He also made his views known on developments in the telecommunications industry, particularly where technology intersected with business and entrepreneurship.
“Mitch Locsin dedicated much of his career to strengthening the customer experience and contact center industries, developing people, building partnerships, and helping position the Philippines as global services leader,” wrote IPA Philippines on Facebook.
For the I.T. & Business Process Association of the Philippines, where Mitch was a stalwart and served as its first executive director, he is remembered for “being endlessly accessible … going out of his way to help things far out of his job description” and for helping shepherd the industry through its formative years.
Early BPAP days
“I remember back then when I started at IBPAP back in 2004, where tasks and challenges were so different, it was like selling the country, selling the Filipino people,” Locsin said during the Asia BPM Forum 2022. “Everything back then was just focused on people, people, people and their skills.”
Toward this end, Mitch was instrumental in the creation of impactful programs such as Next Wave Cities, which brought BPOs to locations beyond the traditional business centers.
The initiative also led to the formation of LGU ICT Councils in each location, a significant step in strengthening local support for the industry.
Hyperscaler hub for Asia
In an online interview with Cito Beltran in 2023, Locsin conveyed the significant strides the country had achieved thus far in digital transformation.
“The Philippines ... is now the digital transit hub for Asia mainly because of the geopolitical issues of Hong Kong, or the max out of Singapore,” he said. “Because of our strategic location we act now as a transit hub to distribute data and services to the rest of Asia.”
He went on to say that, because of this development, the country was now “dubbed as the hyperscaler hub for Asia,” while taking cognizance of how the adoption of digital solutions among medium-sized and some small players was actually getting stronger.
“I just wish we could do more for the micro and small companies,” Mitch further said.
Shattering myths
Close to a decade ago, while sitting on a panel organized by GoNegosyo’s Mentor Me, Mitch wore the hat of an evangelist. “I represent the oldest gorilla company here,” he said, referring to PLDT, which was then marking its 88th year. He went on to discuss what he believed were misconceptions surrounding social media and how companies could leverage the platform.
“There's this myth ... social media means online presence,” he said. “I'd like to change that myth because it's not enough to have advertising on Facebook and Instagram.”
For Mitch, real online presence “is having your identity online,” and he believed that this starts with having your own website.
“Because identity confirms the validity of your company, that you are not a fly-by-night,” Locsin said.
Pandemic challenges
At the same Asia BPM Forum, Mitch recounted how the pandemic forced people to go above and beyond amid the “major challenges that everyone braved through in 2020,” especially as businesses shifted to work-from-home arrangements.
“It was toxic to say the least, getting hundreds of thousands of wireless broadband devices to the agents’ homes during the lockdown,” Mitch recalled. “I even remember delivering to airplanes in the airport, loading them to full capacity so that these BPOs could send these to Visayas and Mindanao.”
As a result, Mitch related, “around 900 to a million IT BPO agents successfully delivered quality services from their homes” — truly no mean feat.
Leading PLDT Enterprise
During his 14 years at the helm of PLDT Enterprise, the corporate business arm of the country’s leading telecommunications company, Mitch helped steer its expansion beyond traditional connectivity and into ICT, cloud, cybersecurity, managed services, and digital infrastructure.
He capped his tenure on a high note before being elevated to senior advisor. In 2025, PLDT Enterprise generated P48.4 billion in service revenues, with corporate data and ICT contributing P36.3 billion, or 75 percent of the segment’s performance.
ICT had emerged as a key growth engine, with opportunities spanning managed services, cybersecurity, cloud, and AI-enabled digital infrastructure. Among the milestones during Mitch’s tenure were the development of digital trust solutions, including a first-to-market silent authentication solution, and the launch of the Philippines’ first AI-ready hyperscale data center.
“More than a colleague and leader, Mitch was a mentor, a friend, and an inspiration to many,” said PLDT Global in a statement. “His wisdom, generosity, and kindness left a lasting mark on everyone he touched.”
Armed with a BS in Business Administration, Management and Operations from Notre Dame de Namur University, Locsin earned his master’s in Public Management from the Ateneo Graduate School of Government.
Aside from being a member of the board of trustees of the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), he was named chair of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) in 2023.
“Mitch was my first cousin,” wrote Gregorio Larrazabal, former COMELEC commissioner, in his Manila Bulletin column. “He was born a little over a year before me, and we both grew up in Ormoc City, and we were looking forward to him going back to Ormoc.”
“I wish more people had known him and not just what the corporate world knew of him — how brilliant he was and what he did for the country, especially the BPO industry…He had that vibe that made you feel that yes, there are challenges, but ultimately, these obstacles are not insurmountable.” —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
Features Reporter
