MAKATI CITY ADVANTAGES 

By all rights a techno-city, Makati is the most preferred location of investors. It is the country's undisputed financial center and commercial hub, being home to the headquarters of 40 percent of the top 1,000 multinational and local corporations. To date, it has a total of 62,878 establishments, which include 461 head offices of banks, 10 major IT companies, and 27 contact centers.
   
Superior Infrastructures 
Makati's highly developed multi-modal transport infrastructure has made it the most centralized city in Metro Manila and the National Capital Region. The availability of various forms of public transportation, such as the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), jeepneys and buses, complemented by a road network that links the city to the rest of Metro Manila, ensures accessibility and convenience.

The city has the most developed telecommunications infrastructure in the country. With the presence of two major providers for land-based telephone services, the PLDT and Globe Telecom, Makati's teledensity far exceeds the national average. 
 
Expat-friendly
As host to 54 embassies and 35 consulates, Makati has highly developed foreign transient support institutions. Likewise, it is home to the headquarters of international organizations like the World Health Organization, UNICEF, IFC, and UNDP.
 
World-class amenities
The presence of six five-star hotels, eight shopping malls, and 2,901 restaurants and bars in the city has strengthened its bid to become the “Urban Tourism Capital” of the Philippines. In fact, it was declared by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as a “prime urban tourist destination” in 2002 as part of the “Visit Philippines” tourism campaign.

Local and foreign tourists flock to Makati commercial centers, such as Ayala Center and Rockwell Center, primarily because of convenience, accessibility, quality of stores, ambiance, and interior and exterior environment that match world-class standards.

Investors likewise find Makati a “home away from home”, given the high-end yet reasonably priced residential condominiums, villages, and apartments that abound in its midst.

Its restaurants offer all kinds of local and international cuisine that cater to varied preferences, while its night spots and daytime bars give a wide array of choices for those who wish to unwind after work, or simply relish the pleasures of nightlife, Makati-style.
 
 
Peace of Mind
The Makati police and fire departments have both been cited as the country's best units in 2004. At present, the city government is building a state-of-the-art police headquarters, patterned after that of the Los Angeles Police Department, near the Central Business District. It will form part of an Integrated Central Command Complex that will house all protective sectors, including the city's fire and rescue teams, and the Disaster Coordinating Council.

The City government also takes pride in having recently established the nation's first free-standing emergency care facility, the Acute Care Center (ACC) Ospital ng Makati in BEl-Air. It is staffed round-the-clock by a full complement of qualified doctors, nurses, and support personnel trained in responding to life-threatening illness or injury via the team approach.

The ACC gives crucial support to the major hospitals in the city, which include the Makati Medical Center and the Ospital ng Makati in Barangay Pembo.
 
Going the ‘extra mile'
The above-mentioned attributes of the city have won the confidence of leading multinational and local corporations, including big players in the IT industry like Microsoft, Oracle, and Hewlet-Packard.

But mindful of the needs of the working class as well, the city government has gone out of its way to promote programs that would benefit employees. One such initiative was the establishment of what are now popularly known as “jolly-jeeps” in strategic areas of the Central Business District. These are mobile canteens that provide affordable, yet clean and nutritious meals to ordinary employees of Makati-based companies.

And as the number of call center locators grew, the city government responded by allowing these jolly-jeeps to operate on a 24-hour basis for the benefit of call center employees and other night-shift workers in the city.
 
ICT-readiness
Makati is the top choice of IT locators because it has ICT-ready buildings that allow them to plug in and immediately start operations. To date, seven IT Zone buildings in the Central Business District have been proclaimed by PEZA, namely: Exportbank Plaza Building, G.T. Tower International, PBCom Tower, RCBC Plaza, The Enterprise Center, MSE Center, and Multinational Bancorporation Centre. These buildings all have double-fed electricity and managed power that ensure continuous operations, with most having their own additional backup power.

Ten more buildings are awaiting similar accreditation. These are 6750 Ayala Avenue Building, DPC Place Building, Solid House, and the Paseo Center IT Building.

IT Zone buildings allow the locator to take advantage of the following PEZA incentives.

Income tax holiday (ITH) or exemption from corporate income tax for four years, extendable up to a maximum of eight years.
After ITH period, the option to pay a special 5 percent tax on gross income in lieu of all national and local taxes.
Exemption from duties and taxes on imported capital equipment, spare parts, supplies, raw materials.
Domestic sales allowance equivalent to 30 percent of total sales.
Exemption from wharfage dues and export taxes, imposts and fees.
Permanent resident status of foreign investors and immediate family members.
Employment of foreign nationals.
Simplified import and export procedures
The presence of leading telephone companies (i.e., PLDT, Globe Telecom) provides value-added services to corporate locators. Broadband is available throughout the CBD.

Data security is easily addressed by a local community of cyber-security experts. 
 
Business Friendly City Hall 
To promote a more ‘business-friendly' environment, the city government has taken steps to streamline permits application and processing at City hall. Through its “Express Lane” service, processing time has been considerably reduced to a maximum of two hours.

Downloadable application forms for Business Permit, Individual Mayor's Permit, and Locational Clearance have also been made available through its official website, www.makati.gov.ph, for the convenience of investors.

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Source: http://makatimidrisecondo.weebly.com/makati-city-advantages.html