Makati exodus

With the pollution and the congestion in Makati getting worse by the minute especially with the onset of the Christmas season, more and more offices are relocating to Taguig City. Special lower tax incentives have been offered by the Taguig local government, which undoubtedly adds to the attraction. The concrete jungle that is Makati is grating on the nerves of harried executives which is probably why the less stressful pace in Fort Bonifacio Global City has also become more and more attractive over the years.

The country’s top law firms like the Carpio Villaraza Cruz Law firm (otherwise known as “The Firm” or CVC Law) and The Accra law offices now have their own buildings in the Global City. CVC recently moved to its spanking new headquarters called the CVCLaw Center at the Bonifacio Triangle while the AccraLaw Tower is nestled in the Crescent Park West area.

Major embassies have also chosen to transfer to Taguig like the Embassy of Singapore which as early as 2006 already bought a 10,800 square-meter property along Rizal Drive in front of Pacific Plaza Towers while the British Embassy office lies within a 1.2-hectare property along McKinley Hill. Others like South Korea and Qatar have also relocated their headquarters to Taguig City while the Turkish government might soon follow suit.

But more than anything, large multi-national companies are very much attracted to the Global City because of the high-end condos being put up, plus the international schools that have now relocated there.

McKinley Road bursting

With the quick office migration to Global City, some residents of the high-end enclaves in Dasmariñas and Forbes have been resisting efforts to open up McKinley Road to commercial business, but DOTC and DPWH officials confidentially tell us the inevitable will happen sooner than later. McKinley Road being a main access road to Fort Bonifacio Global City and EDSA and also a vital link to Makati, Parañaque and even Alabang, a connecting skyway or a similar structure is in the pipeline to help decongest the growing traffic. 

While some barangay officials are resisting the idea and want to preserve the exclusive feel of their subdivisions and are currently embroiled in moves by private individuals to build an eight-story commercial building across the Shell station on EDSA and McKinley, there are those who believe the area will have to be transformed into a mixed-use development without necessarily compromising the exclusive ambience of their respective subdivisions. Barangay officials with opposing views are likely to clash over this in the coming year. We can expect the pressure to intensify for the residents of the affected villages. 

Thailand’s $25-million tourism blitzkrieg

After the political turmoil experienced by Thailand last summer, the Thai government particularly the Thai Tourism Authority has gone full blast to recover the lost revenues brought about by the drop in tourist arrivals in the country. The launching of the “Hug Thailand” campaign is undoubtedly a come back message meant to downplay the effects of the unrest brought about by anti-government protests by the “Red Shirts.” Thailand has kept its marketing slogan “Amazing Thailand” to promote the country as a tourism hub with the phrase “Amazing Value” appended sometime last year to address the global financial crisis that affected the tourism industry.

Our Thai connect told us the initial budget for Thailand’s tourism blitzkrieg for the next three months is estimated at $25 million with marketing strategies focused on ecotourism, health and wellness, golf and the concept of “voluntourism” particularly for the European market. Visitors from the Middle East are also being eyed to increase the flow of up-market visitors to the “land of smiles,” and plans are in the pipeline to promote Thailand as a backdrop destination for European beauty pageants. The country’s flag carrier Thai Airways is also offering special rates, which clearly shows coordinated efforts to bring in more visitors, since Thailand has been averaging 15 million yearly arrivals before the onset of the political turmoil in April this year.

The Philippines has missed the boat so many times in the past and if Thailand recovers quickly with their new tourism marketing blitzkrieg, then it will the “nth” time we lose out on another opportunity. The Philippines had a great opportunity when a lot of international media attention was given to the victory of Noynoy Aquino, the only son of two famous Filipino icons. The window of opportunity is still there if we move quickly and decisively despite the lost momentum caused by the hostage crisis and the “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” fiasco.

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