MANILA - Google Philippines said Thursday it would hire more personnel as the Internet giant moved its local office to Taguig City on Thursday.

A larger team will help Google engage businesses in digital marketing and target a bigger market, country manager Kenneth Lingan said.

"One of the big gaps in the Philippines is as much Filipinos are digitizing, businesses have not caught up," he told ABS-CBN News at the sidelines of the launch.

Google currently employs 40 to 60 people in its new office and growth has been "exponential" since its launch in 2013, Lingan said.

The company's growth trajectory in the Philippines is expected to continue despite US President Donald Trump's protectionist policies, he added.

"We don't really see it that we will be able to stop the opportunity for companies to scale up because of online," he said.

Aside from the Philippines, Google in Southeast Asia also has offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.