ULI Trustee Charlie Rufino and other ULI Philippines members kicked off the Resilient and Healthy BGC Initiative earlier this year.

A former military base that once was home to both U.S. imperial forces and the Filipino army, Bonifacio Global City (BGC) is now one of the fastest-growing financial centers in Manila. Offering a skilled English-speaking workforce, reliable infrastructure, and comparable rents to Makati, the city’s top commercial destination, BGC has become a magnet for the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

Google, Coca-Cola, and JLL are among the dozens of firms that have set up outsourcing units in one of BGC’s gleaming new high rises to provide 24/7 support to clients and customers around the globe. Accompanying this surge in demand for office space are efforts to make BGC an attractive place to do business. New restaurants and retail have taken root alongside other quality-of-life enhancements like museums, a strong network of schools, and parks.

ULI members in the Philippines have been keen observers of BGC’s growth, having produced Ten Principles for Sustainable Development of Metro Manila’s New Urban Core in 2013. With support from a ULI Foundation urban innovation grant, they are taking this work a step further through a new initiative that focuses on the health of BGC’s workers and residents as well as fortifying the city’s climate resilience. Charles Rufino, a ULI trustee and chair of ULI Philippines, is spearheading the project.

ULI Philippines is supporting this project through an Urban Innovation Grant, which is awarded by the ULI Foundation.