More companies moving into Aseana City

MANILA, Philippines - After years of making do with available office space, companies other than BPOs are creating a demand for prime office space in emerging central business districts (CBDs), signaling growth in these particular industries.

Delfin  Wenceslao, managing director of the 204-hectare Aseana City, discloses that in addition to companies that are expanding like banks and finance houses, services firms like those in manpower recruitment have also shown great interest in the new supply of office spaces in the emerging business district bounded by Roxas Blvd. on one side and Manila Bay on the other. Together with buildings in the neighboring Mall of Asia area, Aseana City’s growth has primarily been driven by BPOs in the past years. For over a decade now, BPOs have been driving the office sector in most business districts in the Philippines.

With property values rising by as much as nine to 14 percent in the more established business centers, “both BPOs and other occupiers are flocking to new subcenters like Aseana where capital values have yet to peak,” he said. “We are encouraged to see non-BPO firms also seeking office space in our buildings. It means there’s growth all around.”

A prime example is V.Ships, a leading global maritime service provider, headquartered in London that has over 25,000 on board positions a month provided by its international network of crewing offices all over the world. V.Ships specializes in the outsourced technical management marine services of high value maritime assets and the provision of a wide-range of supporting technical, workforce and commercial services. Because demand is highest in the world market for Filipino seafarers, the company has its second largest office in the globe in Manila, according to Jamie Stewart, group representative in the Philippines and commercial manager.

V.Ships is preparing to soon move to 7,400 sqm over five floors of the Aseana Two building from the Malate area in a move “to consolidate activities from across the world.”

To prepare even more Filipinos to go on board ships plying global trade routes, V.Ships is setting up a training floor at Aseana Two with simulators like a bridge and engine room. It will also have a culinary school. V.Ships set up these facilities to support Filipino recruitment firms, its partners in filling the strong demand from shipowners all over the world for crews trained in the Philippines. “It’s an exciting time for the Filipino seafarer,” according to Stewart. “We’re investing in the Philippines to ensure a sustainable skilled work force.”

Moreover, executives and partners of V.Ships appreciate Aseana City’s solid engineering foundations. Reclaimed from the sea by a consortium of Filipino, Belgian and Japanese partners, the area remains accessible through most climate conditions. It has remained free of storm surges, a quality appreciated by the new hotels that have also located in the district.