Today, the folks over at Google Philippines invited us to check out their new digs. The company has had a local presence ever since they set up shop in 2013, but their new home is definitely something to behold. We weren’t allowed to take photos in certain areas or reveal the exact location of their HQ (for security purposes,  we’re guessing) , but its open floor plan and well thought out spaces definitely made us envious. While their office was impressive to say the least, the tour of their space was more than just to show off.

With Google Philippines’ move to a much larger space comes a greater investment to the country and its people. They announced the release of 188 new local sites on Street View, which include stunning landmarks in Palawan, Batangas, and Guimaras; bringing the total number of Street View sites in the country to 300. They’ve also added the Intramuros Collection to Google Arts and Culture, where you can take a Cardboard tour of The Walled City, enjoy 76 high resolution images, and their exhibit of “An Interpretation of the Virgin”.

The company also highlighted the importance of the digital economy in the country. With that in mind, Google Philippines outs their Launchpad Accelerator program to help support start-ups and help them grasp opportunities through e-commerce.

Last, and certainly not the least, was the announcement of Google Philippines’ grant to DigiBayanihan — a nationwide digital literacy program. The support from Google.org seeks to bring the initiatives of DigiBayanihan to one million of our countrymen in Visayas and Mindanao.

These announcements are just the tip of the iceberg, and we can definitely expect more from Google Philippines. Google is also looking to expand their team in the country and we definitely saw a few workstations reserved for future employees. If you want to check out what they need, you good go to their careers page.