--- title: Planning a Phased 500-Workstation Office in Cebu and How Expansion Rights Work description: "Plan a phased 500-workstation office in Cebu: how ROFO, ROFR and must-take clauses work, and what to ask before you sign. Get a shortlist." image: https://blog.flyspaces.com/hubfs/FlySpaces%20Philippines%20(13).png --- [![spacesasia-logo](https://blog.flyspaces.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SpacesAsia%20-%20June%202019/spacesasia-logo.png?width=260&name=spacesasia-logo.png "spacesasia-logo")](https://blog.flyspaces.com/) - [Home](https://flyspaces.com/) - Navigate - [Flexible Workspaces](https://blog.flyspaces.com/tag/flexible-workspaces#blog-nav) - [News and Events](https://blog.flyspaces.com/tag/news-and-events#blog-nav) - [Industry Insights](https://blog.flyspaces.com/tag/industry-insights#blog-nav) - [City Guide](https://blog.flyspaces.com/tag/city-guide#blog-nav) - [Case Studies](https://blog.flyspaces.com/tag/case-studies#blog-nav) - Connect - [Contact Us](https://flyspaces.com/contact-us) - [Subscribe](https://flyspaces.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=0b15b0bb7a66ae626f3388eb9&id=f72d186210) - Share : 1 August 2026 [Listerlynn Joy Garingo - De La Serna](https://blog.flyspaces.com/author/joy-garingo-delaserna) # Planning a Phased 500-Workstation Office in Cebu and How Expansion Rights Work A phased 500-workstation office in Cebu lets you start with part of the headcount and add seats as hiring catches up. The risk is that the space for the second phase is leased to someone else before you need it, or that you commit to it and then hire late. Expansion rights sit between those two risks. This guide explains how the common ones work, what a late-hiring scenario can cost, and what to ask operators and landlords. A workstation is one seat with a desk, chair and computer setup. A phased plan means you take the seats in stages, for example 250 now and 250 later. ### How much space 500 workstations need Operator sites on the FlySpaces list show about 3.0 to 3.6 sqm per seat. The range comes from Zero-Ten Mandaue's 650 sqm for 180 seats (3.6), Regus's 1,150 sqm for 320 seats (3.6), and Sales Rain's estimated 1,200 sqm for 400 seats (3.0, area estimated). At that density: | Scenario | Formula | Floor area | | --- | --- | --- | | 500 seats, lower | 500 x 3.0 sqm | 1,500 sqm | | 500 seats, upper | 500 x 3.6 sqm | 1,800 sqm | | One 250-seat phase | 250 x 3.0 to 3.6 sqm | 750 to 900 sqm | These are estimates from listed operator figures, not a market standard. A traditional lease that includes your own server room, training rooms and amenities may use more space per seat. Test the number with your fit-out designer before you sign for a total area. ### Three ways to hold space for phase two Right of first offer (ROFO). Before the landlord markets nearby space to others, it must offer that space to you. You get a set window to accept or decline. If you decline, the landlord is generally free to lease it elsewhere, so negotiate how long the window is in days and whether later terms can be better than those you declined. Right of first refusal (ROFR). The landlord receives a genuine offer from an outside tenant and you can match its terms. It protects you more than a ROFO, but landlords often resist it because outside tenants may not bother negotiating if you can step in. Expect a landlord to ask for something in return. Must-take or hard phasing clause. You commit to the second phase on a fixed date, such as 250 seats now and 250 at month 12. This guarantees the space, and it moves the hiring risk onto you. If hiring runs late, you pay for seats nobody is sitting at. Here is what that looks like, using a hypothetical rate that is not a quote: | Line | Formula | PHP | | --- | --- | --- | | Monthly cost of 250 empty seats | 250 x 10,000 | 2,500,000 | | Hiring runs 6 months late | 2,500,000 x 6 | 15,000,000 (before VAT) | Operators with seat-based pricing may offer a ramp schedule instead, where seat counts rise by date with a notice period. Ask whether the schedule is a commitment or a target. ### What the law says about written rights and renewals Put every expansion right in writing, inside the lease or license, with the area, the window, the price mechanism and the notice process. In the Philippines, a lease of real property longer than one year must be in writing to be enforceable (Civil Code, Art. 1403), so verbal promises of "we'll hold the next floor for you" are not a plan. Renewals need the same care. Under Article 1670 of the Civil Code, if a tenant stays on after the lease ends with the landlord's acquiescence, an implied new lease arises, month to month in the case of monthly rent. In *Mañas v. Nicolasora* (G.R. No. 208845, Supreme Court, 2020), the Court held that only terms germane to the tenant's use and enjoyment are revived in that implied lease, and a right of first refusal in the original lease was not. Whether a ROFO or expansion right would be treated the same way was not decided in that case, so write the renewal and the expansion right down together. This is a draft for review by Philippine counsel. ### What to check in a phased build-out For a leased floor, ask the landlord and your fit-out contractor how phase two will be built while phase one is working. Questions worth putting in writing: 1. Can new areas be cooled, powered and cabled without shutting down active floors? 2. Is there spare electrical and data capacity for the final 500 seats, and who pays to extend it? 3. How will building work be screened off from active seats? 4. What inspections and permits does each phase trigger (for example, fire safety clearances), and who obtains them? 5. Who owns the fit-out of each phase at the end of the term? Managed and serviced operators handle much of this themselves, so ask for the build schedule and any extra fee per phase. ### Operators listing capacity for 500 seats Listed capacity is as of \[date to confirm\] and shows total capacity, not what is vacant. Confirm availability and expansion terms with each operator. | Operator | Cebu locations | Listed capacity | Note | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | BPOSeats.com | Cebu IT Park; Cebu Business Park | 700 to 1,500+ seats per site | Ask which floors are free for phase two | | KMC Solutions | Cebu IT Park; Cebu Business Park | 2,500+ workstations across Cebu sites | Site-level capacity not on our list | | OfficePartners360 Workspace | Cebu IT Park | 2,500+ and 1,200+ seats at its two sites | Ask about managed and built-to-suit terms | Other operators on our list have sites under 500 seats and can serve the first phase, or a second site. ### Get a shortlist Tell FlySpaces your headcount, your phasing plan and your preferred districts, and the team replies with a shortlist that fits. [Inquire here](https://explore.flyspaces.com/office-space-in-the-philippines-for-100-workstations-flyspaces?hsLang=en-us#:~:text=Contact%20us-,GET%20YOUR%20SHORTLIST,FlySpaces%20team%20replies%20with%20a%20shortlist%20for%20your%20headcount%20and%20areas.,-A%20shortlist%20that) Tags: [Flexible Office Space](https://blog.flyspaces.com/tag/flexible-office-space) ![](https://blog.flyspaces.com/hubfs/SpacesAsia%20-%20June%202019/author-img.png) ##### [Listerlynn Joy Garingo - De La Serna](https://blog.flyspaces.com/author/joy-garingo-delaserna) Joy Garingo - De La Serna is a Filipino business executive specializing in the real estate, flexible workspace, and Employer of Record (EOR) sectors within the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. She is involved in creative ventures and community-centric workspace environments that support local startups, founders, and generational shifts in hybrid work styles. 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