Construction & Real Estate
From The Report: Philippines 2021
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While Covid-19 has thrown the Philippines’ economy into flux, early indications suggest that construction and real estate is one of the most resilient sectors and could provide a platform for national recovery. However, with construction projects delayed by lockdowns during the second quarter of 2020, and demand for office space and high-end residential developments weakened by mobility restrictions, the sector still faces headwinds. At the same time, the disruption of the pandemic is giving rise to new opportunities. For instance, with the pandemic inducing a significant shift towards working from home as companies adhere to social-distancing measures, co-working spaces are emerging as a solution for firms seeking to decentralise while ensuring a sound operating environment for employees. Agile real estate developers have the chance to establish a first-mover advantage and capitalise on emerging opportunities as tenants and buyers seek projects that meet the demands of the new normal. This chapter contains an interview with Jose E B Antonio, Executive Chairman, Century Properties Group.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Foundation works: The sector offers a platform for national economic recovery
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While Covid-19 has thrown the Philippines’ economy into flux, early indications suggest that construction and real estate is one of the most resilient sectors, and could provide a platform for national recovery. However, with construction projects delayed by lockdowns during the second quarter of 2020 and demand for office space and high-end residential developments weakened by mobility restrictions, the sector still faces headwinds. At the same time, however, the disruption of the pandemic…

Interview

Demand metrics: Jose E B Antonio, Executive Chairman, Century Properties Group, on shifting patterns of demand and the post-pandemic future of technology in real estate
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Interview:Jose E B Antonio To what extent is the Covid-19-induced recession impacting real estate supply and demand? JOSE E B ANTONIO: The playbook of the current crisis is different because we cannot answer the fundamental question: when will it be over? We can only analyse the important moving parts in the economic formula: demand, supply and psychology. Uncertainty affects supply, as manufacturers may scale back if they lack the confidence it will all be sold. However, psychology is the…

Analysis

The office space race: Co-working spaces emerge as a solution for firms and employees
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With the pandemic inducing a significant shift towards working from home as companies follow social-distancing rules, in the Philippines co-working spaces are emerging as a solution for firms seeking to decentralise while ensuring a sound operating environment for employees. In a sign of the economic fallout from Covid-19, in late September 2020 the Department of Trade and Industry said that around 90,000 businesses – or 6% of all those registered – remained closed. However, adaptation…

Analysis

Confidence build: An ambitious infrastructure agenda offers opportunities for local materials manufacturing and broader economic rebound
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Faced with recession and uncertainty over the length of the pandemic, President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration is hoping that landmark projects under the P8trn-9trn ($159.1bn-179bn) Build, Build, Build (BBB) infrastructure plan can kick-start economic recovery. Supply & Demand The initial phase of the pandemic proved disruptive to global supply chains, leading to fears that the construction industry would be unable to source the building materials or commodity inputs from overseas…