Industry Veteran Ethan Cohen Joins SPi as President of Its Healthcare Business

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - December 8, 2008) - SPi, a leading knowledge process and customer interaction solutions provider, today announced the appointment of Ethan Cohen as President of its Healthcare business unit. Ethan brings more than 20 years of leadership expertise in strategy, business development, operations and IT to SPi's executive management team.

"Ethan is an extraordinarily gifted professional with a wealth of industry experience," said Peter Maquera, CEO, SPi. "I am pleased to welcome Ethan to SPi in this key strategic role and anticipate that he will have an immediate impact in accelerating our operations and technology initiatives so that we may better serve our valued clients in the medical transcription market. Ethan's business and technical experience will be invaluable as we expand our global footprint and take advantage of the myriad of opportunities available to us in the multi-million dollar healthcare market."

"SPi offers a best-shore medical transcription solution that is unmatched by the competition," said Cohen. "I'm delighted to be joining a strong management team and look forward to expanding our market presence by providing the medical transcription community with high-quality, cost-effective, onshore/offshore services that are effectively delivered using a robust and scalable technology platform."

Cohen was most recently chief executive officer of a teleradiology company servicing medical facilities and physician practices throughout the United States. Prior to that, he was executive vice president and chief technology officer for MedQuist. He also held a senior management position at McKinsey & Company, one of the world's leading global consulting firms.

About SPi

SPi is a leading full-service BPO provider with offices and facilities across North America, Europe, and Asia. SPi has over 14,000 employees delivering a wide range of Knowledge Process and Customer Interaction solutions to diversified markets, including financial services, healthcare, legal, and publishing. SPi consistently improves operating efficiency, lowers costs, and helps to strengthen the competitive position of more than 500 clients.

SPi is 100% owned by ePLDT, Inc. ePLDT is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), the leading telecommunications provider in the Philippines. PLDT is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PHP: TEL), and its American Depository Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: PHI).

For more information on SPi, visit www.spi-bpo.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Elizabeth Nolan Senior Vice President, Global Marketing and Strategy (202) 449 7692