Make the moves now and ride the wave until 2020, James Mirasol, February 21, 2013

The business environment in the Philippines has moved so quickly from optimistic to encouraging to downright red hot in the span of the just the past few weeks, it's been hard to stay on top of it.  From getting good news from investors and captains of industry about 3 weeks ago to daily local and international news articles touting the Philippines' overall performance outpacing Asia and much of the world these days.  It's news that is so long in coming, it's been almost hard to truly believe these days are finally here.  

The uptick in optimism has been so strong of late, the remainder of this article is now two weeks old.  We're just not used to all this bullishness.  Nevertheless, though things are clearly on the upturn, the fundamental drivers don't change in a span of weeks and the outlook is that this environment will be with us through to 2020.  The bottom line here is that now is the time to make serious moves.  

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February 8, 2013 

There's been an increasing consensus from international business press lauding the Philippines as an economy to invest in these days. Let's look at some of the reasons. 

There is a burgeoning middle class that has recently made it past critical mass in volume. This growing middle class has clearly demonstrated that it has disposable, discretionary income. They are motivated consumers of personal gadgets, fashion, vehicles and real estate. 

According to industry insiders, the Philippines is currently in the start of a 7-year real estate development window. In the 5th most densely populated city on the planet, Manila, there is very high demand for residential and commercial space.  This world-leading density is a serious driver of consumer demand for retail goods, services and food. 

The density is also delivering ever-increasing demand for retail within walking distances due to density and congestion.  Whereas commercial spaces used to be concentrated in strategic centers, now there an increasing openness to add retail spaces within central business districts themselves rather than in dedicated commercial zones.  This is also accompanied by increasing openness to creating pockets of retail in areas outside of these of these commercial zones.  The density and real demand is what is making these retail opportunities viable.  

The time to make a move is definitely now.