BCCP Chairman William Bailey noted in his opening remarks the uptake on the commercial offices and residential condominiums while also acknowledging the present challenges on inflation, currency, and geopolitics.

The event featured keynote presentations and panel discussions from industry leaders including Arthaland Corporation Associate Director for Commercial and Office Leasing and Sales Ivan Talita, Bases Conversion and Development Authority Vice President for Investment Promotions and Marketing Department Erwin Kenneth Peralta, Colliers Philippines Director – Office Services Landlord Representation Maricris Sarino-Joson and Research Analyst Brent Respicio, Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines Vice President Robert John Horrigan, Palafox Architecture Group, Inc. President Architect Felino A. Palafox, Jr., Santos Knight Frank Senior Director–Occupier Strategy and Solutions Morgan Mcgilvray, and Society for Sustainable Tourism & Development Inc. President & CEO Susan Santos De Cardenas.

Sustainability emerged as one of the key themes of the event discussion. Talita highlighted Arthaland’s sustainability efforts such as energy & water efficiency, low-emitting and non-toxic building materials, and solar energy system. “The goal is to offer sustainability or expand sustainable connections to the upscale market and affordable market,” Talita said, to move away from the common notion that sustainability is expensive.

The panel discussion noted the investment opportunities outside of Metro Manila, particularly in renewables, tourism, business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, and other multinational firms. De Cardenas noted that, “Climate is our most pressing challenge here in the Philippines so developers have to really look into the climate resilience of each and every development.”

The British Chamber remains committed to further boosting the investment opportunities in the country across various sectors while promoting sustainable practices to benchmark with its key partners such as the UK to contribute to the overall UK-Philippines trade relations.

Cognizant of the rebound of the real estate and construction industry in the Philippines, known as the second fastest industry and contributed 5.2% at the first quarter of the year in the GDP growth, the British Chamber gears up for another important event the 7th Property Matters Forum.

Scheduled on August 24, 2023 (Thursday), the Property Matters event with the theme The Future of Real Estate: Innovations and Opportunities will be held from 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM, at Dusit Thani, Makati City. 

BCCP Executive Director/Trustee Chris Nelson bared that this upcoming event by the British Chamber will highlight the importance of the real estate industry in the Philippines. “Our speakers will discuss not only the real estate market outlook, but also the other facets of AI, sustainability, tourism, and other investment opportunities. It will reinforce the Philippines to become an investment destination,” said Nelson. 

This year’s BCCP event sponsors are Santos Knight Frank, JLL Philippines, Alveo Land, and Colliers Philippines. Colliers will discuss the Residential and Commercial Outlook, while Santos Knight Frank will focus on the presentation of reimagining spaces in the Corporate real estate industry with portfolio transformation, future workplace design, and other strategies with teams’ post-pandemic in this dynamic future. 

In addition, a panel discussion will be followed by other key presentations such as AI, and investment and property technology. 

This event will highlight the future of innovation and opportunities in the real estate industry, join the British Chamber’s 7th property matters forum, and discover how the future state of real estate is becoming more innovative, sustainable, and digitally transformative. 

Register here: https://britcham.org.ph/events/7th-property-matters-the-future-of-real-estate-innovations-and-opportunities/.