My story started with my family leaving Manila in the 1960s. Decades later, I returned and saw the reality: housing is not just short in supply, it is short on trust, safety, and transparency. Here’s what I’d build instead.
My family left the Philippines in the late 1960s. First, it was my cousins; then, an aunt; and eventually, my mother and father. They were married in Manila. My grandmother followed soon after, but passed away from cancer within a year before I was born.
For a long time, I didn’t know where my parents had come from. It wouldn’t be until years later, as an adult, that I began to truly understand the Philippines. That return shaped how I view the country today, and it continues to influence my thoughts on housing.
The Problems Staring Filipinos in the Face
In Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, and beyond, the housing issues are clear:
6M+ backlog while developers churn out mid-to-high-end condos no one in the middle class can afford.
One in five urban families lives in informal settlements, often on floodplains or riverbanks.
Climate risk is baked into daily life with floods, typhoons, and homes built right in harm’s way.
Congestion from hell, with two to three hours each way just to get to work.
Titles and financing that feel like a maze designed to keep average families out.
The World Bank itself has noted that, despite decades of support for infrastructure and social protection, access to secure land tenure and affordable credit remains a persistent gap in Philippine development. Until families can navigate titles and financing with clarity, the housing crisis will remain unsolved.
This isn’t just a housing shortage. It is a housing system that makes owning safe, affordable, and livable homes nearly impossible.
If I Were to Reimagine Real Estate
The next step for the Philippines isn’t another classifieds site. We already have plenty of those. I’d build around the three realities Filipinos live with every day: traffic, climate, and density.
Traffic: Show commute times, not just square meters. A “5 km away” condo can mean two hours in gridlock.
Climate: Make flood maps and hazard overlays impossible to ignore. Buyers should know the risks before the first site visit.
Density: Let families see whether their future neighborhood is thriving or choking with schools, hospitals, utilities, and zoning all in plain view.
Ideally What I’d Actually Build
I would base it not just on listings, but on lifestyle, family, schools, shopping, and affordability—all delivered through a recommendation engine that helps people find the home that truly fits their lives. Think of it as an operating system for housing rather than another classifieds site.
Affordability Engine: A “What Can I Buy?” tool tied to Pag-IBIG, banks, and OFW remittances. It would factor in the real costs—dues, insurance, commuting, and utilities—so families see the whole picture before committing.
Climate Dashboard: Every property tagged with flood risk from PAGASA and NOAH, plus resilience scores from IFC’s Building Resilience Index. Climate risk should be as visible as the price tag.
Trust Layer: Verified titles, blockchain-backed documents, and agents who cannot fake credentials. A system that makes trust a default, not a gamble.
Neighborhood Intelligence: Profiles that show not just amenities but density pressures, commute realities, school access, and upcoming infrastructure projects. The context families need to plan a life, not just a purchase.
Developer and Government Data: Aggregated insights on demand, hazard exposure, and affordability to guide smarter planning and more resilient communities.
At the end of the day, fixing housing in the Philippines isn’t about building more websites or flooding the market with another set of listings. It’s about building trust, showing families the real risks and costs, and helping them choose not just a property but a future. If I do come back, maybe this is where I start: by reimagining real estate not as a marketplace, but as a system that finally puts Filipino families at the center.
Maximillian Diez
General Partner, Twenty Five Ventures
P.S. Stay with me on this journey.
If nothing else, thanks for reading.
