Eton Properties sees leasing recovery in the POGO industry

Eton Properties has been experiencing a demand on its office developments for the second half of the year, as some Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) re-emerge to set up new expansion offices in the Philippines.

In a statement, Eton Properties has sealed the deal with one of the biggest POGO companies from Southeast Asia to lease more than 6,000 square meters of office space or two floors of its eWestPod building located inside the mixed-use development, Eton WestEnd Square near the Makati Central Business District.

"With the perceived stability and confidence of a new administration and the market starting to normalize, Eton Properties gradually felt an increase in the demand for leasing spaces this second half of the year. One of the primary effects we see is the confidence of POGOs to return to the Philippines. These operators are not just from China, but within our neighboring countries in Southeast Asia as well," says Eton Properties Executive Director, Kyle Tan.

Aside from the accelerated demand, the company's healthy growth performance was also underpinned by the strong client relations and ease of business transactions. Last month, a triple A construction firm signed a three-year contract to lease a whole floor or more than 1,000 square meters of the company's other office project, Blakes Tower.

"Eton also sees the positive ripple effect of POGO in our leasing business because some of them are also looking for residential and commercial spaces, which are a good indicator of our overall growth in occupancy rate," he said.

The eWestPod is the company's one of two office projects within the mixed-use complex of Eton WestEnd Square. The building was developed to create a particular built-to-suit concept that allows the user or tenant to design and customize the space according to their unique preference.

The office building has four floors of spacious offices well-suited for multinational companies' local corporate headquarters or global support servicing. It also has direct access to the complete range of amenities and close to the modern conveniences of the Makati CBD.

Near the major thoroughfares of Ayala and Buendia Avenues, eWestPod provides workers easy access to the LRT-1 train, public buses, jeepneys, cabs, and even tricycles. The major commercial centers are also just a few minutes away, and the whole master-planned development features eWestMall, which houses two floors of retail spaces, assuring no shortage of different lifestyle options.

Eton Properties is the real estate brand of the Lucio Tan Group, one of the biggest business conglomerates in the Philippines. Its foreign counterpart, Eton Properties Ltd, is an established real estate brand in Hong Kong and mainland China. With an extensive land bank in strategic locations all over the country, Eton Properties specializes in office projects, commercial centers, and mixed-use township developments, as well as, high-end and mid-income high-rise and horizontal residential developments.