Virtual assistant job salary attracts Pinoys

Filipinos have opted to change jobs and earn more as a virtual assistant, an administrative job done from a remote office setup, usually with foreign clients.

In EJ Gomez's “24 Oras Weekend” report, Maryrose Lopez Ganzon said she earned 15% more as a virtual assistant than as a call center agent.

Ganzon, who has been working as a virtual assistant for 15 years, earns P200,000 to P300,000 a month.

“Makakapagpa-graduate na ako ng college,” said Ganzon. “You just have to treat it as a business eh. Hindi lang siya work.”

(I was able to put someone through college with my earnings. You just have to treat it as a business. It's not just going to a job.)

Being a virtual assistant includes performing tasks like web research, data encoding, computer setup, troubleshooting, and content creation.

According to Norbert Yap, operations manager of a US-based virtual assistance company, medical clinics, and foreign employers save a lot by hiring Filipinos.

He said it was also an advantage that Filipinos have a good grasp of English.

In a separate interview, Rica Aquino Rivera said being a virtual assistant allowed her to take care of her children while working from home.

However, she had to see to her own Social Security System, Philhealth, and Pag-IBIG contributions.

For New York-based Filipino Ceasar Loverita, it was comforting to know that a Filipino was assisting him arrange a clinic appointment.

“Yung virtual kasi, hindi ka na pipila. Minsan mahaba ang pila. Its very convinient at saka natutulungan yung mga kababayan natin sa Pilipinas na mabigyan ng trabaho,” Loverita said.

(I do not need to fall in line with a virtual assistant. Sometimes, the queue is long. It is very convenient, and these jobs help our countrymen in the Philippines.) — DVM, GMA Integrated News