Put Your Money in PH’s New Economic Hotspots
/Bataan: A Star Rising in the West
South Channel Crossing (Photo Courtesy of Philippine News Agency)
Strategically located in southwest Central Luzon, facing the West Philippine Sea with an impressive 177-kilometer coastline, Bataan provides various opportunities for manufacturing, logistics, and tourism, not to mention some oil depots. The Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan offers manufacturing companies the following incentives:
· Duty and tax exemption on imported and capital equipment, parts, and materials
· Income-tax holidays for four years and possibly eight
· Expats and their families can be issued permanent residency
Bataan has lured one of the biggest green-energy companies in Vietnam, Green Roof Asia. This formidable company has a budget of P10 billion for developing solar and battery energy for commercial and industrial use for distribution in every developed area of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. This Vietnamese company has a joint venture with a local solar developer in Hermosa, Bataan.
To top it off, the latest and biggest infrastructure project in Bataan is the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge. This 32-kilometer bridge consists of 22 cable-stayed bridges for navigational channels, 224 kilometers of viaducts, and eight kilometers of approach roads. When built, it will be second longest bay bridge in the world, and it will reduce travel time between Cavite and Bataan to 45 minutes instead of the current five hours. Visitors from the south can now choose between a long and winding road or the scenic bridge.
Laguna : Accessibility and Affordability
Mount Makiling (Photo courtesy of r/photographs Joseee-kun)
Laguna is poised to attract new investments from technology companies in the expansion of Laguna Technopark, now totaling 471 hectares and generating over 100,000 direct employment. Located in the cities of Sta. Rosa and Biñan, Laguna Technopark has 270 companies of light to medium non-polluting industries that have generated $7 billion in revenues.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) granted a P175 billion loan for the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network, also known as Laguna Lakeshore Expressway. It is a 37-kilometer primary road and 12-kilometer viaduct that connect Lower Bicutan (Taguig City) and Calamba (Laguna) with interchanges at Sucat (Parañaque City), Tunasan (Muntinlupa City), Biñan (Laguna), Sta. Rosa (Laguna), and Cabuyao (Laguna) via the West Bank of Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the Philippines. Laguna Lakeshore Road Network is expected to reach its completion in 2027.
Laguna is the home of the enchanting Mount Makiling, an ASEAN Heritage Park, and a forest reserve, embodying a rich ecosystem with endemic, indigenous and introduced species. As such, Mount Makiling is a paradise for biking and hiking enthusiasts. If you are looking for mystical or mythical flavors in your research, you are stepping into the right surroundings.
Tarlac: Home of New and Renewed Industry
Blue Leaf Solar Farms in Tarlac, Philippines (Photo courtesy of Blueleaf Energy)
Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) are the major highways connecting the three provinces leading to the development of new industrial parks in Tarlac. Some of the major players already in place for generations are the Luisita Industrial Park, Victoria Industrial Park, and URC Industrial Park.
Now for the exciting part: Aboitiz InfraCapital announced its industrial, mixed-use economic project billed as TARI Estate, which covers 200 hectares of prime industrial land in its primary phase that will boost Tarlac’s economy in creating jobs. World-class facilities and amenities commissioned and offered by Aboitiz affiliates will provide power, construction, financing, and smart-city technology. Complementing this development area is Ayala Land’s 290-hectare development called Cresendo, a mixed-use estate already positioned in the area that houses Cresendo Industrial Park, which is partly leased to manufacturers, logistics, and distribution companies.
Tarlac’s geographic location shields it from major catastrophic disasters, like intense weather disturbances and strong earthquakes as faults do not run in any part of the province. With the region’s vast flat terrain covering an area of 129,000 hectares, the farming industry pervades its bigger portion. Tarlac is also the ideal site for a number of green-energy companies because it is a major location for solar farms spanning up to 1,000 hectares of unirrigated lots. Prepare for a pleasant surprise on your reduced electric bill soon!
Iloilo: Emerging Urban Destination
(Photo courtesy of Festival in the Philippines/ WordPress.com)
Ranked 4th richest City outside National Capital Region, Iloilo boasts a capita gross domestic product of P306,440 compared with the national average of only P178,751. RISE ILOILO is a strategic roadmap made through the collective effort of the Iloilo City Government’s department heads and chiefs of offices. RISE stands for Responsive and Inclusive Human Development, Innovative Economic Development, Sustainable Environment and Essential Resilient Infrastructure RISE ILOILO’s Dinagyang Festival, a week-long celebration on every 4th Sunday of January and hailed as the best tourism event by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines, draws over a million domestic and international tourists. Considered the Philippines’ biggest world-class festival, it helps promote the newest facilities and latest developments.
Empowered by excellent hospitals such as The Medical City Iloilo, Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital, and St. Paul’s Hospital, to name a few, Iloilo is ranked one of the best locations for active retirement. It’s the only city that developed arts and crafts for sustainable income-generating activities for senior citizens.
Located in the cities of Sta. Rosa and Biñan, Laguna Technopark has 270 companies of light to medium non-polluting industries that have generated $7 billion in revenues.
Cagayan de Oro: First Class Urbanized City
(Photo Courtesy of Pinay Wise)
Cagayan de Oro ranked First in the 2024 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) for Highly Urbanized Cities. With the fastest growth expansion of 9.4% in Northern Mindanao, Cagayan de Oro has a well-developed infrastructure backbone. From production locations to intended markets, Cagayan de Oro has seamlessly established excellent connectivity through international-standard multi-berth ports for land, sea, and air with extensive inter- and intra-city road networks.
Dubbed “The City of Golden Friendship,” Cagayan de Oro is the center of a vibrant and rising metropolis. By 2025, Cagayan de Oro will become the 4th metropolitan center and a major gateway and transshipment hub. Also developing are many real-estate projects. Pueblo de Oro Development Corp injects P13 billion in Pueblo Township, upgrading the urban-development landscape of the uptown area, together with the latest Xavier University: Ateneo de Cagayan “Campus of the Future,” a 21-hectare estate turned into a campus with lush green open space with commercial and office areas.
There are abundant opportunities in various parts of the Philippines waiting to be uncovered. Filipinos yearning for golden opportunities will find hidden gems that eluded us in the past. Look farther into the future, and we will find the dream we seek in foreign lands. Many might want to come home and love the Philippines all the more.
Vlad Capistrano has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and letters from San Beda University. A real-estate broker, he is a strong advocate for regional real-estate developments in the Philippines. He can be reached at vmcapistrano2020@gmail.com.
