MALAYSIAN virtual office provider vOffice has opened its largest branch in the Philippines, located at Sun Plaza in Mandaluyong, while targeting to grow at least 200 new businesses every month.
“We provide them with entire supporting business services to help them grow their business not just in the Philippines… we are targeting to grow at least 200 new businesses every month right now,” Albert Goh, vOffice Chief Executive Officer and founder, told BusinessWorld on July 30.
vOffice offers virtual offices, serviced offices, and company incorporation services in the country for both locals and foreigners.
He said vOffice has serviced around 48,000 businesses in its 77 locations across Southeast Asia. It has eight branches in the Philippines, including some in Bonifacio Global City, Makati, Quezon City, Laguna, and Malate.
Its latest branch at Sun Plaza Building spans 800 square meters and provides 12 serviced offices, which range from 4.25 square meters to 21 square meters.
Meanwhile, the premium offices offer Wi-Fi, 24/7 access, a dedicated landline, 15 to 30 hours of meeting room use per month, free co-working, and are pet-friendly.
The 21-square-meter and 11-square-meter premium serviced offices cost P30,000 and P52,000, respectively.
Among the amenities are an entrance area, outdoor co-working area, podcast and production room, serviced office, conference room, and co-working space.
“This location, in particular, involves close collaboration with the local government unit and government offices through our partner from Sun Plaza,” Mr. Goh said. This includes assistance with inquiries such as taxes and setting up companies.
The company offers to streamline the process of setting up a company within three weeks, which he claimed is the “fastest” in the country.
“It’s really hard to register. A lot of the problems that we face as Filipino entrepreneurs are the lack of information found on the internet and the misinformation circulating,” vOffice Philippines, Inc. General Manager Aldrin Enrile told reporters.
Mr. Enrile also said the Securities and Exchange Commission allows entrepreneurs to use their house address, as it doesn’t check. Still, their application would be rejected when they proceed to the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Regarding expansion efforts, vOffice has allocated $1 million to open five more locations in the next eight months.
“The first phase will be all in Luzon, and will still be within Metro Manila,” Mr. Goh said, without disclosing the specific locations.
He added that a branch will open in Business Bay, Dubai, in September.
“This is our first time partnering with a Malaysian company overseas. It looks like a very promising horizon for us in the near future,” said John Isaac V. Angping, son of the late Jerry C. Angping, owner of Sun Plaza Development Corp. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante