As trouble hits Vodafone NZ's offshored support, Telecom says it's already survived server disruption in the Philippines.

An expansion bid into the Philippines appears to be paying off for ANZ.

Energy Development Corp, the Philippines’ largest producer of geothermal energy, has signed a $US175 million loan facility with the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ).

In a statement today, EDC said that the three-year loan was for corporate funding purposes, including the repayment of maturing loans.

OceanaGold says its Didipio mine project in the Philippines has escaped unscathed from some of the worst flooding to hit the region in more than four decades.

Oceana (OGC:NZX) is pushing ahead with the $US320 million copper and gold mine despite a series of setbacks, including failing to secure $200 million in funds earlier this year and a recent shooting incident that left a security worker dead.

Telstra has reignited the offshoring debate with its announcement that it is closing a Philippines-based help service, about six months after it began.

"The change is being made because our customers asked for it," Telstra spokesman Rod Bruem told The Australian.

The New Zealand-China free trade agreement, which garnered so much media hype for months on end, has been quietly exceeded in scope and quality by a newly-minted deal between New Zealand, Australia and Asean, which pulls back the curtain on a market of 575 million people.

The timing of the signing of the deal (last Friday night New Zealand time in Thailand) is exquisite because it will apply positive pressure to Asian economic giants such as Korea, India and Japan to join the party.

Juggling the demands of shareholders with the feel-good sentiments of its Made From New Zealand campaign, Telecom is exporting more call centre jobs to the Philippines.

The telco says it will outsource 250 call centre positions to the Philippines over the next 18 months. At the end that period, around 700 staff answering 123 help calls will be working for Manila based call centre. The remaining 1600 will be based at Telecom’s own call centres around New Zealand, mostly based in Hamilton.