A copy of the offensive video that Malaysia pulled out from social media

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MANILA, Philippines – The mother company of Aegis Malaysia on Monday said it did not approve the controversial video that promoted Malaysia but criticized the Philippines as an investment destination.

“We regret the upload of the recent video on Malaysia. The video was developed locally by an agency and uploaded in error and the contents were NOT approved by Aegis Corporate,” Aegis Limited told INQUIRER.net.

The response came a couple of days after a three-minute video touting Malaysia as having a superior business environment compared to the Philippines circulated online, enraging Filipino netizens. Aegis Limited replied to INQUIRER.net, a couple of hours after the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia demanded an explanation.

The business process outsourcing company said the Philippines played an important role in its growth and success since being acquired by People Support in 2008.

“We would like to articulate that Aegis has had a wonderful experience in the Philippines – great clients, a great leadership team and above all great employees,” it said.

The company further explained that as a global business, it “strongly care(s)” about the communities where it operates and is “fully committed to both diversity and inclusion.”

“We apologize and regret any communication that may have inadvertently hurt any sentiments,” Aegis said.

The video not only criticized the Philippines for being vulnerable to natural disasters, it also warned investors against lack of government support, security problems and poor infrastructure.

While some netizens agreed that the country still has a long way to go when it comes to developing an attractive business climate, they said it was inappropriate for Aegis Malaysia to single out and denigrate the Philippines.

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Some criticized Aegis for releasing a video that put the Philippines, which had served its business interests, in a bad light.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia said the government continues to improve the ease of doing business in the Philippines.

Below is the transcript of the narration of the video advertisement.

“Expansion and growth are words of importance in the present times. When companies look to grow and expand geographically, they make a decision. A choice of where they want to see themselves next in the global map.

“Making that choice isn’t easy, it never was. Because after all the hard work that the process entails, the last thing you might want to have is a not so supportive business environment at the place where you choose to be.

“An environment where there is inadequate infrastructure, an unfriendly climate for smooth operations, less security, and lack of government support. An environment that might hinder your interactions with clients, customers, and partners.

“To make things worse, the place could be falling in the Ring of Fire, thus being prone to natural disasters like typhoons, cyclones, etcetera, impacting the operation of businesses and bloating up the cost of living.

“Unstable businesses generally lead to higher attrition rates, which make availability of suitable talent, tougher.

“For the same reason, Malaysia is becoming a preferred alternate to the Philippines and is fast emerging as the ultimate investment destination for multinationals, boasting of a world-class infrastructure that not just oversees the future but also houses innovative spaces and systems that blend tradition and technology.

“Malaysia is investor-friendly, owing to flexible policies of the government and less bureaucracy, making processes easy, and administrators accessible.

“The place is not just stable when it comes to governance but also in terms of its climate as its tropical temperature makes Malaysia a safer zone.

“Being a country rich in diversified cultures, natural resources, competitive talent pools, and leisure lifestyles, Malaysia is the perfect balance of business and pleasure.

“Aptly complemented with the availability of best-skilled talent which is customizable to business needs. That’s why we at Aegis have created a Malaysia stronghold that enables us to offer multi-lingual capabilities along with differentiated and hospitable services to global giants.

“This also let us be a part of Malaysia’s drive of becoming a developed digital economy by 2020. Because we understand that how you grow depends on who you grow with.”

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