T-HOUSE Movement: Modernizing the ‘bahay kubo’ in the new normal
PRETTY soon when Filipinos all over the world sing the folk song “Bahay Kubo,” something new in this…
Wayste: Building sustainable cities of tomorrow
THE real-estate industry has been enjoying the wave of a massive boom, and with that, a greater demand…
Rentalbee: The modern coliving experience
“There is no house like the house of belonging.”–David Whyte. Innovation has always been the main driving force…
How real estate works for better air quality in the new normal
IN this so-called new normal that we are currently in, we’ve had to adjust to so many new…
Air quality matters more than ever
WHETHER at home or in our respective workplaces, we spend much of our lives breathing indoor air that…
Creating safe spaces: Communicating to build trust in the time of COVID-19
REAL estate is not spared from the difficulties that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought upon us. The industry…
Over communication, creativity and decisiveness: Keys to real estate and the Covid-19 pandemic
WE are entering a time of a lot of uncertainty. For businesses of various verticals, recovery plans and…
Farming is the new sexy for this Davao developer
Part Two The next generation of agri experts As part of its commitment to cultivate the next generation’s…
Farming is the new sexy for this Davao developer
Part One I have always been an advocate for agriculture and the importance of agriculture to the value…
Around the Philippines with Angelo Comsti
WHO is Angelo Comsti? “The late, great Doreen Fernandez urged me to celebrate food and my proud Malolos,…
ASEANA, the Livable City in the Bay Area
Part Two Residential offerings Trusting on the overwhelming response from home buyers from their first project, ARHC advances…
ASEANA, the Livable City in the Bay Area
Part One FOR the first time in history, more than half the world’s population lives in cities. At…
Anchor Land in Manila Chinatown
Part 2 Warehousing With the increase of small to medium businesses was the significant demand for office spaces and warehousing…
Anchor Land in Manila Chinatown
Part One MANILA Chinatown will always be one of my favorite places in Manila—gritty, genuine and delicious. It’s…
Love (and travel) in a time of COVID-19
It’s that time of the year—February. While it’s historically been associated with love, this year, 2020 gave us…
Women in Real Estate (WIRE)
Part Two AJ Rocero IWG (International Workplace Group) THE flexible workspace sector has reached a tipping point. Following…
Women in Real Estate (WIRE)
Part One THE “accidental” founding of this group happened when I first organized for our friend Bhavna Suresh,…
Co-building and co-working with tech start-ups
IT opened its doors to the public on the very first day of Philippine Startup Week on November…
Making real-estate investment accessible and affordable for everyone
That is why most people put real estate in their mid to long-term investment strategy, with the exception…
FWD-MCX: A symbolic road to progress
ROADS are arteries through which the lifeblood of a country’s economic development runs. I cannot overemphasize this fact.…
Creating livable cities by moving people, enhancing lives
MOBILITY is one of the most important factors that make cities livable. With effective long-term strategic planning, city…
Cesar Wee: Forging partnerships, tapping mentors
EVERYONE who’s anyone in the real-estate industry knows that for someone to make it in the property business,…
Palawan through the eyes of a devoted social advocate
For many Filipinos, any mention of Palawan evokes a longing for an adventure to paradise. The promise of…
No stopping the renegade property mogul
One of the perks of being chosen as a mentor for creative, young and driven entrepreneurs in the…
Beyond the norm: Challenging traditions
THE Philippine real estate has always been a continuously evolving landscape as it adjusts to the ever-changing needs…
Cary Floirendo-Lagdameo, future of innovative real estate
WITH the fast and constant evolution of people’s needs, it is to no one’s surprise that industries are…
‘The Final Pitch’: Young investor-judges bode well for future of real estate
Part Two The disruptive but innovative nature of today’s young professionals—the ones in their 20s to 30s—is pretty…
Pitching projects, solutions, technology for ‘Livable Cities’
As the head of public engagement of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), I have always been on the…
Investing in a sustainable and secure tourism industry
TOURISM has always been central to national development. It contributes heavily to three high-priority goals of developing countries—the…
Tech Up Real Estate: The first real-estate Hackathon in Asia Pacific
Conclusion AS part of the judges representing the real-estate industry, Hannah Yulo was impressed with the amount of…
Tech Up Real Estate: The first real-estate Hackathon in Asia Pacific
Part One Catching them fresh from global learning initiatives, I had a quick chat with some of my…
Tokyo & Shanghai on my mind
Conclusion Catching them fresh from global learning initiatives, I had a quick chat with some of my favorite…
Tokyo & Shanghai on my mind
Part One On my last night in Tokyo, I am reminded of how we will be back to…
Lamudi’s Real Estate Conference 2019: Understanding real estate in the age of disruption and digitalization
I REMEMBER the discussion surrounding tapas and sangria with my good friend Bhavna Suresh when the Eureka moment…
The kindness world tour
In my scant 43 years, I have had the privilege to travel to many foreign cities I only…
OSHDP calls for action, agenda for new housing department
CAPPING its recent (August 28 to 30, 2019) 10th National Convention in Davao City, the Organization of Socialized…
How real-estate investments can make you a global citizen
IN recent years, more and more investors from the Philippines are diversifying and investing their money in luxury…
Meet the global real-estate experts: Sustainability sessions with Billy Grayson
THE Urban Land Institute (ULI) is an international, membership-based nonprofit research and education organization. Founded in 1936, the…
Bicol, Que Rica!
Every time I see my good friend Rica Dakudao-Buenaflor, it’s always in the context of good food. I…
Redefining real-estate solutions: A new generation of property advisors
IN this fast-moving world, adapting to change is not a smooth-sailing undertaking. Simply being open to change is…
Black House: Modern living for millennials by millennials
OUR decision to purchase a home for the very first time serves as an important milestone to adulting.…
Real-estate investment forum beyond Manila
AS an advocate of urban inclusion in the real-estate industry, I am very happy to see the interest…
Focus on NEX Tower
NEX Tower has been selected as the winner of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Asia Pacific Award for…
Boutique developer wins big in Shanghai
Conclusion Last two questions with Nova Managing Director Ricardo Cuerva, who shared with us what’s in store for…
Boutique developer wins big in Shanghai
Part One NEX Tower has been selected as the winner of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Asia Pacific…
Indoor landscaping rising trend in real estate
MOST of the projects in real estate I am involved in take pride in their (outdoor) landscaping but…
Boutique developer redefines Manila landscape in Arca South
THE landscape of Metro Manila is beginning to be redefined by some of the most iconic structures coming…
Secret happy places for summer
Part Two Ubud, Bali Roche Vandenberghe, Head of Marketing, FWD Life Insurance IN our fast-paced lives, we get…
Real Estate + Technology
Part Two What do you think about tokenization in real estate? How about payments and capital raises? MV:…
Real Estate + Technology
Part One Recently, top leaders in the technology field, came together to chat during a Fintech Philippines Mixer…
Shanghai to host largest learning event in real estate
I HAD a chat with the leaders in the real-estate industry, veterans all of the Urban Land Institute’s…
The OSHDP Manifesto to solve the Philippine Housing Backlog
THE Organization of Socialized and Economic Housing Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP) Inc., the leading national organization of…
Secret happy places for summer
Part One IT’S summer in the Philippines once again, and summer brings us to our happy secret places…
Ultimate Frisbee births Launchpad for entrepreneurs
Launchpad Coworking was founded by Ultimate Frisbee players and friends with the intention of setting up a space…
Poblacion: An urban innovation challenge
THE regeneration of Poblacion has become a passion project for many, including myself. The renewed interest in Poblacion…
Livability, mobility and the regeneration of Poblacion
POBLACION has always had a special place in our hearts. Not only is it one of the most…
How to make Malls more AWE-TIS-SM & PWD-friendly
Conclusion Awe-ti-sm and creating spaces for all AUTISM is a variation of the human condition, affecting approximately 1.2…
How to make Malls more AWE-TIS-SM & PWD-friendly
Part One We love catching real-estate developers doing the right thing, and when the right thing involves supporting…
The real estate, future of #PropTech, real-estate Hackathons and the Poblacion POC
AS the clock struck exactly at five in the afternoon, marking the end of the inaugural PropTech Summit,…
BGC, Bafi shows developers what to do with your available open spaces
MANILA-based Agri-Tech and urban farming company Urban Greens, (Urban Greens Hydroponics Systems Inc.) is announcing a project tie-up…
ULI spearheads teching up of real-estate industry
WHILE technology is progressing at a rapid sometimes even reckless rate—empowering people, determining roles, and shaping both opportunities…
Green building technology in the future of fuel retail
LOCATION, location, location. This is an important mantra in real estate, which means one simple thing: Location is…
Queen City of the Visayas hosts ULI Study Tour
CEBU CITY is considered as one the top 20 Super Cities in the Tholons Services Globalization Index (TSGI),…
The lowdown on flexible work spaces in Asia
THE infectious Italian passion of Mario Berta has taken the flexible office space community by storm. I have…
The great power of extreme responsibility: Building a greener Philippines
ALMOST every business movement is starting to acknowledge the importance of learning the perfect balance of gain and…
Why REITs will be big in 2019
SINCE the passing of Republic Act 9856 in 2009, the real-estate market has been anticipating the realization of…
Mother of the Bangsamoro shows us its heart
As everyone’s talking about love, let me share with you the one place that I have so much…
Industrial Parks: Next wave of real-estate boom
AGRICULTURE is a key contributor to the Philippine economy. However, when compared to some of our Asian neighbors,…
Starchitect designs future of retail
IF there’s anyone who has changed the course of the retail industry in a major way, it has…
Real estate and ‘feng shui’
AN edge over the competition is a valuable asset for any business, the best ones possessing the potential…
When ‘fringe real estate’ becomes prime
COWORKING spaces used to be the primary purview of tech start-ups, emerging businesses and freelancers, but in the…
Real-estate logistics, co-living headline emerging trends in Asia Pacific 2019
Part One FORECAST indicates that local asset markets continue to have an abundance of cheap domestic capital. Today…
Leading the sustainability revolution in real estate
JANUARY always promises an opportunity to turn a new leaf, and a most pleasant surprise and token of…
Anthology Architecture and Design Festival 2019
EVER since I have met Architect William Ti, I have always been stuck by his sense of passion…
Digital Realty: The new reality in real estate
Conclusion WHAT do you predict will be the changes in the next 10 years and would this cause…
Erstwhile energy-less Palawan communities lit up for the first time
PALAWAN has always been part of every Filipino’s bucket list of dream destinations. This is no wonder because…
Digital Realty: The new reality in real estate
Part One WHEN I was in Mumbai last week to be one of the keynotes at the Marketing…
Real estate and urban planning for LGUs
IN places like China, Singapore and most European countries, the state invests in the long-term potential of a…
Welcome to the future of workspaces
WHERE can you find a working space artistically designed to inspire creativity and innovation? Here comes Common Ground,…
How to build your retail business in 3 days
THE prefab industry is one of those construction technologies taking the real-estate industry by storm. It’s become more…
The other side of Palawan
Part One Advocacy projects empower Palawan communities MUCH has been said about Palawan being one of the most…
The opening up of Mindanao: Davao real-estate study tour
Part One MINDANAO is like New York. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.…
Real-estate leadership on the year that was and 2019
Conclusion PRESENTING a recap of the year that was and prospects for 2019: Charmaine Uy, senior vice president, Daiichi…
Real-estate leadership on the year that was and 2019
Part One A LITTLE above a decade ago when I started working in communications and marketing for the…
Meanderings of a business and thin spaces traveler: Palestine & Israel
LAST month I talked about the importance of business travel and airlines, a tale of three airlines, read…
Creating a common ground for the future of work
CONTINUING my series in future-proofing the real-estate industry, I spoke to tech visionary Enrique Gonzalez about Common Ground…
F.D.R.E. 2019: Futurism, disruption, resilience and emergence
THIS year marks the fifth anniversary of my column, First Dibs in Real Estate, and as a continued…
Of rugby and real estate
WHEN I first met Kenneth Stern many years back, it was not just his passion for representing our…
Women leadership in real-estate sustainability
WHEN I first met Cristina “Tina” Samson, it was to celebrate the need to promote more women leadership…
Women and youth in real estate
INCLUSION has always been a driver for me in our advocacies. A most meaningful work expression of this…
Meanderings of a business and thin spaces traveler
Part One SEPTEMBER is an epic time for business travel for me and, over a span of two…
Makati Poblacion regentrified!
IN a recent eight hour, four bar crawl, I found myself reveling at how Makati had truly made it…
A blockchain-powered smart city revolution
TODAY I start a series on technology-powered real-estate developments, starting with the one technology closest to my heart,…
Bridging the gap between sales management and latest technology in real estate
I RECENTLY had an interview with one of the hidden sales weapons of many big real-estate companies, Raymond…
Ushering in a new real-estate industry leadership
HAVING been approached by three of the executive officers of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a prospective member…
A ‘baluarte’ of culture and environment
THIS month wraps up a nostalgic visit for me in paradise, Sumilon. Very few could claim being part…
Architect for others
IN my ongoing series on architects and designers for the country, we feature one of my favorite women…
The New Clark City: The vision of a modern Philippines
Conclusion “MODERN Philippine architecture does not refer to a specific look. Instead, it is a refinement of lifestyle…
The New Clark City: The vision of a modern Philippines
Part One MANY say that Clark could very well be the imagination of what the modern Philippine City…
Architecture of the Philippines, for the country
WILLIAM TI has always believed in the future of architecture as a possible Philippine brand and not just…