Why global investors are looking at the Philippine property market with fresh eyes
Over the past weeks, The Filipino Times (TFT) Watchlist Awards, Forums, and Summits brought us to Saudi Arabia and Qatar—events we once held only in the UAE.
Our expansion across the Gulf, Europe, the Americas, and Asia Pacific reflects one clear trend: Interest in the Philippines is rising, especially in real estate.
Rising sales
At the New Perspective Media Group, after 15 years of promoting Philippine investments worldwide, we are seeing something distinct.
Several developers working with us through the Philippine Property & Investment Exhibition (PPIE) and our international roadshows now report that a growing share of their sales, double-digit percentages, come from foreign nationals, not only from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Ayala Land, for instance, recorded a 39 percent surge in foreign purchases in 2022, along with a 59 percent increase from OFWs, according to a 2023 TFT report.
Ayala Land president and CEO Meean Dy, during her talk at The Filipino Times (TFT) Summit two years ago, said empowering overseas Filipinos through smart investments “is not just a commitment, it’s a responsibility… that is why Ayala Land is proud to be at the forefront of securing a brighter future for them.”
“We are also very pleased to see a growing number of foreign investors from the UAE, which is truly a world-class cosmopolitan and commercial hub,” she added.
Strong fundamentals
Why now? It’s because of the country’s strong fundamentals and the Filipino story.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that around 40 percent of Filipino households still aspire to own a house and lot. For OFWs, homebuying remains a deeply emotional and identity-driven goal. This sits atop one of Asia’s youngest populations: A median age just above 26, offering decades of household formation ahead.
Rockwell Land president Valerie Soliven echoed this strength in our past PPIE event, citing that over half of our 109 million population–69.40 million–are in the working-age bracket. She also underscored that the Philippines remains investment-grade, holding BBB+ (Positive) from S&P, BBB (Stable) from Fitch, and Baa2 (Stable) from Moody’s.
Resilient growth
Despite political concerns, growth remains resilient at about 5 percent, one of the fastest globally, supported by consumption and a young labor force.
The country’s GNI per capita reached $4,470 in early 2025, just $26 shy of the World Bank’s upper-middle-income threshold, with the milestone expected by 2027.
Remittances remain our strongest stabilizer. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported an all-time high of $38.34 billion in 2024, with steady gains continuing in 2025. These inflows fund education, healthcare, and increasingly, real estate. In September 2025 alone, remittances hit $3.12 billion.
There are, however, market imbalances.
Metro Manila’s Q3 2025 condominium vacancy rate reached 25 percent, with some districts facing long absorption periods. Yet oversupply, when aligned with long-term fundamentals, becomes an opportunity. Investors who understand this cycle are already negotiating better prices and positioning for an expanding, not contracting, market.
Filipino reputation
But beyond numbers is something no model can quantify: The Filipino reputation. Having worked across the Gulf, I’ve seen how admiration for OFWs strengthens trust and confidence not only in Filipino workers but in the Philippines itself.
When Filipinos are valued, so is the country they represent—and this trust drives long-term investment.
The Philippines today is not only rising—its value is being rediscovered. Global investors are no longer asking whether or not they will invest in the Philippines because there is already a strong case to do so. What they are now asking is where in the country and how soon they should invest.
The author is the CEO and founder of the New Perspective Media Group, The Filipino Times, and the Philippine Property & Investment Exhibition (PPIE)
