you, I mean, a lot of these international businesses would want longevity, right?

15:30And that's what we support, no?

15:32Kung international client, they are committed to making sure that they give benefits to their teams

15:40and they want longer tenure for the teams.

15:44They want a stable team.

15:46Ayaw nila ng paulit-ulit maghanap ng freelancer.

15:49And the freelancer, the same, like, they commit to just one company.

15:52Then you're an employee.

15:54Then you should have employment rights and privileges.

15:57You cited action in Australia, no?

16:00Dito pa si Pilipinas, what do you think of the labor laws?

16:04And to what extent do they also protect digital workers or remote workers?

16:11You think the foundations of the Philippine labor protection remain important, di ba?

16:15So, maganda that we have labor rights, no?

16:19And the issue is that the architecture was largely maybe how we designed around a traditional employment relationship, no?

16:27It's like a Philippine employer, a Philippine employee, a workplace, or an entity operating within the same legal system.

16:34And with the pandemic, technology has changed that relationship much, much faster, right?

16:40And now we have employees or freelancers or contractors or platform workers, if you would want to call it that,

16:47people working effectively full-time for foreign businesses with no Philippine entity at all.

16:53And the challenge is that these arrangements don't always fit neatly into our existing categories.

17:00I don't think the answer is to over-regulate remote work because we could inadvertently destroy the flexibility

17:06and the creation of job opportunities in the first place.

17:10I think the better approach is to modernize and clarify, maybe, the clearer rules around worker classification or simpler tax

17:21compliance

17:22or access to statutory benefits regardless of where the client or employee is.

17:27But recognizing if you need to have employment documentation, that there are practical mechanisms that will allow overseas companies to

17:37give benefits to their employees.

17:42And for example, also for the client, if they have behavioral performance or attendance issues with the employees,

17:48where the HR to draft the incident report, where the HR to coach, where the HR to give the warning,

17:54where the HR to facilitate a respectful exit, na kung respectful exit,

17:59oh, may prorated 13-month pay ka pa rin, may back pay ka pa rin, ito yung clearance process mo,

18:05ito yung 2316 mo, ito yung COE mo for your next employer.

18:08E paano kung ayaw sumunod yung ano? Kasi nasa ibang bansa itong ibang, yung kumpanya, no?

18:14So paano kung ayaw sumunod dito sa Philippine labor laws?

18:17Kunyari, sabihin, oh, you're entitled to this, pero ayaw sumunod nga yung company sa ibang bansa.

18:24That's our job naman kasi kami naman yung employer eh. Kumbaga kami yung susunod dyan.

18:29And we are very meticulous with choosing our clients and telling them that there's no at-will employment in the

18:35Philippines, right?

18:36Kumarkado na yung client na yun. In other words, parang pwedeng ma-blacklist.

18:41Oh, pero at the end of the day, we'll make sure that the employee is done right.

18:48Kasi kami yung employer. So kumbaga we take care of that.

18:51Pero like for, like we built it in our service agreements.

18:58We built it in how we designed the business model that it's to their advantage na mag-comply.

19:07I mean, a lot of them really, like we've had clients that have been with us five years with the

19:12exact same employee for the past five years, right?

19:14They're remote working and, you know, sometimes they visit here, etc.

19:20But like they want longevity.

19:22Hindi mo naman nila bibigyan na employment record kung hindi ka seryoso dun sa empleyado mo, di ba?

19:27Na parang you'd want to protect them too.

19:30Okay, so long before the growth in remote work, we've had call centers, di ba, BPO's, where, you know, but

19:43we know that kind of business model.

19:45Usually these call centers, they're physical spaces, no, with international clients.

19:50And it's not just in Manila, you know, I see in these provincial cities, you know, Bacolo, Davao, Cagayan, etc.

19:57There are, you know, call center, you know, entire buildings, no?

20:02So, ngayon, parang, ano na, no?

20:04People don't have to go to these provincial cities.

20:07So parang nag-disperse na yung online labor market, no?

20:12But may advantage pa ba ang mga call center sa inyo?

20:16I mean, these are local entities, no?

20:19So that's what you provide.

20:21But they actually set up shop in the Philippines, so, you know, you can actually see your manager face-to

20:26-face and all of that.

20:28Isn't there, like, an advantage to that as well?

20:32Yeah, there's also.

20:34I mean, there's big players who will still want that, right?

20:37Like JPMorgan Chase would still have their, I don't know, captive site and all of that.

20:43There's still merit to that.

20:45There are jobs that are better off on-site, right?

20:50There's, I think the beauty is that we've had a three-decade advantage in making sure that we prepare talents

20:59for this.

21:00And I think it's a normal transition that now that we have talent and capability, that, you know, talent's everywhere.

21:08Hindi lang siya sa Davao, Cebu, or Manila, right?

21:12Like, and we have this abundance for 50 million working age.

21:18And that's, I mean, the entire population of Spain is 45 million, right?

21:23Working age pa lang natin yung 50 million.

21:26Like, Philippines sounds small, but, like, it's a huge…

21:29But in other words, there's enough work to go around.

21:31It's not like call centers will now be emptied because people now want to do remote work at home, no?

21:37So, meron pa rin, there's still a need for these big, you know, BPO centers.

21:44Ang dami na ginuwang building, di ba?

21:45I mean, they're still being built up to today, no?

21:48But I guess if you're a young person, this remote work just creates another option, right?

21:55Yes, correct.

21:56I think that still last year, ang laki ng naging contribution to the economy ng ITBPM.

22:03Let's talk about income, no?

22:05And that's everybody's concern.

22:07Sabi mo, ang average income or typical income of, you know, a remote worker is just so much higher than,

22:14you know,

22:14a job, I guess, in another industry requiring similar skills, no?

22:20So, bakit ang laki ng gap between, you know, this particular example na binigay mo,

22:27I mean, you cited, you know, an income that was, you know, more than twice, I think,

22:33the income of someone in, what, in a bricks and mortar kind of office job, right?

22:39Or were you referring to like a call center or something like that, no?

22:43So, malaki yung gap sa income, no?

22:46Mas mataas yung income ng typical remote worker kaysa sa yung kailangan pa mag-commute

22:51and, you know, bukod sa ang dami niyang gastos, mas mababa pa yung sweldo niya kaysa sa remote work, no?

22:57So, what kinds of work are these?

23:01And then why is the income gap so big?

23:06You're specialized kasi, right?

23:08Like, if you are a software developer or may masters ka in special education

23:13or if you're an architect that is helping CAD design for a lighting design firm in the UK, right?

23:19The two sides, right?

23:21One, the budget of the international businesses are much higher

23:25and if their employees are good employees and they want to retain them, they'll offer a higher rate.

23:31But at the same time, remote work, medyo mahirap siya for, let's say, wala pang corporate experience

23:38or like they don't know how to handle themselves autonomously, maybe.

23:43Like, kasi, I mean, remote work really, there's a lot of level of trust that is involved.

23:49Like, if pinigyan ka ng job description and KPIs, you gotta be able to build that trust around remote work

23:55works, right?

23:56Like, that Filipino talents can be trusted in remote work works and you'll show up when you sign up for

24:03an 8-hour job, your 8-hour job.

24:05And therefore, if there's domain expertise and there's the budget of the international businesses

24:10that could offer a higher rate, then that makes that gap.

24:15So, I'll give you a specific example, no?

24:21So, I went climbing recently sa Benguet and like with a day or two notice, no?

24:28May dumating na millennial climber and this is a weekday.

24:33And then I asked her, don't you have work today?

24:36I mean, it's not like you had time to file a leave or anything, no?

24:40And then she said, well, I work online.

24:43I work remotely.

24:44So, sabi ko, okay, so pwede palang ganon, no?

24:47You can actually, you know, just take off.

24:49And sabi niya, well, kasi iba yung hours ko, et cetera.

24:52So, sabi ko, well, what do you do?

24:54Sabi niya, I'm a virtual assistant.

24:56I had no idea what that was.

24:58I didn't bother asking her, no?

24:59But is that a common job?

25:02And is that like a general or is that a generic term for a lot of different jobs?

25:08I think yung VA, it's an easier way for international businesses to kind of think,

25:15oh, I need assistance on some things.

25:17Let me get a virtual assistant, right?

25:20So, that became like a term.

25:22But what I noticed is that iba-ibang VA, may ibang VA, may accounting and bookkeeping background.

25:28May ibang VA na may marketing background.

25:30May ibang VA that handled EA work for the likes of JPMorgan Chase executives or whatever, right?

25:37Some of them handle automations, right?

25:40Some of them handle like the calendars of the executives.

25:44So, excuse me.

25:45So, pag sinabing virtual assistant, you're actually dealing with an executive.

25:52Like, you're assisting a person do their work.

25:56Yun ba yun?

25:57Like, kasi sa ibang, well, in another era, you had personal assistants, di ba?

26:02Kung baga, or executive assistant.

26:03Kung baga, yung kanang kamay mo, you know, who books all of your flights.

26:09You know, yung mga CEO, ang mga katulad mo, you probably have your own personal or virtual assistant or secretary,

26:14di ba?

26:14Na, you know, will do the mundane but critical tasks required to do your job, di ba?

26:21So, you can focus on the thinking, you know.

26:23Ganun ba yun?

26:24But remotely.

26:25So, somebody, let's say, a tech executive in California probably will not be able to afford a, you know, personal

26:33assistant na, you know, face-to-face niya makikita every other day versus somebody in Manila who can probably perform

26:42the same functions at a fraction of the cost and probably has the same skills.

26:46And probably doesn't even have to be in the same city to do the same tasks, di ba?

26:52Ganun din ba yun?

26:53Correct.

26:54So, may iba EA, executive assistant.

26:56Yun talaga yun.

26:57Yung parang they help executives.

26:59Yung ibang VA could be, some of them are called VA pero personal assistant sila.

27:06Some of them talagang VA, virtual assistant for marketing, virtual assistant for bookkeeping, right?

27:13Like, sobrang lawak nung, nung nagtingin ako nung scope nung ibang mga VAs, may iba-iba silang specialization.

27:20Like, some of them, pag magtingin ka, I'm a virtual assistant expert in, like, CRM automation.

27:28So, kung yun yung kailangan mo, yun yung VA na kukunin mo, no?

27:32Minsan, merong open schedule.

27:35Yung asynchronous work ka, basta undeliverable mo, you need to deliver this within the week's time.

27:41Then you have flexibility.

27:42Meron din naman very critical na dapat 9 to 5, nandiyan ka, right?

27:47So, like, depende.

27:48So, baka for them, they really have that flexibility when it comes to their arrangement.

27:54And that's the beauty of it.

27:55You can design your life, you can design your work because of this freedom of remote work.

28:01What are the fastest growing kinds of jobs?

28:04I mean, you know, somebody listening to you right now, maybe is in college, you know?

28:10Parang, inaisip niya, uy, I like that lifestyle.

28:14I, you know, I'm an artist, but I also need a day job.

28:18Ano kayang papasukin ko?

28:20Should I be a virtual assistant?

28:21Ano ba yung, what are the fastest growing jobs for in this line of work remotely?

28:26What is being most demanded by international clients?

28:31I will answer that in two folds.

28:34And I'd like to be careful about this because the industry is changing so rapidly.

28:38So, I'll talk about where the puck is now.

28:41And then I'll talk about where the puck will probably be headed, right?

28:45So, where the puck is now, maraming need for accountants.

28:51For example, our accounting principles is the same as in the U.S. gap, right?

28:56Like, and there's cost advantages to having financial teams here or your finance teams here.

29:02Sorry, U.S. is there.

29:03Is U.S. the main market here for this work?

29:06Or do you also serve, like, and usually English speaking, right?

29:10It needs to be English speaking, kaya U.S., no?

29:12But there's also Canada, Australia, England, much of the Middle East is also English speaking, right?

29:19Correct, correct.

29:20So, we have clients from the U.S., Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong, like everywhere.

29:27Pero meron ding Germany, meron ding Spain, meron ding Netherlands, right?

29:32So, like, everywhere, right?

29:34Parang, where the puck is now, build domain expertise.

29:38And I would say, don't be guided by what is in demand.

29:43Be guided by what makes you come alive.

29:47If it is marketing, if it is creative, if it's writing, if it is numbers, just get domain expertise.

29:54And then where the puck is heading, because a lot of things are really being automated now.

30:00People can build companies with just five people, ten people, or even no people, right?

30:07Like, there's so much automation.

30:09So, think with your domain expertise, how can you leverage AI that way you can design workflows?

30:16I think the more important piece is to understand what competencies will future-proof you.

30:22What will be, what will humans be needed if a lot of the thinking can be done by AI, right?

30:31And so, it's designing the systems.

30:35It's designing, architecting the processes.

30:38It's taste.

30:39It is relationships.

30:40It is the human experience, right?

30:43And therefore, yun siguro ma-advise ko, get a domain expertise that you absolutely would love.

30:49Kahit maging mahirap yung challenge around, especially sa mga new grads, it's a bit difficult now because a lot of

30:57the entry-level jobs are disappearing.

31:01But the world is our oyster.

31:03You can learn anything.

31:05You can dabble with AI, right?

31:07And then you can build your portfolio.

31:10So, basically, ang sinasabi mo is like, you know, follow your heart.

31:15What turns you on, no?

31:16Gain some expertise and skills.

31:19But that has to be transferable to, you know, online employment.

31:24I mean, you know, if your expertise is, I mean, if you want to be a nurse or a seaman,

31:30di ba?

31:30If that's where your passion is, I mean, that's not going to get you a job with Remotify, right?

31:35Or a company, right?

31:37So, it has to be also aligned with, like, a kind of subset of jobs, right?

31:44So, you mentioned accounting.

31:46So, that's numeracy.

31:48So, some people are good at that.

31:49And then you mentioned, you know, writing.

31:52But I guess even, I guess there are also doctors who work online.

31:58I have a doctor that I just see online, di ba?

32:01I mean, nasa Manila lang siya.

32:02I live in Cavite.

32:03So, I don't have to keep going there, you know, just to get, just to have a consultation, di ba?

32:08And, you know, she could be in New York for all eye care, right?

32:12Exactly.

32:13Yeah.

32:14And she's a doctor.

32:15So, it really depends on what particular service you're offering.

32:22So, may mga math teachers din online.

32:24Meron ding, like I mentioned, di ba?

32:27Meron kaming architects, mga graduate from Ateneo de Davao.

32:31Shout out, no?

32:32Pero, they're helping CAD design for a lighting design firm in the UK.

32:37You can apply yourself in different ways because your knowledge and your domain expertise can be applied in different ways.

32:45Yeah.

32:45If you're a writer, your taste is what will hedge you.

32:50So, writing, no?

32:51So, I speak to a lot of student audiences and, you know, there's still a lot of communication students out

32:58there.

33:00Mascom, journalism, et cetera.

33:03Communication.

33:03Arts.

33:04Yeah.

33:05And, you know, basic skill in those fields is writing, right?

33:10And, as you met, we keep talking about AI, di ba?

33:13There are some people who say that, you know, I mean, the value of writing, good writing, is actually going

33:19down because mas magaling pa yung AI, in fact, than a lot of people.

33:24What would you advise?

33:26How can they make sure that they will have employment with AI ready to kind of take over much of

33:33the world?

33:34Can't really guarantee that there would be jobs for these, right?

33:39But, what I'm saying is, more than writing, it is the ability to tell stories, maybe.

33:45And, imagine that if 10 companies would use AI, and just AI, without anybody guiding the taste of the storytelling.

33:56Di, lahat ng companies na 10 na yun, pare-pares yung sinulat.

33:59So, there's still the human ability to direct what narrative you would want to put out.

34:07But, I think that's still very critical.

34:11I think, also, when it comes to taste, you know, people would see work that will touch their souls.

34:19And, yes, AI can do that, but there's still a lot of human in it, right?

34:24And, maybe I wouldn't say writing is in demand for remote work.

34:30Like I mentioned earlier, different domain expertise.

34:34May mga nurses din na nag-work online, but not as a nurse, but just creating medical manuals for an

34:43edtech company in Singapore, for example, right?

34:46So, different domain expertise, and you can apply it differently.

34:50But, I think the biggest challenge now is to kind of understand the full evolution of what AI can do,

35:00and then think how you could orchestrate that.

35:03Think how you could apply your domain expertise with that.

35:05Yeah, and a lot of people still want to have that human touch, even online.

35:12Even on Zoom, even if they can learn something via AI, you know, I have friends who are teachers, you

35:20know, they're teachers during the week.

35:21And then, weekends, they're online teaching English, you know, to people in non-English-speaking countries, and add to their,

35:30you know, income substantially.

35:32I'm sure you have, you probably have employees like that as well, no?

35:35Like, take advantage of the opportunity now, now that the world is our oyster, but don't forget to upskill.

35:45And there's still a lot of requirement for human nga.

35:48Like, I think there's one big company, Howie, like it's Klarna.

35:53When AI became a big thing, they started sacking thousands of their employees, and then they ended up backpedaling and

36:02hiring back those, the employees that they fired.

36:06So, you know, and we can't, we don't know where the future is headed.

36:09We can't guarantee that that would still be the case.

36:12So, the only thing we can really help ourselves with is to be self-directed learners, be lifelong learners.

36:19Like, let's not be ostriches, that we dig a hole in the ground, thinking we'll not be impacted by this.

36:26But domain expertise in the human soul, I think, judgment, taste, relationships, relational abilities, these are things that we can

36:36never go wrong with.

36:37Plus, AI and digital fluency, right?

36:40So, if you apply yourself that way, I think, that's a good thing.

36:44Yeah, sabi mo, your employees are in 30 provinces, no?

36:48So, what are some of the more exotic places your employees are based, no?

36:54Sabi mo, I think only 28% lang ang nasa NCR or some, you know, low percentage like that, no?

36:59So, the vast majority are outside Manila.

37:02So, nabanggit mo yung Bantayan Island.

37:05You know, I've been there, you know, it's away from the mainstream ng Cebu.

37:10Cebu is very, you know, commercialized and even industrial, no?

37:14But Bantayan is a very quiet island and it's a nice place to live, no?

37:19Where else are your professionals based?

37:25Yung mga naiinggit ako, meron nasa El Nido, Palawan, nasa Panglao, Buhol.

37:31There's also people from Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Kutabaco.

37:36So, these people moved to El Nido and Panglao for the lifestyle and attractions or they're from there?

37:43They're from there.

37:45Okay.

37:45So, meron din siguro mga tao na, even from Manila, who said,

37:49oh, now that I can work anywhere in the world, I'm going to work on the beach, di ba?

37:53I'm going to work at a resort.

37:54I'm going to work somewhere really nice.

37:57Probably, right?

37:58Probably.

37:59Masta naman nasa Philippines sila, di ba?

38:01Kasi Philippines employment contract.

38:03Kasi nasa Philippines, anywhere in the Philippines where you have good connection, that's good.

38:10Pero marami sa kanila talaga, ha?

38:12We tiga dun.

38:13Merong exotic place, Kutabato, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Sarangani, right?

38:21I'm so happy to see all these provinces that I didn't even imagine that we'll be able to reach, right?

38:27But what they need is internet speed, right?

38:32I mean, yeah, that's basic.

38:34It's like plumbing, di ba?

38:35I mean, you need good plumbing to serve, di ba?

38:39I mean, so that's a long-time problem of the Philippines.

38:42So is this helping, you know, your industry, is this speeding up improvements in internet speed and service?

38:51Even where I live in Cavite, biglang, you know, mawawala yung service for like hours, no?

38:57And then, you know, productivity goes down.

39:00And so, I mean, there's a lot to improve there as well, di ba?

39:03Correct.

39:04There's still a lot to improve.

39:05Kudos to the ICT as well that they've been giving away SIM cards for, you know, backup internet.

39:13And they're building more of these infrastructure.

39:19It could be faster, of course.

39:21I mean, we could always hope for a better connection.

39:23When I was in Siargao, I had to dial into a meeting and biglang nawalan ng power or internet, right?

39:30So these are infrastructure things that we need to invest in, need to hopefully fix.

39:36Pero when we hire employees, part of the pre-employment form is for them to run their internet speed test

39:48and their backup internet speed test, right?

39:50To make sure lang na parang, okay, so if your main connection fails, this is your lifeline.

39:57You're wanting a remote job.

39:59So malamang, this is the main investment you would want to be able to do kung hindi ka magkocommute.

40:05Is it an edge for an employee or an applicant to your company or to a client overseas to say

40:12that I have Starlink at home.

40:16So kahit bumagsak yung wifi, yung internet system sa amin, it's not going to disrupt.

40:23Also, I have my own generator or I have solar.

40:28So I'm not affecting our interruptions.

40:30Is that a major advantage for people in your industry?

40:35Is that worth the investment?

40:37Will somebody hire you over somebody who doesn't have these?

40:41I think there are a couple na may Starlink din, but I wouldn't say na parang that's an end-all

40:48be-all.

40:49Ano parang talagang skill, culture fit, ability to communicate, and domain expertise, I think could still be it.

40:59And then, of course, the basics, right?

41:01Do you have internet?

41:02Like, do you have laptop, a working laptop?

41:05I have a question about employment and unemployment.

41:09Matas parang yung unemployment and especially underemployment sa Pilipinas.

41:13So is remote work a possible solution to the unemployment, underemployment problem?

41:21Or are your typical employees so specialized that no matter what industry they're in, they would have employment?

41:33In other words, they would not be counted among the unemployed if not for remote work.

41:40If not, I mean, they'd be working regardless.

41:43So in other words, yung employment kasi industry niyo, are you just drawing employees from on-site work,

41:53from typical office-based work to work remotely?

41:56Or are you actually helping solve the unemployment problem?

42:01I think in many ways, we're helping solve unemployment.

42:05Kasi imagine that, like I mentioned, daming employees sa Sultan Kudarat, they don't have to travel, di ba?

42:11Pero wala namang probably infrastructure of offices there.

42:14And the economic impact to the sari-sari stores or the schools there, right?

42:21I believe we are able to contribute so much in that.

42:26There's also, you know, outsourcing.

42:30Pero just logically thinking, like, if you will have a community of kind of experts in provinces

42:39that no longer need to go centrally in their, like, main Davao or Cebu or Medo Manila.

42:46Do you have stories or do you have anecdotes about, like, a small town where you happen to have a

42:52concentration of remote workers,

42:55you know, making an impact on, like, the local economy?

42:59I can imagine.

43:00I mean, you just mentioned that, no?

43:01Now, of course, if they don't have to move to, like, if you're in Sultan Kudarat,

43:06you don't have to move to Cotabato or Davao or Cagayan to have gainful employment.

43:11I mean, you're staying in your small town, no?

43:13And then you're telling all your friends and college classmates from the same town,

43:17hey, we don't, you know, we can all do remote work.

43:19And, you know, barkada tayo rito.

43:21We don't have to be scattered all over the place, no?

43:24We can stay together.

43:25And, you know, because their income is growing, their purchasing power is growing,

43:29wala naman sila mga pamilya, no?

43:31They're spending time in coffee shops, buying, you know, expensive coffee and, you know, doing, you know, fine dining.

43:38It's creating all of these small businesses.

43:39May anong bang ganong klaseng impact or is that something that you think is still going to happen in some

43:45places?

43:46I think there's so much more opportunities so long as we can keep the trust in remote work

43:54and outsourcing to the Philippines, hi.

43:58I think I'll give you one example, no?

44:02A real story.

44:03We had to ship a laptop to somebody in Palau, no, in Buhol.

44:09Okay.

44:12And, nung pinaship namin to our logistics partner,

44:20I'm so happy, nakakilala namin yung may-ari ng logistics partner.

44:24Na parang, kasi pagdating niya doon sa area, it's unpaved road, walang street signs.

44:30So, parang dapat between the mango trees yung bahay.

44:34Tapos, the driver was kind of asking, oh, do you know this person?

44:39We would need to deliver the laptop.

44:41And, mga tatlong araw siyang bumalik kasi hindi lumalabas masyado yung employee,

44:47hindi siya masyado familiar to the kapitbahays.

44:49Finally, the driver was able to find the house, deliver the laptop.

44:55They have good internet connection at least kay Tindipay Viyong Road.

44:58But, imagine that, that you can create work, access to work,

45:05in that walang street sign na place in Buhol, right?

45:13One thing makes me so happy about, you know, making a bet on the Philippine talent,

45:20remote work, and Remotify, right?

45:22Because I was also an employee before founding Remotify.

45:25I had to take that leap of entrepreneurship.

45:29And, like, the thing that makes me so happy is this.

45:32Stories like this that we can democratize access to secure full-time remote employment.

45:38Because all of your workers are at home, and we know that homes these days are being flooded.

45:43But, yung sinasabi mong example sa Buhol, Buhol ba yun?

45:48Parang nasa, wala man lang street sign, no?

45:51So, I'm sure kung paha sa lugar na yun, ay apektado sila.

45:54So, you'll have to, ano, no?

45:56I guess it's part of your role to explain to international clients that, you know,

46:02your employees are humans, they're not robots,

46:04and they're affected by, you know, natural disasters.

46:08Even personal issues, they get sick, di ba?

46:11And they're not able to.

46:11But you have a contingency.

46:14Because work has to continue in those countries where your clients are.

46:20But, kunyari, ay magkasakit, mabuntis,

46:22and then, you know, they have to, you know, they have to take a long leave.

46:24So, you take care of those situations, no?

46:28Yeah, the good thing, Howie, is that remote work in and of itself

46:32is a business continuity plan.

46:34Kasi kung may teammate ka sa Cebu na binagyo,

46:38pero may isa kang pang-team member sa Manila,

46:40yung Manila mo hindi affected.

46:42Yung Cebu mo may be affected, right?

46:45So, that's the beauty of it, right?

46:47Like, business continuity plan siya in and of itself.

46:51So, the story is far from over.

46:53This is just beginning, right?

46:55So, how do you see the future?

46:58Well, the Philippine talent has always been there.

47:01Technology has removed geography as a barrier, no?

47:06That's the great thing.

47:08Remote work gives Filipinos unprecedented access to global opportunities.

47:12AI can increase that opportunity or can remove that opportunity.

47:16But access to AI has also moved much faster, no?

47:23Like, we can curate our time to be experts at this.

47:28And the next phase should be turning flexible digital work into sustainable,

47:32high-quality careers where it's not just a numbers game.

47:36It is how much value are we able to create with the talents that we have.

47:41So, if I could leave the audience and you how we would like maybe six numbers

47:48that we've collected through the survey, you know?

47:5188% value work from anywhere, work from home.

47:5588% of the survey respondents say they save commute savings.

48:02So, please, let's savor that, guys.

48:0485% enjoys more family time, but 7 in 10 lack benefits beyond their salaries.

48:1245% do not file taxes consistently because of, like, inconsistent income mostly.

48:18And then 77% want, you know, employment record.

48:2483% say AI and automation is a skill they need to develop.

48:28So, let that sink in that there's so much opportunity.

48:32There's also a lot of threat.

48:34Like, we can't really predict what will happen next.

48:38But all we can do is to strengthen our competencies to make sure that, you know,

48:43we get into a domain that we would love to be experts in.

48:48Then you apply technology to improve your value creation.

48:56Wow.

48:56Okay.

48:57Gosh, that was a really insightful conversation.

49:00And, you know, we want to thank you for your time and what you're doing to take care of all

49:06these workers

49:06scattered all over the Philippines, you know, needing work, having, you know,

49:12all this specialized knowledge, but, and now not needing to go to Manila

49:16or to any other urban center to have gainful work with, you know, good quality of life.

49:23Thank you very much, Maria Suggang, co-founder and CEO of Remotify,

49:29an outsourcing partner that helps international businesses hire and manage remote teams in the Philippines.

49:36Thank you very much, Howie.

49:38Thank you, Podmates, for listening and watching until the very end of this podcast.

49:43Alam nyo na, nakakatalino ang mahabang attention span.

49:47Don't forget to like, subscribe, and binge watch our episodes.

49:50Mabuhay kayo at ingat lagi.

49:54Bye.

49:56Bye.

49:58Bye.

49:59Bye.

On remote work — Can the Philippines export talent without exporting people? | The Howie Severino Podcast

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