Here's Why Investing in Properties In The Philippines Is a Good Idea

Wazzup Pilipinas!

As one of the world's fastest emerging markets, the Philippines has become one of the countries where investors look for great investment opportunities.

The substantial rise in acquiring interest from the international market has continuously risen, as seen from the increase in the purchase of condominium units by expatriates, foreigners, and multinational corporations.  But why is investing in real estate properties in the Philippines a good idea?

The demand for Philippine properties remains strong

Because of the growth of the BPO sectors and the influx of Mainland Chinese in the country, the need for residential properties, both from the workers and the expats of the companies, increases as well.

By the law of supply and demand, because there is static supply and the market’s demand is high, the rental rates are steadily increasing. The vacancy rate is at its lowest that’s why a record-high of 54,000 pre-sold condo units were sold last year in Metro Manila.

Another sector contributing to the growing demand for office space is the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) landscape. Megaworld Corporation, the top lessor of office space in the Philippines, has already leased 80,000 square meters to POGO operators.

POGO requires a lot of office space for their back office, customer support operations, IT and technical support. As reported earlier this year, POGOs and BPOs have been fighting for limited office space in Metro Manila, and the result was an increase of as much as 300 percent on rental fees.

The Philippine economy continues to expand

Figures coming from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) states that the country is still among the fastest-growing economies in Emerging Asia, with an average annual growth rate of 6.2% in 2018.

An excellent hedge against inflation is in real estate investment. Philippines’ properties rental income and its investment value increase as the price level increases due to inflation. It implies that both the immediate and long-term impacts of inflation protect investors.

  

Cost of property is one of the lowest in Asia

In fact, according to the Global Property Guide, the average price per square meter of a condo unit in Manila is approximately $2807, making the Philippines the third least expensive country for real estate investment.

Philippines won’t see any price correction and real-estate bubble in the future, even with comparatively low prices, as the economy is continuously climbing at an impressive rate. Because of the low peso value, foreign investors can invest more in the real estate Philippine market.

The Philippines is a top tourist destination

The Philippines is truly a traveller’s dream. The country is known for having rich biodiversity as well as a profound cultural and historical heritage. Statistics from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported that there were 7.1 million tourists that visited the Philippines in 2018. That is a growth of 7.7% compared to the year before.

Leisure and tourism facilities are known to influence property value. Because of the volume of the tourists that needed a place to stay, there is a high yield for short term renting of properties in the area. Over time, the development of infrastructures will commence catering to many tourists, thus affecting the land value of the surrounding properties.

President Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” Program

President Duterte launched the "Build, Build, Build" (BBB) program aimed at accelerating infrastructure spending and developing sectors that will deliver steady growth, generate employment and enhance Filipinos ' lives.

Philippine infrastructure modernization is anticipated to accelerate and work particularly well for the real estate sector, giving an additional boost and more confidence, not only in Metro Manila, but also in other parts of the county.

Good Return of Investment

Making profit is the primary purpose of any real estate investment. Philippines real estate experts would argue that Return of Investment (ROI) is the measure which is used to evaluate the profitability of an investment. It measures the amount of return on a specific investment relative to the investment’s cost. 

Unlike before, when investors only considered condo units, houses and land as suitable types of investment, investing in memorial lots are now growing in popularity as they see a high return on their investments. These investors can expect to earn 10% of their investment every two to three years.

Almost everyone can find a memorial lot for sale and purchase it because they can pay by monthly amortizations at low-interest rates. Investors can purchase memorial lots for the inevitable future, or they can resell it at a higher price later.

There is also no need for constant upkeep since maintenance of memorial lots are also shouldered by the developer, which already includes the cleaning of the area and the regular trimming of the grass. 

The Roots Commune: Building a Creative Community of Entrepreneurs for Local Growth and Sustainability

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Can sustainable living be, in fact, sustained? A small band of local entrepreneurs is certainly pushing to make it so.

To promote sustainability and local creativity, the Roots Collective, in partnership with the Peace
and Equity Foundation (PEF), will hold a special retail exhibit and fair at Uptown Bonifacio mall at the end of September. Called the Roots Commune, it is to showcase a wide array of ethically-made products – from farm-to-cup herbal blends to zero-waste necessities, to handcrafted accessories, to all-natural foodstuffs.

This seven-day event will also feature founders of social enterprises, as well as key members from their partner communities, who will be talking about their journeys together in building long-lasting collaborations towards a better future for the next generation.

The Roots Commune is part of the Roots Collective’s efforts to create a space where entrepreneurs can come together and work towards local growth and sustainability. Through this fair, the participating enterprises can provide greater market access and funding opportunities for their partner communities.

It will house several well-loved local brands such as Tsaa Laya, HABI Footwear and Lifestyle, Gouache[AC1] , Woven, Hiraya Chocolates, Wholly Grain, BalaiKamay, Lakan Lubi VCO and many more. Each of these enterprises collaborates with a community of skilled workers – from farmers to rural weavers to urban artisans – to create mindful and impactful yet useful and quality products. More than the bottom line, these entrepreneurs give importance to their respective social missions and their shared goals of inclusive growth.

According to Jamir Ocampo, CEO of the Roots Collective, “We realized there’s really a need for a community hub. It’s just more than a space – we help each other figure out together how to grow big. If there’s anything that this new generation of social enterprise did at Roots, it’s growing together.”

The Roots Commune will be held at the Atrium of Uptown Bonifacio mall in Taguig from September 30 to October 6, 2019. On Wednesday, October 2, the Sibol Fund Kick-Off will be held at the space, featuring development funders PEF and Forest Foundation Philippines (FFP). The Sibol Fund is a special grant facility that will enable start-ups to develop or enhance the social impact of their business for poverty alleviation and environmental conservation.

Apart from that, there will be creativity workshops, advocacy talks, and recycling drives all throughout the week.


About the Roots Collective

What began as a co-working space-cum-boutique in Katipunan has grown into a pioneering community of entrepreneurs working for the sustainable and inclusive development of the Philippines.

Instituto Cervantes’ PELÍCULA-Spanish Film Festival Kicks Off on October 3 at Greenbelt 3

Wazzup Pilipinas!

From October 3 to 13, the 18th edition of PELÍCULA-Spanish Film Festival will feature the best of contemporary Spanish cinema at Greenbelt 3. Presented by Instituto Cervantes, the Embassy of Spain, Turespaña, and the FDCP, the 2019 Spanish Film Festival will screen more than 20 films under the motto “18 Years advocating quality films on the Big Screen”.

Since its conception in 2002 by Instituto Cervantes, the Spanish Film Festival has been an annual attraction at Greenbelt. Following that tradition, the first leg of the Festival will be held at Greenbelt 3 Cinemas from Oct 3 to 13, and it will conclude at the Cine Adarna-UP Film Institute from October 23 to 24. The second leg will feature a selection of the programmed films, including the winner of the Audience Choice Award.

With genres ranging from comedy, drama, historical, thriller, documentary, fantasy, and even animation for adults, there is a movie for every viewer. The Festival will open with an animation film for adults, Buñuel en el laberinto de las tortugas (Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles), which was preselected by the Spanish Film Academy for the next Oscars. Other movies in this year’s line-up are Els dies que vindran (Carlos Marques-Marcet, 2019), Isabel Coixet’s latest film, Elisa y Marcela (2019), the biopic Yuli (Icíar Bollaín, 2018), and the multi-awarded Isaki Lacuesta’s film Entre dos aguas (2018), which bagged the Golden Shell to the Best Film at the 2018 San Sebastian Film Festival.

Dramas will be well represented in this year’s edition, with worthy works like No sé decir adiós (Lino Escalera, 2017), Quién te cantará (Carlos Vermut, 2018), and Litus, the intimate movie for which director Dani de la Orden recently received the Best Film Award at the 2019 Malaga Film Festival. Dani de la Orden doubles in PELíCULA with the comedy, El mejor verano de mi vida (2018).

From the country that produces thrillers like the world-acclaimed series La casa de papel (Money Heist), you can expect a few gripping crime and suspense movies like the multi-awarded political thriller, El Reino (Rodrigo Sorogoyen, 2018), the thriller 70 binladens (Koldo Serra, 2018), and the pseudo-documentary Apuntes para una película de atracos (Notes for a Heist Film), directed by León Siminiani in 2018.

PELÍCULA will also show Latin American cinema, with one feature film from Colombia, El piedra (Rafael Martínez Moreno, 2018), and three Argentine-Spanish co-productions: El Ángel (Luis Ortega, 2018), Mi obra maestra (Gastón Duprat, 2018), and maestro Juan José Campanella’s latest work, the black comedy El cuento de las comadrejas (The Weasels’ Tale).

A Tribute to Filipino Cinema

The Filipino word “pelikula”, derived from the Spanish word “película”, echoes the cultural ties shared by the Philippines and Spain. In line with this, since its first editions the Festival has aimed to offer joint Filipino-Spanish programs. This year, declared the Centennial Year of the Filipino Cinema by a Presidential Proclamation, PELíCULA did not want to let the opportunity pass to pay tribute to the rich history of Philippine film industry. On October 12, at 2pm, film historian Nick Deocampo will deliver a talk on the origins of cinema in the Philippines. The same day, at 4:30pm, PELÍCULA, in collaboration with TBA Studios, will screen Habambuhay (2019), presented by its director Clodualdo del Mundo. Habambuhay is a documentary that commemorates the lives and efforts of the people behind and in front of the camera who shaped the Philippine Movie Industry. It features archival footage, clips and photos, as well as exclusive interviews with screen legends like Anita Linda, Eddie Mesa, Rosemarie Gil, and Eddie Garcia, in the actor’s last in-depth interview before his passing.


Audience Choice Award

Last but not least, film buffs should not miss the yearly “Audience Choice” Award. The audience will be given stubs where they can rate the movies they have seen. For every five movies, members of the audience qualify to join the raffle where they get a chance to win free dinners in five of the best Spanish restaurants in town –namely La Pícara, Barcino, Bar Pintxos, Tapella, and Pablo Bistro. The winning movie will be re-shown on October 13, 7pm, at Greenbelt 3, and on October 24 at Cine Adarna (UP Diliman).

Presented by Instituto Cervantes, the Embassy of Spain–AECID, TurEspaña, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, PELÍCULA is made possible by Ayala Cinemas, Rustan’s and The PTC Group of Companies, in collaboration with the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in The Philippines-La Cámara, UP Film Institute Intramuros Administration, Nettflix, TBA Studios, Restaurante La Pícara, Barcino, Bar Pintxos, Tapella and Pablo Bistro.

For the schedule, film details and further information on the Festival, please visit https://manila.cervantes.es or the Facebook page of Instituto Cervantes: www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila