Oscar Sañez wears a pin of the Philippine flag on his business suit and carries a photo of his role model Jose Rizal in his wallet—close to wearing his patriotism on his sleeve.

The chief executive of the Business-Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP), Sañez admits his sense of nationalism was developed during his student days at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. This time, however, he espouses a type of nationalism that aims to showcase the talents of the Philippines in outsourcing.

Sañez, who worked for 29 years in various senior management assignments in Procter and Gamble (P&G) in the Philippines and overseas—most recently as country general manager and managing director of P&G Australia and P&G New Zealand—opted for early retirement and came back to the Philippines on November 2005.

After being a corporate warrior, Sañez yearned to work in a social-oriented environment. “When I came home, I wanted to go into an NGO-type of work. I wanted to do something in the social-development area where my leadership can be used,” says Sañez.

His wish came true after the Ayala Foundation asked him to head the Gearing Up Internet Literary and Access for Students, an initiative of organizations from the public and private sectors that seeks to provide Internet access to students and the country’s 5,433 public high schools by 2010. At the same time, he also had a teaching stint at the business management department of De La Salle University-Manila.

Then the offer from the BPAP came. He says he seized the opportunity immediately because he felt and believed the country has a big potential in outsourcing.

“I said, ‘this is huge,’ and we can make a difference. I believe the Philippines has a right to become a global leader and I believe Filipino talent can measure up with the rest of the world,” says Sañez.

The BPAP is a private organization representing the companies in the business-process outsourcing (BPO) and information technology (IT)-enabled services industries in the country. It seeks to serve its members, and the country as a whole, by helping establish the Philippines as a recognized worldwide leader in BPO and IT services and ensuring its sustainability. Under BPAP’s wings are software-application development and maintenance; animation, graphics and web design; BPOs; contact-center services; engineering design; and transcription services.

Being in sales during his entire corporate life, Sañez sees his current job as a new challenge because it involves promoting and selling the country.

“I am now selling the Philippines. I wear this pin every day to remind myself that I am selling the country. My wife always asks why I have to wear 
a Philippine flag pin even if I am not a government employee,” says Sañez.

Making a difference

When Sañez and his family were preparing to go back to the country from Australia, many Filipinos wondered and asked why they were going back considering they were living comfortably Down Under. However, he remained unfazed despite all the negative feedback he had been getting on the Philippines.

“But there was no doubt in my mind. I was so sure of what I was doing,” says Sañez.

As a Filipino expatriate, he had the opportunity to have discussions and debate with his countrymen on all the bad things happening in the country. Eventually, Sañez got tired of the jousts and gun slinging that he thought he should be part of the solution.

“Maybe there is evil going around. But is talk going to help that? In my own small way, I will try to do something,” he points out. “I don’t have to work in government or run in an election. But it is better than debating and talking about what should be right for the Philippines. After all, many people in government are trying to do a good job.”

Sañez, a three-year president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia, has a different road map in pursuing his advocacy. Running for political office is not cup of tea. As the head of the BPAP, he has the best opportunity to jump-start the agenda by promoting and developing Filipinos’ abilities for the outsourcing industry.

Sañez knows there are no short routes. He and his team are busy putting up the building blocks to ensure they are on target to generate 1 million jobs by 2010.

“This is not an overnight thing. In fact, call centers is only a portion of outsourcing. Understandably, we started with call centers. That’s fine because it’s our strength. But there’s a lot more,” he points out.

He says organizing and executing is the challenging part. Through the BPAP, the BPO industry is setting an example on how leadership is being done. The BPAP formed the Roadmap 2010 to achieve the ambitious goal.

Sañez is also building alliances with the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations to tap schools as strategic partners of the industry. Under their plan, the BPAP would help colleges and universities develop curricula so these institutions can supply the necessary manpower for the BPO and IT-enabled industries. Furthermore, teacher training will also be included.

“The biggest challenge of the industry is talent. This means we have to produce the people who are needed by the work force. You know it is a challenging issue because we don’t seem to have an adequate number of qualified people from day one of graduation,” adds Sañez.

New nationalism

Being an activist during his student days in the 1960s, Sañez says it’s time to unleash a new type of nationalism that will catapult the Filipino knowledge worker into the elite circle of the global market. He calls this new brand of nationalism “Philippines Inc.”

Proficiency in the English language is a main component to become competitive. Sañez knows he will face a barrage of criticism in pursuing a language that is a legacy of American colonialism.

“The nationalists will take it against me because they want use the local tongue. I have no quarrel with them because they have their own point. But this is a global game,” says Sañez.

“Forgive me folks, I require a high standard of English because that’s the name of the game,” he adds.

On a personal note, Sañez says it’s the same brand of nationalism he carried when working overseas. Once the BPO and IT services in the country are in full throttle, he is confident Filipinos can represent their country, showing their skill, culture and strong foundation and, at the same time, competing side by side with the rest of the world.

At the end of the day, Sañez believes heading the BPAP is not a job, but a passion. And he has found the place where he can make a difference and help propel Philippines Inc. to greater heights.

The calling

Oscar Sañez wears a pin of the Philippine flag on his business suit and carries a photo of his role model Jose Rizal in his wallet—close to wearing his patriotism on his sleeve.

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