MANILA – US President Donald Trump’s tough rhetoric is unlikely to drive American companies to shut their outsourced operations in the Philippines, a property developer said Tuesday.

Labor costs in the Philippines are equivalent to about a fifth of wages in the US. Filipino call center agents are also more adept at handling irate customers, said Megaworld Corp. senior vice president Kevin Tan.

Trump’s most recent pronouncements were geared towards manufacturing, Tan told ANC.

“On the BPO side, I have to say first and foremost, it is going to be a quite a challenge for them to actually bring it back,” Tan said, referring to jobs outsourced by US firms.

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Tan said Trump would risk driving inflation and making American companies less competitive if he insists on bringing jobs back to the US.