Capital of the Philippines, centre of the economy, and witness to much of Philippine history, Manila is one of Asia’s most dynamic and vibrant cities. While leisure travellers often treat Manila as a stopover to the island resorts, business travellers are rapidly flocking to Manila despite its reputation as a chaotic megacity.
Heart of Spanish rule in Asia, Manila has a long and cosmopolitan history. The treasure galleon trade with Acapulco at the other end of the Spanish colonial empire brought wealth and riches to the city. The Spanish also left Manila with many European-style churches, forts, and other colonial buildings. Aside from the Spanish, the Americans and the Japanese have also governed Manila. Manila is also home to Malays, Chinese, and Spanish Creole living alongside the native Filipinos. This has resulted in a pulsating cosmopolitan metropolis that seemingly thrives on its own chaos. Blending old Spanish stone cathedrals with modern glass-and-steel shopping malls, Manila has plenty of opportunities to offer to the savvy business traveller.
The city of Manila proper is part of a larger conurbation known as Metro Manila. Officially known as the National Capital Region (NCR), the region is the centre of culture, economy, education and government of the Philippines.
PLACES TO KNOW
INTRAMUROS.
Literally ‘within the walls’, Intramuros is Manila’s historic centre where the Spanish ruled the city from. Within the protective walls of the fort, the Spanish built stone palaces, churches, monasteries, convents, schools, and fine courtyard houses. Most of the older structures were destroyed in World War II, but some examples are preserved or rebuilt as tourist attractions.
BINONDO
Binondo is Manila’s Chinatown district. Created in the 16th century for Chinese immigrants, Binondo grew rapidly as the centre for business, finance, and retail in Spanish Manila. Currently, the district still hosts many Chinese businesses and chambers of commerce, in addition to some of Manila’s tastiest Chinese food.
MAKATI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT
This story is from the June 2018 edition of SME Magazine Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2018 edition of SME Magazine Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Cloud- Driven Recovery
With digital transformation being an important catalyst for Malaysia’s inclusive economic recovery, cloud computing plays an important role that enables . the country to acquire the advantages that technology offers.
Live Werkz: Venturing Beyond Southeast Asia
Being forward-looking in its approach has enabled LiveWerkz Pte Ltd to survive the Covid-19 pandemic, says vice president Tricia Ng. Despite being a Singaporean company, the company does not focus its efforts in the Southeast Asia region. Instead, Greater China and the Middle East become the foundation for its businesses. Ng tells SME the company’s strategies in facing a challenging future.
Singapore's Go Digital Well Received
More than 78,000 of Singapore’s SMEs have participated in the country’s Go Digital programme since its 2017 launch, with more about 40,000 becoming participants last year, including 30,000 that received Covid-19 incentives from the government.
Accountants And SMEs: Creating A Sustainable World
For SME finance professionals, ‘sustainability’ is about achieving longevity. However, there is a confusion over different definitions of sustainability. They recognise the growing importance of tackling sustainability issues but lack the understanding of how doing this can be integrated into day-to-day practices within the finance function.
Rebuilding Our Mental Well-Being In Sales
Sue Barrett is a writer, training provider and entrepreneur who founded Barrett in 1995 to positively transform the culture, capability and continuous learning of leaders, teams and businesses.
Omicron: A Test Of Resilence
Global manufacturers have been facing a supply chain crisis since the start of the year. Just as it appeared that the situation was beginning to stabilise, the Omicron Covid variant reared its ugly head.
Silver Lining In The Cloud
Although RAS Security Pte Ltd’s business was adversely affected by the pandemic, there’s a silver lining in the cloud. The occurrence has necessitated the company to innovate its business model to remain viable and led to the discovery of new areas of security service provision. Managing director Tejdeep Singh shares his journey.
Accelerating Artificial Intelligence
Singapore is introducing two new public artificial intelligence (AI) programmes as part of the strategy to use technology for social and economic good, involving a total allocation of S$680 million to accelerate AI research. The latest initiatives require a funding of S$180 million.
Three Tips For Hiring Top Talents
BIG EGOS LOSE TALENTS First up, when it comes to hiring, you must put aside your ego.
The Economy Is Recovering, But What About People?
All signs are pointing towards a speedy recovery. Contrary to what this writer initially predicted, the economy seems to be genuinely recovering.
