BCP sites eyed to avoid work disruptions during calamities

CEBU, Philippines —  With learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating effects of typhoon Odette, commercial and office developers are encouraged to revisit their Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) and consider additional office spaces as BCP sites that can accommodate employees during disruptions.

Experts at Colliers Philippines believe that what Cebu and other areas in Visayas and Mindanao hit by the typhoon can do after the calamity is to use the experience as gauge in enhancing their BCPs.

Moreover, occupiers can reassess the readiness of their current office buildings in terms of their response capabilities during emergencies and technical specifications and look for quality buildings that can operate even with the use of a generator alone for several days.

Colliers also recommends for occupiers to explore partnerships with flexible workspace providers for BCP packages where staff will immediately have a facility to work in.

As the needs of occupiers evolve in the face of the health and environmental emergencies, opportunities to provide greater value and ensure the continuity of businesses shall also emerge.

Amid disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and typhoon Odette, many outsourcing occupiers in Cebu continue to implement a work-from-home set-up.

 “The evolving needs of occupiers may ultimately unlock short-and-long-term opportunities for office market,” Colliers said.

Similarly, in the residential sphere, people are also putting their money right now in investing what the industry call “escape homes”.

Drawing from the arduous experience after Odette, people are now starting to invest on alternative homes, where developers’ BCPs are well in place.

An escape home provides necessary facilities in case calamities happen in the future.

In an earlier interview, real estate broker, and founder of Filipino Homes Anthony Gerard Leuterio noted an increasing of inquiries for condominiums after the typhoon.

According to Leuterio, second home or an escape home, which has an in place contingency amenities like generator, water pumps, among others fueled the interest of the market, particularly Cebuanos wanting to buy condominiums. Others inquire for house and lot.

Because of this emerging demand following the typhoon, Leuterio sees bigger opportunities for developers to build not just new normal designed residential units (both condo and house & lot), but also those that sustained calamities.