IT-Business Process Management (IT-BPM) firms are not the only ones taking up spaces in key Metro Manila business districts today. Traditional corporate occupiers engaged in manufacturing, construction, finance, retail and the like also take credit for 55% of the live requirements or transactions in various stages of the leasing process as of Q2 2022, according to a recent study by Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC).
In fact, 235k sq m of the 451k sq m of current live requirements are actively being sought out by traditional occupiers. This is in comparison to the 212k sq m or 44 percent of live requirements from IT-BPMs.
In business districts like Alabang, for instance, traditional occupiers are filling up recently completed buildings like the 12-story 1210 Acacia at the Madrigal Business Park in Alabang, a preferred location for medium and large corporations seeking a strategic address in southern Metro Manila and a gateway to Calabarzon.
Phillip Anonuevo, LPC executive director for commercial leasing, points out that the Alabang area is particularly preferred by companies that have manufacturing facilities or business activity in Laguna and Batangas because a number of new and upgraded expressways in the region have made these sites even more accessible.
Midway between Calabarzon and the larger business districts of Metro Manila, Alabang offers upgraded telecommunication and other infrastructure, hotels and a wide range of food, entertainment and lifestyle options. Master planned with corporates in mind, Alabang’s buildings like 1210 Acacia offer lower densities than the office towers of Makati and BGC. “This means more exclusivity for its occupants, shorter waiting time in elevators, more personalized building management services and other benefits,” according to Miguel Manipol, LPC director for commercial leasing.
The self-contained Alabang community and surrounding cities also offer a range of residential options for corporate executives as well as mid-managers and rank and file. Moreover, corporations are realizing that Alabang’s proximity to the rich labor pools of Cavite, Laguna and Las Piñas-Parañaque make it an attractive work destination for its employees.
The strategic location of 1210 Acacia Alabang was one of the key considerations of Amaia Land, which has taken up 70 percent of the building’s floor area. Amaia is a subsidiary of Ayala Land focused on affordable housing nationwide.
Manipol points out that because Alabang occupiers have global clients, a number of them have also began using their offices to showcase their vibrant work environments. “It matters to global clients that a supplier’s employees are cared for and have loyalty to the firm. Seeing well-designed work areas in suppliers’ offices drive home a firm’s concern for its work force.”
The penthouse floors of 1210 Acacia with typical floor plates of 1092 sq m are particularly suitable for “showcase offices.” The building also offers four passenger elevators, VRF air-conditioning and telco services from PLDT, Globe and Converge.
Better yet, 1210 Acacia, like other developments in the area, are perceived to offer better quality of life in this modern, self-sufficient but contained business district, points out Manipol.