As Christmas draws near, a “Magical Tribute Tree” in honor of Filipino business processing outsourcing (BPO) employees continues to shine brightly at the center of the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City.

Set up and sponsored by Convergys, the 35-feet Christmas tree was lit to recognize the hard work and dedication of Filipinos working for the BPO industry and their significant contribution to the country’s economic growth. Convergys vice president and country manager Ivic Mueco led the ceremonial lighting of the Christmas symbol together with representatives from partner organization, the Ayala Land, and event beneficiary World Vision.

Convergys employees from different contact centers also witnessed the tribute Christmas tree come to life. With over 30,000 employees from 17 sites in the cities of Makati, Manila, Quezon, Muntinlupa and Mandaluyong, Convergys is the largest private employer in the country today.

“BPO workers are the unsung heroes of our country today,” Mueco told reporters in an interview. “So we are paying tribute to them, the men and women of the BPO sector, through the Magical Tribute Tree.”

Besides honoring the BPO workers, the lighting of the tree also signifies the spirit of giving through an initiative by Convergys. According to Mueco, this is Convergys’ nationwide referral program for the benefit of World Vision.

The program encourages all Convergys employees to donate P1,000 from the fee they receive whenever they refer someone to work for the BPO company. For every employee referral made this month until January 17, 2013, the program seeks to support 1,000 World Vision beneficiary children.

“We regularly ask our employees to donate from their own savings—for example to victims of the Typhoon Pablo just recently. Now, what we really want is to impart is that, if we are given something, we share a part of it. That’s the meaningful side of this [referral] program.”

Asked how the Convergys employees responded to the program, Mueco answered, “They were positive.”

She added, “Of course, we don’t close the fact that some of the employees would want to keep the referral fee on their own. But we believe that it is not only money that they can give to World Vision. They can also give their talent and time, which some of our employees are already doing.”

Mueco shared that some Convergys employees sponsor their own World Vision children secretly, while others volunteer and donate to Convergys’ corporate social responsibility arm, the Community Action Network (CAN).

Also, different Convergys sites had been donating separately to World Vision even before the referral program.

“This is our biggest [partnership] with World Vision because we harnessed all our 17 locations under one massive program. Imagine, we have 32,000 employees. And from the 2,500 people we hire every month, 30 to 35 percent are from referrals,” Mueco explained.

“World Vision and Convergys share the philosophy of rebuilding lives and educating people, so that they will be able to get a job, whether in this industry or not,” she concluded.

The Magical Tribute Tree will be on view at the Ayala Triangle Gardens until January 7, 2013. Other festive events are organized nightly, including choral competitions and musical performances, as well as the Enchanting Lights and Sound show.