MANILA, Philippines -- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will open a trade office in India, partly to keep tabs on the country's biggest outsourcing rival.

DTI will open a representative office in New Delhi next month, according to Josephine Romero, DTI trade office assigned to New York.

Though targeting the same market, the government has emphasized on collaboration -- instead of competition -- with India.

"The government's stand on India is to work with them," Romero said during an industry briefing. In an interview, Romero said DTI's local presence in India serves to compliment its trade offices in the US, considered the biggest market for business process outsourcing (BPO).

"We have a lot of buyers (outsourcers) based in New York, for example, who may see India as a first choice," she said. "We'd like to have local presence there in order to see what India is doing right as an industry." Local industry group Business Process Association of the Philippines (B/PAP) has also initiated collaboration efforts with India's National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM).

The last two years saw a number of Indian companies setting up call center operations in the country, either opening "captive" offices or acquiring and merging with local operators -- an indication of the Philippines' strength in voice based services.

"While they have a strategy, we would like to manage that and avoid lock, stock and barrel acquisitions. We would like to highlight local players to become partners with their Indian counterparts," Romero said.