Have you ever wondered how different your daily grind would look like based on the area you chose to live in or move into? It may be\u00a0a thought worth reflecting on. Perhaps each of us, at one point or another, has been in this situation before: You can be a valued contributor in your company but your travel time to and from work may be the equivalent of watching a Mission Impossible film. By the time you get to work, it takes time to get back lost energy \u2013 and lost time. The quality of the community you live in may be as important a matter to contemplate on as the home you\u2019ll live in.<\/p>\n
Can you get whatever it is you need, whenever you want it? What are its features and amenities? Will it be a conducive place for you to rest, recuperate, and, if you choose to, do additional office work? We all have images of that dream place waiting to be. For some they have found that destination by setting up shop in Makati, known as one the Philippines\u2019 main business district. Here’s the city, as seen through the experiences of working professionals who have called Makati their home.<\/p>\n
Ren Madrid, a 33 year-old Strategy and Sales\u00a0Support Manager for one of the country\u2019s top BPO companies, is a Makati transplant himself. For more than half of his life, Ren lived in Quezon City along with his parents and two siblings. A couple of years after getting married in 2010, he and his wife moved to Makati. Ren shares the reasons that enticed him to move to Makati.\u00a0\u201cI think there is a lot of prestige about living in the country\u2019s central business district. But at least for us, we put a premium on living with ease. Living in Makati, it\u2019s like what we need can be accessed just a stone\u2019s throw away. There are a lot of commercial establishments that I\u2019ve come to be familiar with.” There are said to be more than 60,000 commercial and retail establishments within and near Makati. Staying in Makati afforded Ren and his family to enjoy the glut of fine restaurants and coffee shops the city has to offer. Supermarkets and convenience stores are within range as well. And of course, there’s the companies that define it as a business district.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing in Makati makes us near our respective places of work as well. While I work in the Paranaque area, my wife works in Makati,\u201d adds Ren. Statistics show that 40% of the country\u2019s top multinational and local companies are located in Makati.<\/a> Michael Diamante, 34, who works as a Senior Product and Systems Trainer for a BPO company as well, moved to Makati last 2011 and says it’s made a difference in his work life. \u201cThe traffic to work is more manageable because I walk to work. Long walks are also a way for me to unwind.” Michael, who resides in a high-rise residential condominium unit, shares that living in Makati brings great value. He explains, “When I got my place in Makati, I also saw it as a possible investment. Having a place to call my own is great.”\u00a0Makati condominiums are said to have the highest property value and never depreciate. On the flipside, Makati also has the highest rental and occupancy rates in the country. Ren shares that living in Makati is inconvenient due to a higher cost of living, which includes food, laundry, association dues, and real estate taxes. \u201cEverything seems more expensive, particularly the rent and tax,\u201d echoes Michael.<\/p>\n