As a greatly-expanding nest for commerce in Asia, the Philippines has been attracting more and more investors to its shores. The country is experiencing an outburst in urban development and township projects are becoming bigger and bigger and beginning to spring up outside the boundaries of Metro Manila. The economic surge is expected to progress even more in the coming years. In fact, the country was listed by focus-economics.com as the 11th fastest growing economy in the world based on their 2019-2023 projection.
Read our article about the economic climate of the Philippines.
While many of the country’s rural havens offer a taste of island living and mountain outbacks, its urban centers are a thriving business hotbed. Let us take a look at the largest and most impressive central business districts (CBD) of the Philippines:
Makati Central Business District
After the wars, the urban development of Manila shifted away from the old city and to the surrounding areas, one of which is the now thriving metropolis, Makati. Developed by the family-owned Ayala Corporation, the city took over as the center of commerce beginning in the 1950s and is still considered the top business district in the country. The city has statistics to prove that, hosting the headquarters of about 90 percent of the Philippines’ top 1000 companies and about 80 percent of all multinational corporations operating in the country.
About half a million people call this district home as well as a lineup of various schools from interior design institutions to culinary academies and everything in between. Its clean metropolitan atmosphere with its sidewalks lined with acacia trees and impressive skyscrapers add up to its appeal.
Bonifacio Global City (BGC)
Once a military base district, BCG stands today as the pinnacle of entrepreneurial prosperity offering a host of prime residential neighborhoods, corporate headquarters and a contemporary population amounting to 650,000 people. The district was developed by some of the leading developers in the country including Ayala Land and was conceived by many to be a new and even better Makati. It is bordered by Manila’s two most major roads, EDSA and C5 road and has relatively easy access to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
It is a district that appeals to the younger generation with its thriving pop culture luring in executives and professionals from within its borders and beyond from countries like Qatar, Great Britain, and Singapore. The Philippine’s premier hospital of St. Luke is also housed in BGC as are opulent malls, world-renowned museums, enormous street arts, and metro parks.
Filinvest Corporate City
This massive 224-hectare urban hub is the business kingdom of Manila’s south. It is an area where mother nature and modernity fight for a share of existence bringing together a commercial cosmopolitan punctuated by an air of serenity and calmness.
It is divided into four districts each offering distinct personalities. The Convergence Hub is one of those four and it is lauded for its superb transport system while the Modern Metro is recognized for a gathering of shopping malls, condominium towers and accompanying modern amenities. There’s also a top-notch Premier CBD among the four with the Garden City offering the fourth district which presents an environment taken over by biking trails and nature.
Ortigas Center
Ortigas Center lies at the heart of an urban trio of prominent cities namely Quezon, Mandaluyong, and Pasig, availing a populace of 730,000. Because of its strategic location at the center of the Manila region, many major businesses laid their foundations within the district. Ortigas Center hosts the Asian Development Bank, the San Miguel Corporation, and even the regional headquarters of the country’s stock exchange center.
There are also numerous institutions found in the area which are worth mentioning such as the University of Asia and the Pacific. Additionally, the district offers plenty in terms of leisure and luxury accommodation with high-end hotels, malls, and restaurants.
Cebu Park District
Cebu Park District is often heralded as South Philippine’s commercial mecca. Located at the center of Cebu city, the district is actually a merging of two business parks, the Cebu Business Park (CBP) and the Cebu IT Park.
The district’s greatest selling point is its appeal to call center companies and BPOs courtesy of its PEZA-accredited IT park which is the country’s biggest. It is the economic heart of the country’s Visayas group of islands, a key area for business expansions to the south and a catch basin of the corporate talents found in the region.
Discover more topics about Cebu, Philippines.
Triangle Park / Quezon City Central Business District
As that title would suggest, Triangle Park is actually a trident of Quezon City’s most prime business locations, forming an area of concentrated financial activity. That is primarily down to a soaring population of 2.7 million and its assembly of major TV outfits, renowned shopping malls, sophisticated hotels, parks, and schools. Notable companies who have set up shop in Triangle Park include Mercury Drug, LKG Group of companies, and American multinational IT organization IBM.
The Triangle Park is the main business area of Manila’s northern side and takes advantage of its accessibility from the northern provinces and close proximity to the residential areas of Quezon city. Some of its key business hotspots include the UP-Ayala Technohub and the newly developed Vertis North.
Eastwood City
Eastwood City is a district within the boundaries of Quezon City, located east of Metro Manila. Its blueprint came from the biggest name in the township industry. Having assisted in the development of Forbes Town Centre and Newport City, Megaworld Corporation has helped forged this location into the sterling cyberpark that it is today, hosting around 55,000 workers.
The district’s Eastwood City Cyberpark also hosts offices of some of the biggest names in the country’s BPO industry including the IBM Global Services. Akin to the Holywood Walk of fame, Eastwood has its own stretch of recognition embedded with imprints of the legendary figures from the native entertainment niche.
Downtown Davao
Downtown Davao is undeniably the center of commerce in the entire Mindanao region. The regional office of the Philippine’s Central Bank and the Davao International Airport are the most prominent highlights of Davao which also entails condominium towers, an IT park, international hotels, and foreign corporate centers.
It is frequented by tourists who are attracted by its culturally rich parks and museums while residents are drawn to its premier shopping malls and schools. Davao is a major transport hub and this has ensured an overflowing occupancy that provides large markets to tap into.
Manila Bay Freeport Zone / Bay City
In 1977, the Marcos administration took on a massive land reclamation project which extended the terrestrial boundaries of Metro Manila. That 3,000 hectares of artificial land is now called the Bay City which spans the western coasts of the cities of Pasay, Manila, and Parañaque.
Though the area is dominated by leisure establishments including the Las Vegas-like Entertainment City and the world-famous SM Mall of Asia, the Bay City will also become host to a number of important business hubs. These include the SM Central Business Park, the Metropolitan Park, and the Aseana Business Park. The Bay City also has the advantage of being in close proximity to Manila’s international airport.
Iloilo Business Park
Rounding off our list is another project of the aforementioned Megaworld Corporation. The Iloilo Business Park, once fully complete, will be the largest business district on Western Visayas. Though not yet as flourishing as the Cebu Park District and other developments, the IBP is set to drive the economic progress of Iloilo and the surrounding provinces.
The park’s 72-hectare compound highlights a number of world-class hotels, a 7000-seater convention center, and multiple BPO towers that will provide jobs to about ten thousand workers.
