“I’m confident on growth [for topline and bottomline],” FDC president and CEO Rhoda A. Huang told InsiderPH in a chance interview last week.
The P41-billion holding company, whose listed units and subsidiaries include Filinvest Land Inc., East West Banking Corp., and Filinvest REIT Corp., is set to detail full-year earnings on March 27.
Huang noted that prospects in 2025 will revolve around “consumption-led growth”.
“Anywhere in terms of the consumer, that’s the focus,” she said.
Banking remains bright
This includes opportunities for EastWest Bank, whose earnings last year jumped 25 percent to a record P7.6 billion.
Apart from loans, the lender will also focus on digitalization, improving processes, and boosting earnings relative to costs.
Filinvest Land’s earnings rose 7 percent to P4.17 billion in 2024. Retail leasing grew 15 percent, while residential posted a stable 6-percent growth.
Real estate, power
Huang noted the slowdown in Metro Manila opens up opportunities for Filinvest Land to pursue “pockets of growth regionally”.
“The focus really is outside NCR [National Capital Region],” she said.
For power, FDC expects consumption to power demand, while the group also widens its renewable energy footprint.
Clark Airport growth
FDC, via the Luzon International Premiere Airport Development (LIPAD) Corp. venture with the Gokongwei family’s JG Summit Holdings, also operates of Clark International Airport, an alternative gateway to Manila.
Noel Manankil, the CEO of LIPAD, said on Friday they’re projecting around 3.2 million passengers this year after growing traffic by 20 percent to 2.4 million in 2024.
He said the gateway, which has a capacity of 8 million passengers per year, could reach its pre-pandemic high of 4 million passengers by the end of 2026.
For now, they’re expanding domestic capacity, including additional frequencies for flights to Busuanga, El Nido, Cebu, and Siargao.
Miguel R. Camus has been a reporter covering various domestic business topics since 2009.
