To develop and enhance economic inclusivity in the country, the government must push for the development of areas outside Metro Manila.
“Development of more integrated communities within and outside Metro Manila, Colliers also encourages developers to assess the viability of launching more master-planned communities to take advantage of the government’s infrastructure projects,” said Joey Roi Bondoc, research director of Colliers Philippines during its recent quarterly report held in Makati City.
Moreover, Bondoc pointed out that in the next 12 to 36 months, the attractiveness of Central and Southern Luzon for township development will get stronger as the government sets to complete big-ticket projects such as the MRT-7, LRT-1 CaviteExtension, North-South Commuter Railway and Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX).
In the case of the province Bataan, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is rushing to complete by first quarter of 2023 the detailed engineering design (DED) works for the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge, a 32-kilometer-long inter-island bridge project between the provinces of Bataan in Central Luzon and Cavite in Southern Tagalog Regions.
According to a post in the DPWH web site, DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain told Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan in his inspection report “that marine geophysical surveys and geotechnical investigations in evaluating underground conditions and site characterization over the waters of Manila Bay are on-going with an overall accomplishment at 55 percent to date.”
Although the project will require a long construction period, the DPWH said it has achieved a huge progress as the government is determined to fast-track its implementation.
According to Sadain, the DPWH said it had to study the geological aspects of the site, surface and subsurface in detail given the complexity of the project before commencement of construction activities. The feasibility studies were started and completed under the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte and the project is expected to be finished under the Marcos Jr. administration.
A proactive approach to inclusivity
The Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB), the only free port in the Manila Bay area and the Philippines’s center of trade, made a proactive approach to provide the housing needs of its employees and personnnel by recently signing a renewal of memorandum of agreement (MOA) with affordable housing development firm Empresa Homes, Inc.
Right now, the FAB is arguably the fastest-growing free port in the Philippines, handling over 28,000 import/export transactions in 2022. Moreover, the FAB currently employs almost 40,000 personnel, which has the potential to achieve higher growth in the coming years because of the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB’s) approval of 17 expansion areas in one city and eight municipalities of Bataan.
Tessie Lanot, Empresa Mariveles division head said the FAB is definitely a good market for the company as it is capable of providing high-quality, value-for-money housing. “Now offering better corporate discounts on house and lot units for the exclusive use of FAB employees, Empresa truly shares its vision of making homeownership a reality for the average Filipino,” she said.
“The FAB in Bataan not only gives us a perfect opportunity to achieve this, but also presents a continuously evolving market that promises exciting opportunities in the coming years,” Lanot pointed out.
Avon Mananquil, Head of Market Research, concurred, saying, “Finding good business opportunities that help the average Filipinos, as signified by our MOA with the AFAB, is central to the Empresa Homes’ approach.”
