Developers urged to grow industrial segment to attract foreign expansion

Property developers must consider expanding their presence in the industrial segment to attract foreign companies diversifying their supply chains, property consultancy Colliers Philippines said.

In its first half Metro Manila Industrial Report, Colliers said China and Taiwan companies that have shown interest in expanding here.

“The Philippines needs an efficient supply chain system to capture investments amid Trump’s new tariff impositions,” Colliers said.

“This is also crucial in future-proofing the industrial sector, enabling the Philippines to attract foreign direct investment amid challenges posed by elevated tariffs.”

US President Donald J. Trump in July imposed a 19% tariff on exports from the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

According to Colliers, property firms must consider developing industrial parks and facilities to cater to more locators. It also cited opportunities to expand in Central Luzon, which hosts high-value manufacturers in industries like pharmaceuticals, fiber cement products, tire, and semiconductor segments. 

In Central Luzon, Colliers projects 900 hectares of new industrial space to be delivered between 2025 through 2028.

“The development of new industrial parks and facilities in central and southern Luzon should provide potential locators with more options and opportunities to haggle for more attractive land leasehold and warehouse lease rates,” Colliers said.

For the second half of the year, semiconductors, consumer goods, cosmetics, and automotive firms are expected to drive demand in the industrial segment.

“Industrial space absorption should partly be supported by Chinese and Taiwanese firms expanding in the Philippines. Colliers sees the Philippines likely benefiting from the China+1 strategy,” according to the report.

The China+1 strategy refers to China-based companies diversifying their production operations to add more sites.

Colliers also cited the potential of ‘sunrise industries’ such as electric vehicles (EVs), as it expects more interest from EV firms looking for an industrial base in the region.

“Over the near to medium term, the Philippine government should entice other thriving sectors such as pharmaceutical firms and encourage them to manufacture in the Philippines,” it said.

Source: Business World

Philippines rises in world citizenship list

The Philippines rose five spots to 89th out of 188 countries in the latest edition of CS Global Partners’ World Citizenship Report (WCR). The report assesses a country’s citizenship based on five indicators valued by high-net-worth global investors: safety and security, quality of life, economic opportunity, global mobility, and financial freedom. The country scored 53.1 out of 100, the fifth lowest in the region.

Source: Business World

Naturalization for a foreigner married to a Filipina

The process that foreigners undergo to become Filipino citizens is called naturalization.

Naturalization is a legal process that grants foreigners full recognition as citizens of the Philippines. It gives them rights and privileges such as voting, obtaining a Philippine passport and accessing public services. As citizens, they also gain the right to legally work or run a business in the country and to receive protection from the government.

Along with these rights come responsibilities, such as paying taxes and obeying the laws of the country. The naturalization process in the Philippines ensures that those who wish to become citizens truly understand and accept the responsibilities and rights of being a Filipino.

Marriage between a foreigner and a Filipina does not automatically grant the foreigner Filipino citizenship. Section 2 of Commonwealth Act (CA) 473, or the Revised Naturalization Law, outlines the qualifications required for naturalization: "Sec. 2. Qualifications. – Subject to Section four of this Act, any person having the following qualifications may become a citizen of the Philippines by naturalization:

"First. He must be not less than twenty-one years of age on the day of the hearing of the petition;

"Second. He must have resided in the Philippines for a continuous period of not less than ten years;

"Third. He must be of good moral character and believes in the principles underlying the Philippine Constitution, and must have conducted himself in a proper and irreproachable manner during the entire period of his residence in the Philippines in his relation with the constituted government as well as with the community in which he is living;

"Fourth. He must own real estate in the Philippines worth not less than five thousand pesos, Philippine currency, or must have some known lucrative trade, profession, or lawful occupation;

"Fifth. He must be able to speak and write English or Spanish and any one of the principal Philippine languages; and

"Sixth. He must have enrolled his minor children of school age, in any of the public schools or private schools recognized by the Office of Private Education of the Philippines, where the Philippine history, government and civics are taught or prescribed as part of the school curriculum, during the entire period of the residence in the Philippines required of him prior to the hearing of his petition for naturalization as Philippine citizen."

One of the basic qualifications is continuous residence in the country for at least ten (10) years. However, according to Section 3(3) of CA 473, the required 10 years of continuous residence in the Philippines may be reduced to five (5) years if the applicant is married to a Filipina, viz.: "Sec. 3. Special qualifications.

The ten years of continuous residence required under the second condition of the last preceding Sec. shall be understood as reduced to five years for any petitioner having any of the following qualifications: x x x "3. Being married to a Filipino woman; x x x" In response to your question, your marriage did not automatically make your French husband a Filipino citizen. He still has to go through the process of naturalization.

He will need to submit an application, and it will be carefully reviewed by the court to determine whether he will be granted a Certificate of Naturalization. The effect of your marriage is that the required 10 years of continuous residence in the Philippines will be reduced. It may become only five (5) years instead of 10.

Aside from this, he must still meet the qualifications stated by law, and he must not fall under any of the disqualifications.

The disqualifications are listed in Section 4 of C.A. 473: "Sec. 4. Who are disqualified. – The following cannot be naturalized as Philippine citizens:

"Persons opposed to organized government or affiliated with any association or group of persons who uphold and teach doctrines opposing all organized governments;

"Persons defending or teaching the necessity or propriety of violence, personal assault, or assassination for the success and predominance of their ideas;

"Polygamists or believers in the practice of polygamy;

"Persons convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude;

"Persons suffering from mental alienation or incurable contagious diseases;

"Persons who, during the period of their residence in the Philippines, have not mingled socially with the Filipinos, or who have not evinced a sincere desire to learn and embrace the customs, traditions, and ideals of the Filipinos;

"Citizens or subjects of nations with whom the United States and the Philippines are at war, during the period of such war;

"Citizens or subjects of a foreign country other than the United States whose laws do not grant Filipinos the right to become naturalized citizens or subjects thereof."

Source: Manila Times