Arch. Reyes Street, Poblacion, Kalibo, Aklan, Philippines 5600
- info@hgpci.com
- +63 99120 62110
Arch. Reyes Street, Poblacion, Kalibo, Aklan, Philippines 5600
HGPCI offers a broad suite of finance and accounting services for owners of small-and-medium businesses, accounting firms, CFOs of large corporations, and shared services centers around the world.
We are driven by our passion to help our clients simplify and improve their accounting and bookkeeping functions.
We make sure that your bills and vendor invoices are up-to-date and legitimate. We automate your accounts payable processing to provide better accuracy, timeliness, and control.
We ease your payment collection process by preparing payment proposals for your creditors. This will prevent your accounts receivable from reflecting claims that have yet to be paid.
HGPCI significantly improves the way your business receives payments from your clients by automating invoices that automatically reflect on your financial statements, eliminating manual entries and errors with the help of the latest accounting and bookkeeping tools.
Our expense report processing services ensures that all employee cash advances and reimbursements are accurately reported and accounted for.
Keeping your company’s business financial records and bank accounts accurately matched is vital. Hence, HGPCI offers bank reconciliation as part of our general accounting and bookkeeping services, to ensure that there are no discrepancies between the two to avoid an overdrawn bank account.
HGPCI takes advantage of market size, trends, industry structure, competitive intelligence, relevant industry proponents for interview, customer understanding, regulatory assessment and market assessment to develop strategic recommendations.
We can estimate current market value and provide a forecast on future value, while considering micro and macroeconomic factors.
We also focus on qualitative data through effective, on-the-ground interviews with local stakeholders to fully understand the market from a local perspective.
We design organizational structure, business strategy, and future policies for our clients based on in-depth interviews and research.
We leverage our local professionals to help you coordinate online and offline interviews in the local language to identify quality candidates.
Being proponents for overseas expansion, we can forecast sales by conducting qualitative pre-sales activities to gain input from the consumer market.
We formulate sound market entry strategies based on our assessment and extensive understanding of local and international regulations on the target products and businesses.
We conduct detailed market research and analysis based on trends, the competitive landscape, industry mapping, government regulations and incentives, and consumer perspectives.
We develop practical yet full-scale market entry and execution plans with actionable recommendations that can be implemented swiftly.
HGPCI adds value by conducting direct interviews with the leading local players to validate the detailed structure of market size and commercial trends in niche industries that cannot be covered by large databases.
In addition to interviews from the perspective of a Third Party as a consulting firm, proactive information is gathered using approaches such as potential business partnerships as well as leveraging on our internal businesses and investment portfolio.
Our senior consultants perform quality control, reporting and project management while field surveys are conducted by our in-house survey teams, achieving a cost-effective and high-quality output.
Past Projects
HGPCI provides end-to-end assistance with business registration and company incorporation services to individuals, local and foreign companies seeking to start a business in the Philippines.
Types Of Business Entities
A Domestic Corporation is a business entity that is organized, registered, and existing under Philippine laws. It is an artificial being created by operation of law and has a juridical personality that is separate from its stockholders and/or other corporations to which it is connected.
Although the Philippines does not adopt the legal concept of Limited Liability Company (LLC) or Private Limited Company (PLC), a domestic corporation serves as its closest local equivalent by virtue of the powers and attributes granted to the latter by the Corporation Code of the Philippines. Similar to LLCs, a domestic corporation incurs its own liabilities and is legally responsible for the payment of its obligations. Its stockholders can also only be held liable to the extent of their share capital.
The juridical personality of a domestic corporation could only come into existence after the issuance of the Certificate of Registration (upon filing of the Articles of Incorporation and other relevant documents) by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – the government agency mandated to supervise the existence and government compliance of corporations operating in the Philippines.
Domestic corporations must satisfy the statutory requirement of at least five (5) and not more than fifteen (15) incorporators who shall be mentioned in the Articles of Incorporation as originally forming and composing the corporation. They must be signatories to the Articles and have no powers beyond those vested in them by the statute. Moreover, they must be natural persons of legal age, each subscribe to or own at least one (1) share of the capital stock of the corporation, and majority of them have to be residents of the Philippines.
Here’s a simplification of the business registration process for domestic corporations:
• Registration of proposed company name with SEC
• Submission of documentary requirements such as the following to SEC:
• Articles of Incorporation and By-laws
• Treasurer’s Affidavit
• Bank Certificate showing the paid-up capital
• Registration Data Sheet
• Endorsements / Clearances from other government agencies (if applicable)
• Registration of Stock and Transfer Books
• Registration with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for corporate taxing
• Procurement of business permits and licenses from the city or municipality where the business will be located
• Procurement of secondary licenses if the business will engage in regulated industry sectors (banking and finance, pharmaceutical, lending, etc.)
• Registration with employee-related government agencies such as the following:
• Social Security System (SSS) for social security
• Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) for health insurance benefits
• Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF or Pag-Ibig Fund) for housing benefits
Local and foreign entities seeking to set up a company in the Philippines without the need for multiple shareholders or the existence of a board of directors can take advantage of a One-Person Corporation, a new type of corporation offering the benefits of sole ownership with limited liability.
A One-Person Corporation (OPC) is a corporation with a single stockholder. The single stockholder shall serve as the incorporator, sole director, and president. The shareholder’s liability in an OPC is limited to the extent of their assets.
The OPC is not required to have a minimum authorized capital stock except as specified by applicable laws. Moreover, no portion of the authorized capital is required to be paid-up at the time of incorporation, unless required by special laws.
The single stockholder must appoint a Corporate Secretary, Treasurer, and other officers within 15 days from the date of incorporation. The role of Corporate Secretary cannot be assumed by the single stockholder, but they can take the role of the Treasurer provided they submit a surety bond to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Moreover, the Corporate Secretary must be a Filipino citizen while the Treasurer must be a resident of the Philippines.
The single stockholder is also required by law to appoint a nominee and an alternate nominee who shall be indicated in the Articles of Incorporation to replace the single stockholder if they die or become incapacitated to operate the OPC.
HGPCI provides licensing services to foreign corporations seeking to set up business operations in the Philippines. Our services include the following services such as drafting Articles of Incorporation (AOI) and By-Laws, determining the capital requirements for licensing, registering and reserving company name, applying for business permits/licenses, appointing a Resident Agent, and assessing eligibility for tax incentives from the government.
Our large pool of experienced business consultants and legal counsels have assisted numerous foreign corporations to set up operations, whether their purpose is to generate income or set up a back-office or regional headquarters in the Philippines.
A Regional Headquarters (RHQ) is an administrative branch of a foreign corporation engaged in international trade in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and other foreign markets.
It can only be set up and operated by a foreign corporation that has subsidiaries, branches, affiliates or clients in the APAC region as well as other foreign markets. It is neither allowed to manage their operations nor derive income from any source in the Philippines.
An RHQ does not have a separate legal personality from its parent company and the laws governing its formation, existence, and dissolution are the laws of the country where its parent company was organized or established. Hence, any liabilities that it will incur are considered liabilities of the head office of its parent company.
The primary purpose of a Philippine RHQ is to supervise, superintend, inspect or coordinate its subsidiaries, branches, and affiliates in the APAC region. It also performs as general administration, business planning, and communication center for them. Under conditions prescribed by Philippine laws, it may source raw materials or market products, train employees or conduct research and development within the Philippines.
The RHQ’s parent company from abroad is not permitted to market and sell products through the RHQ office because it is not allowed to deal directly or do business with the company’s clients in the Philippines, as declared in its registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The parent company is required to remit a minimum of US$50,000.00 as paid-up capital and annual inward remittance to support its operating expenses.
RHQs are often established by multinational corporations looking to separate their operations to minimize operational costs and take advantage of a huge, cost-effective labor pool and attractive tax incentives from an emerging market like the Philippines.
A Regional Operating Headquarters (ROHQ) is an extension of a foreign corporation allowed to derive income in the Philippines by performing qualifying services to its head office, affiliates, subsidiaries or branches in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and other foreign markets.
It can only be set up and operated by a foreign corporation that has subsidiaries, branches, affiliates or clients in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and other foreign markets.
The laws that govern its formation, existence, and dissolution are the laws of the country where its parent company was organized or established. Hence, it does not have a separate legal personality and any liabilities that it will incur are considered liabilities of the head office of its parent company.
An ROHQ is allowed to derive income from the qualifying services it renders in the Philippines, which could be any of the following:
• General administration and planning
• Business planning and coordination
• Sourcing/procurement of raw materials and components
• Corporate finance advisory services
• Marketing control and sales promotion
• Training and personnel management
• Logistics services
• Research and development services, and product development
• Technical support and maintenance
• Data processing and communication and
• Business development
It is, however, prohibited from offering these services to entities other than its affiliates, branches or subsidiaries – as declared in its registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It is also not allowed to directly or indirectly solicit or market goods and services on behalf of its parent company, branches, affiliates, subsidiaries or any other business entity it is connected to.
The parent company is required to deposit an initial inward remittance of US$200,000.00 as capitalization and annual support for its operating expenses.
Subject to certain conditions, overhead expenses of the head office may be allocated to the ROHQ in the Philippines.
ROHQs are often set up by multinational corporations that intend to separate their operations to minimize operational costs and take advantage of a huge, cost-effective labor pool and attractive tax incentives from an emerging market like the Philippines.
A Branch Office is an extension of a foreign corporation that carries out the business activities of its head office from abroad into the Philippines.
It does not have a separate legal personality from its parent company and the laws governing its formation, existence, and dissolution are the laws of the country where its parent company was organized or established. Hence, any liabilities that it will incur are considered liabilities of the head office of its parent company.
It is allowed to derive income from its activities in the Philippines and conduct business in the same manner as its head office – under conditions prescribed by Philippine laws and regulations.
The minimum paid-up capital requirement of a Branch Office in the Philippines is US$200,000.00 but can be reduced to US$100,000.00 if it will engage in activities involving advanced technology or will employ at least fifty (50) direct employees. If it will engage as a Domestic Market Enterprise (DME) and intends only to sell goods and services to the Philippine market, it is required to inwardly remit the assigned capitalization of US$200,000.00.
On the other hand, if it seeks to be an export-oriented enterprise that exports goods and services amounting to 60% or more of its gross sales, it is exempted from paying the minimum paid-up capital requirement of US$200,000.00 and can be registered with as little as PHP5,000.00.
A Representative Office is a business structure that acts as a local liaison office for a foreign corporation that seeks to establish a corporate presence in the country without engaging in income-generating activities.
The foreign corporation is referred to as the parent company and its head office fully subsidizes the operating expenses and incurs all the liabilities of the representative office in the Philippines.
Representative offices are considered extensions of foreign corporations and do not have a separate legal personality from their parent companies. The laws governing their formation, existence, and dissolution are the laws of the country where their parent companies were organized or established.
They are not allowed to generate income in the Philippines and offer services to third parties. Hence, their parent companies are required to remit at least US$30,000.00 every year to support their operations as well as cover their operating expenses.
Under Philippine laws, a representative office is only allowed to engage in the following activities:
• Facilitate orders of customers or clients from its head office
• Disseminate information and conduct promotional activities about the products of its head office
• Undertake quality control of products from its head office and
• Undertake other related administrative activities for its head office.
A Sole Proprietorship is a business structure owned by an individual who generally has full control and authority over the business. The business owner is referred to as the “sole proprietor” and exclusively owns all assets and profits of the business. He or she is also personally liable for all the debts and losses that the business might incur.
As the simplest form of business in the Philippines, the business registration process for a sole proprietorship is relatively easy. Sole proprietorships are also the easiest to run since they do not have the same formalities and regulations that corporations and partnerships have, such as board meetings, board elections, share capital, etc.
Since the law treats the owner and the business as the same, the sole proprietor only needs to register his or her name with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and secure local licenses and permits to commence business operations.
Here’s a step-by-step process for registering a sole proprietorship:
• Register a business name with DTI to acquire a DTI Certificate of Registration
• Register with the Barangay Office where the business is going to be located to acquire a Barangay Certificate of Business Registration
• Register with the Mayor’s Office to acquire a Mayor’s Permit and
• Register with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to acquire a Certificate of Registration
At HGPCI, we can accommodate your human resource needs through analysis and problem diagnosis, strategy development, proposal of a solution and its implementation, evaluation and monitoring.
HGPCI provides end-to-end assistance for your organizational development needs. We can help with the conceptualization and implementation of key organizational needs from a a company's mission and mision statement, corporate values, strategic leadership development, succession planning, and organizational charting.
HGPCI can assist every company with recordkeeping and files management needs to ensure that its records are safe and easily accessible for employees. HGPCI provides records management services for your company, from job offer letters, probationary employment contracts, regularization employment contracts, company manual and policies, memorandums as well as quitclaims.
HGPCI can help clients determine the best compensation packages for their employees and keep them up-to-date with industry trends and standards. We provide services such as salary benchmarking and structure, benefits administration, annual salary increase, salary alignment including bonus planning, design, and review.
HGPCI can help find the right talent for your company. We have a large pool of HR and recruitment specialists that can assist your business with identifying and searching for the most ideal candidate that best matches your company’s needs. We provide talent acquisition, background checks, performance management systems, retention, and termination services to our clients.
HGPCI provides a series of executive coaching services from young executive fast-tracking, general performance management, sales performance assessment, management preparation, strategic thinking, and conflict management.
HGPCI provides quality, professional Information Technology services to the small to midsize businesses.
We understand that businesses need quality, cost-effective, well-planned IT systems to prevent downtime. We cultivate reliable, long-term IT solutions that limit ongoing and unnecessary expenses associated with “quick fix” products. We plan with our clients to ensure that IT systems we create keep up with the needs of their fast growing business.
Also, due to increasing demand for outsourcing, we provide high-quality yet cost effective services in the maintenance and operation of IT systems while meeting budgetary needs of our clients.
We also work with Third Party providers to promote the operation and maintenance of IT systems that support the global expansion of our clients through partner offices based in Metro Manila, which provide 24-hour support.
Our commitment to clients, technical advantage combined with undeniable business ethics firmly cements as a company that you can rely on.
HGPCI may also assist its clients with tax incentives related to the following 6 government entities:
Enterprises that are 100% foreign owned and engaged in preferred areas of investment may be entitled to incentives from the Board of Investments (BOI) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA). Businesses may only avail of one set of incentives at a time and will be required to comply with investment commitments and inspection by the relevant government agency. Under PEZA, the set of incentives actually received by a registered enterprise will depend on the registration agreement actually signed between the enterprise/locator and the PEZA.
Foreign ownership is restricted for enterprises undertaking activities listed in the Foreign Investment Negative List (FINL) of the Philippines.
Foreign Investment Negative List
The Foreign Investment Negative List, or Negative List, is a list of economic sectors where foreign ownership and participation in the Philippines are regulated. It contains two component lists: List A and List B. List A contains areas of investment where foreign ownership is limited by the mandate of the Philippine Constitution or by specific laws. List B, on the other hand, contains areas of investment where foreign ownership is limited for reasons of security, defense, risk to health and morals, and protection of local small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs).
Except for activities where restrictions on foreign equity are imposed under the Philippine Constitution or statutes, the President of the Philippines may amend the Negative List and such amendments should not be made more than once every two years.
The regular Negative List is updated and issued every two years. The current version being implemented is the 12th version, signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte under Executive Order (EO) No. 175 in June 2022.
Updates on the 12th Version of the Negative List
The Twelfth Regular Foreign Investment Negative Lists mandates changes to List A and List B of the Foreign Investments Negative List to align with existing laws and policies to ease restrictions on foreign participation regarding investment areas and activities.
Below are the following updates included in the new Twelfth Regular Foreign Investment Negative Lists:
• Removal of the manufacture, repair, storage, and/or distribution of products requiring clearance from the Department of National Defense (“DND”)
• This aligns with the recent amendments to the Retail Trade Liberalisation Act (“RTLA”), which allows full foreign ownership of retail trade enterprises with a minimum paid-up capital of $446,000 in the manufacturing and services industry.
The 12th Foreign Investment Negative List
List A: Foreign Ownership is Limited By Mandate of the Constitution and Specific Laws
No Foreign Equity
• Mass media, except recording and internet business
• Practice of professions, except in cases specifically allowed by the law following the prescribed conditions therein
• Professions where foreigners are not allowed to practice in the Philippines, except if the subject to reciprocity as provided in pertinent laws.
• Corporate practice of professions with foreign equity restrictions under pertinent laws.
• Retail trade enterprises with paid-up capital of less than ₱25,000,000.00
• Cooperatives, except investments of former natural-born citizens of the Philippines
• Organization and operation of private detective, watchmen or security guards agencies
• Small-scale mining
• Utilization of marine resources in archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone as well as small-scale utilization of natural resources in rivers, lakes, bays, and lagoons
• Ownership, operation, and management of cockpits
• Manufacture, repair, stockpiling, and/or distribution of nuclear weapons
• Manufacture, repair, stockpiling, and/or distribution of biological, chemical, and radiological weapons and anti-personnel mines
• Manufacture of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices
Up to 25% Foreign Equity
• Private recruitment, whether for local or overseas employment
• Contracts for the construction of defense-related structures
Up to 30% Foreign Equity
• Advertising
Up to 40% Foreign Equity
• Procurement of infrastructure projects in accordance with Section 23.4.2.1(b), (c), and (e) of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA. 9184
• Exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources
• Ownership of private lands, except for a natural-born citizen who has lost his Philippine citizenship and has the legal capacity to enter into a contract under Philippine laws.
• Operation of public utilities
• Educational institutions other than those established by religious groups and mission boards, for foreign diplomatic personnel and their dependents and other foreign temporary residents, or for short-term high-level skills development that do not form part of the formal education system as defined in Section 20 of Batas Pambansa (BP) No. 232 (1982)
• Culture, production, milling, processing, trading except retailing, of rice and corn and acquiring, by barter, purchase or otherwise, rice and corn and the by-products thereof, subject to a period of divestment.
• Contracts for the supply of materials, goods, and commodities to Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation (GOCC), company, agency or municipal corporation
• Operation of deep-sea commercial fishing vessels
• Ownership of condominium units
• Private radio communications network
List B: Foreign Ownership is Limited for Reason of Security, Defense, Risk to Health and Morals, and Protection of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises
Up to 40% Foreign Equity
• Manufacture, repair, storage, and/or distribution of products and/or ingredients requiring Philippine National Police (PNP) clearance:
• Firearms (handguns to shotguns), parts of firearms and ammunition therefor, instruments or implements used or intended to be used in the manufacture of firearms
• Gunpowder
• Dynamite
• Blasting supplies
• Ingredients used in making explosives
• Chlorates of potassium and sodium
• Nitrates of ammonium, potassium, sodium barium, copper (11), lead (11), calcium, and cuprite
• Nitric acid
• Nitrocellulose
• Perchlorates of ammonium, potassium, and sodium
• Dinitrocellulose
• Glycerol
• Amorphous phosphorus
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Strontium nitrate powder
• Toluene
• Telescopic sights, sniper scope, and other similar devices
However, the manufacture or repair of these items may be authorized by the Chief of the PNP to non-Philippine nationals; provided that a substantial percentage of output, as determined by the said agency, is exported. Provided further that the extent of foreign equity ownership allowed shall be specified in the said authority/clearance (RA No. 7042 as amended by RA No. 8179).
• Manufacture and distribution of dangerous drugs
• Sauna and steam bathhouses, massage clinics, and other like activities regulated by law because of risks posed to public health and morals, except wellness centers
• All forms of gambling, except those covered by investment agreements with Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR)
• Domestic market enterprises with paid-in equity capital of less than the equivalent of US$200,000
• Micro and small domestic markets that involves the following:
• Advance technology as determined by Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
• Endorsed as a start-up or start-up enablers by Department of Trade Industry, or DOST
• Employ at least fifty (50) direct employees with paid-in equity capital of less than the equivalent of US$100,000
Source: Official Gazette of the Philippines
Updated: January 20, 2023
This is an investment promotion agency that grants tax incentive packages to local and foreign businesses operating in the Philippines. It aims to help the Philippine government promote inbound investments and economic growth by attracting investors and entrepreneurs to venture capital and set up businesses in the country.
The BOI operates under the authority of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and is mandated through the Omnibus Investments Code (Executive Order No. 226) to provide tax exemption and other incentives to registered enterprises that engage in activities enumerated in the Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) – which is a list of areas of investments eligible for government incentives.
The Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) is a government owned and controlled corporation that was created by virtue of Republic Act 7922, otherwise known as the “Cagayan Special Economic Zone Act of 1995″. It was authored by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, a native of Cagayan Province, and approved by then President Fidel V. Ramos. It has been tasked to manage and supervise the development of the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport (CSEZFP).
From 1997 up to the present, CEZA continues to initiate several projects to promote development in the CSEZFP. As an economic zone, it aims to develop the whole area into a self-sustaining industrial, commercial investment, financial and tourism-recreational center and, likewise, with suitable retirement / residential areas. As a Freeport, it operates as a separate customs territory similar to Hong Kong, Singapore, Lubuan in Malaysia and Hamburg in Germany. It is envisioned to be a major transshipment point for trade in the Asia-Pacific rim. In this light, it now opens itself to interesting business opportunities with attractive incentives and advantages for interested investors that would like to register in CEZA. These developments are all deemed toward attracting legitimate and productive local and foreign investments and, thus, creating employment opportunities in and around the Freeport.
The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), a Government Owned and Controlled Corporation (GOCC) attached to the Department of Tourism (DOT), was created by virtue of Republic Act No. 9593, otherwise known as the Tourism Act of 2009. It is responsible for implementing policies and programs of the DOT pertaining to the development, promotion, and supervision of tourism projects in the Philippines.
TIEZA’s main tasks include building tourism infrastructure, designation, regulation and supervision of Tourism Enterprise Zones (TEZs), operation and management of TIEZA Assets , and the collection of the Philippine Travel Tax.
What is travel tax?
The travel tax is a levy imposed by the Philippine government on individuals who are leaving the country irrespective of the place where the air ticket is issued and the form or place of payment, as provided for by Presidential Decree (PD) 1183, as amended.
Pursuant to Section 73 of Republic Act No. 9593, fifty percent (50%) of the proceeds from travel tax collections shall accrue to the TIEZA, forty percent (40%) shall accrue to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for tourism-related educational programs and courses, and ten percent (10%) shall accrue to the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA).
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is a development corporation vested with corporate powers under Republic Act (RA) 7227 (Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992), signed into law by former President Corazon C. Aquino last March 13, 1992. The BCDA Charter was amended by RA 7917 in 1995, and further amended by RA 9400 in 2007.
Mandated to help strengthen the Armed Forces while building great cities, BCDA remains as a major force in creating economic opportunities in the country—through its establishment of integrated developments, dynamic business centers and vibrant communities.
BCDA engages in public-private partnerships to push forward vital public infrastructure such as tollways, airports, seaports, and also major real estate developments. It is one of the key agencies driving “Build Build Build,” the national government’s most ambitious infrastructure plan in Philippine history. This infrastructure plan hopes to provide bold solutions that will reduce congestion, create jobs and alleviate costs in the Philippines.
Since May 1993 until the present administration under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, BCDA has contributed a total of Php 49.19 billion to the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), BCDA’s major stakeholder. For the past 29 years, BCDA has already disposed of a total of Php 112.28 billion worth of assets and has remitted Php 71.18 billion to the National Treasury.
Through the years, BCDA has proven to be one of the most successful government agencies in attracting investments, creating jobs for the Filipino people and boosting the Philippine economy. It has successfully developed economic centers with the private sector giving rise to booming economic districts—Bonifacio Global City in Fort Bonifacio, Newport City in Villamor Air Base—and also vital infrastructure such as the 93.77-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.
BCDA is positioning Clark as the next investment center in Asia through high-impact projects such as the New Clark City—a new metropolis that is smart, green, resilient and truly inclusive and the expansion of the Clark International Airport.
The thrust of BCDA in expanding economic opportunities for Filipinos is echoed within special economic zones under the stewardship of the BCDA Group—composed of the BCDA and its subsidiaries—the Clark Development Corporation, the Clark International Airport Corporation, the Poro Point Management Corporation, the John Hay Management Corporation, and the North Luzon Railways Corporation.
The BCDA Group is a prime mover of national development. It transforms former military bases and properties into premier centers of economic growth in partnership with the private sector with integrity, excellence and efficiency in the stewardship of government resources while creating sustainable urban communities to uplift the lives of Filipinos.
The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is the operating and implementing arm of the Government of the Philippines for the development of the 262 square mile (670 square kilometer) area of Subic Bay Freeport (SBF) into a self-sustaining tourism, industrial, commercial, financial, and investment center to generate employment opportunities. This area was a former US Naval facility in Subic Bay.
In 1800, Spain discovered Subic Bay's natural deep and strategically located harbor and soon built a naval fortress.After almost 90 years as an American military facility, Subic was turned over to the Philippines after the Philippine Senate rejected the renewal of the 1947 US-Philippines Military Bases Agreement and the Mt. Pinatubo eruption destroyed base facilities.
On March 13, 1992, the Philippine Congress passed Republic Act 7227, known as the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992, in anticipation of the pullout of the US military bases in the country. Section 13 of RA 7227 created the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to develop and manage the Freeport which provides tax and duty-free privileges and incentives to business locators in the special economic zone.
Richard Gordon, then the mayor of the City of Olongapo, became the first SBMA chairman.
Mayor Gordon with 8,000 volunteers took over the facility to preserve and protect US$8 billion worth of property and facilities when the last U.S. Navy helicopter carrier USS Belleau Wood sailed out of Subic Bay on November 24, 1992 and started the conversion of the military base into a free port like Hong Kong and Singapore.
On its fourth anniversary on November 24, 1996, Subic Bay hosted the leaders of 18 economies during the Fourth Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Summit. By that time, this emerging investment haven had already successfully attracted companies like Federal Express, Enron, Coastal Petroleum now El Paso Corporation, Taiwan computer giant Acer and France telecoms company Thomson SA to establish operations in the Freeport.
Richard Gordon was SBMA chairman and administrator and was succeeded by Bataan Representative and Harvard Business School graduate Felicito C. Payumo in 1998.
In August 2004, Executive Order No. 340 was issued by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. This Executive order reorganized the SBMA Board of Directors and segregated the powers, functions and duties of the chairman and those of the SBMA administrator. Ayala Land founding president Francisco H. Licuanan was appointed SBMA Chairman and former Development Bank of the Philippines (DPB) chairman Alfredo C. Antonio was appointed SBMA Administrator in line with this Executive Order.
In 2006, Kings Point's US Merchant Marine Academy alumnus Commodore Feliciano G. Salonga was appointed Chairman/Head of Agency, and Wharton graduate Armand C. Arreza was appointed SBMA Administrator and Chief Executive Officer.
Succeeding Salonga and Arreza at the end of their six-year term was seasoned business executive and entrepreneur Roberto V. Garcia who was appointed by President Benigno S. Aquino III as SBMA Chairman and Administrator in 2011.
(Source: government website of the same name)
HGPCI assists foreign nationals and enterprises in identifying and obtaining the right type of visa for their legal entry into the Philippines. Our consultants and immigration lawyers work closely with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to ensure compliance and timely submission of visa applications. We help foreign entities successfully process their visas and comply with Philippine immigration laws, whether their purpose for travel is for employment, tourism, retirement, investment, or medical services.
Our processing team will determine the appropriate type of visa you will need upon your entry into the country. We will also process all required documents that BI and DOLE will demand from you during the course of your visa application.
Types of Visas in the Philippines for Foreign Nationals
The Philippine Immigration Act prescribes fourteen (14) different types of visa that are grouped into two broad categories:
Section 9 visas (Non-Immigrant Visas) is for temporary visits such as those for tourism, business, transit, study or employment.
Section 13 visas (Immigrant Visas) is for foreign nationals who wish to become permanent residents in the Philippines
Quota Immigrant Visa is for citizens of foreign countries which have diplomatic relations with the Philippines and grants Philippine citizens the same immigration privileges. The Bureau of Immigration grants no more than fifty (50) Quota visas for one calendar year for any one nationality or without nationality. Restricted nationals are not qualified for this type of visa.
9. 13(a) Marriage Visa – For the spouse or the unmarried child under twenty-one (21) years of age of a Filipino citizen
10. 13(b) Visa – For a child of foreign parents born during a temporary visit abroad of the mother
11. 13(c) Visa – For a woman who lost her Filipino citizenship due to a marriage with a foreign national or for a woman whose husband lost his Filipino citizenship
12. 13(e) Visa – For individuals, with permanent residency in the Philippines, returning to the country from a temporary visit abroad
13. 13(f) Visa – For the spouse or unmarried child, under the age of twenty-one (21), of a foreign national admitted for permanent residency in the Philippines and is a resident of the country
14. 13(g) Visa – For a natural-born citizen of the Philippines who has been naturalized in a foreign country
There exist other visa types that are not classified by the Philippine Immigration Act to be under Section 9 or 13. These visas are referred to as Special Visas and were either introduced by legislative bodies or presidential proclamations to serve specific purposes for foreign individuals belonging to the demographic groups of retirees, entrepreneurs, investors, and others that may be specified in the future by the Philippine government.
47(a)(2) Special Non-Immigrant Visa (Philippine Economic Zone Authority or PEZA) is for foreign nationals/personnel in the following areas:
• PEZA-Registered Enterprises
• BOI-Registered Enterprises
• Oil drilling companies
ROHQ/RHQ Special Non-Immigrant Visa – For foreign personnel of Regional/Area Headquarters (RHQ) or Regional/Area Operating Headquarters (ROHQ)
Special Employment Visa for Offshore Banking Unit (SEVOBU) – For a foreign national who is assigned by any foreign bank to work in its offshore banking unit in the Philippines.
A. Special Temporary Permit is for foreign nationals who wish to practice regulated professions in the Philippines
B. Special Work Permit is for foreign nationals who shall be employed and work in the Philippines for a minimum of three (3) months
C. Provisional Work Permit is for foreign nationals who shall be working for local entities but are waiting for their Alien Employment Permits (AEP) or 9g employment visas
Special Investor’s Resident Visa (SIRV) is for qualified foreign nationals who shall invest at least USD 75,000 in existing or new corporations in the Philippines which are in the following categories:
• Publicly-Listed
• Corporations engaging in industries included in the Investment Priorities Plan (IPP)
• Corporations in the manufacturing or service sectors.
Special Visa for Employment Generation (SVEG) is for foreign nationals who shall employ at least ten (10) Filipino citizens in an enterprise, trade or industry
Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) is for foreign nationals who are thirty-five (35) years of age with a significant amount of deposit in a designated/accredited bank
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HGPCI offers tailored technical training for your specific needs.
We are dedicated to providing maximum value to our clients and offer a range of training services designed around specific business needs. These may include accounting and audit regulatory training to accent neutralization training.
Our professional training teams prepare and deliver industry-leading courses for your organisation, tailored and optimised to specific audiences, a company’s business processes, and internal culture.
Courses can either be designed as standalone training or as part of a learning journey combining different learning formats. We leverage our technology, trainers’ experience and subject-matter-experts to deliver targeted and relevant training outcomes that ensure maximum engagement.
If you want to start a business in the Philippines, we are here for you.