--- title: What to Ask Before Shortlisting an Office in Filinvest City description: "Filinvest City office checklist: what to ask about power backup, telecom, PEZA, commute and exit terms before you shortlist. Get a shortlist." image: https://blog.flyspaces.com/hubfs/FlySpaces%20Philippines%20(6).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 : 8 August 2026 [Listerlynn Joy Garingo - De La Serna](https://blog.flyspaces.com/author/joy-garingo-delaserna) # What to Ask Before Shortlisting an Office in Filinvest City Filinvest City in Alabang, Muntinlupa has several office buildings that look alike on a brochure. The differences that cost you money show up in five areas: power backup, telecom, PEZA status and remote work rules, commute, and the exit terms in the contract. This checklist gives the questions to put to each landlord or operator, and what a good answer looks like. Ask for every answer in writing, because a verbal answer at a viewing binds no one. Terms used below: N+1 means one spare generator beyond the number needed to carry the load. An ATS (automatic transfer switch) moves the building from grid power to generator power. A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) is a battery unit that keeps equipment running during that switch. A POP (point of presence) is where a telecom carrier connects into the building. PEZA is the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. ### 1. Power and backup 1. How many generators serve the building, and is the setup N+1? What happens to your floor if one fails? 2. Does generator backup cover your floor's lighting, outlets and air conditioning, or only common areas and emergency systems? Ask for it in writing, because "100% backup power" in marketing copy is not a contract term. 3. How long does the ATS take to switch from grid to generator, and what size UPS do you need to cover that gap? 4. How many hours can the building run at full load on stored fuel, and what supply contracts cover a long outage? 5. Are generators load-tested, and when? Does the test fall outside your peak hours? 6. Is air conditioning provided by a district cooling system, chilled water or VRF (variable refrigerant flow), and is it metered to your floor? What are the after-hours charges for 24/7 operations? Filinvest Land describes the cooling at its Northgate Cyberzone buildings as a district cooling system, and lists 100% backup power and VRF cooling for Filinvest One. These are the developer's own descriptions. Verify them on a viewing and in the lease. ### 2. Telecom and fiber 1. How many carriers have a POP in the building, and which ones? Ask for the names and the date of confirmation. 2. Do their cables enter by separate physical routes? Two carriers sharing one trench are one failure point. 3. Is the building carrier-neutral? Can you bring your own provider, and what are the riser access fees and approval times? 4. If you are an operator's client, is your bandwidth dedicated or shared, and can your network be isolated on its own VLAN (a separate virtual network)? ### 3. PEZA and remote work 1. Is the building PEZA-accredited, and are the specific floors you would lease covered? Filinvest and Regus describe Northgate Cyberzone as a PEZA-registered IT zone, and KMC describes One Griffinstone as PEZA-accredited. Confirm each building and floor with PEZA, and not only with the landlord. 2. If you are already registered, what does PEZA need for a change of location? PEZA requires a Letter of Authority before you move (Duran and Duran-Schulze). Ask PEZA for the current process. 3. How many seats do you actually need under the current remote work limit? The CREATE MORE Act allows registered enterprises up to 50% remote work without losing incentives. In 2026, the Fiscal Incentives Review Board approved up to 90% under Resolution No. 005-2026 during the national energy emergency, and firms exceeding the limit set by their agency may face penalties (Cebu Daily News and Manila Standard, 2026). Ask PEZA whether the 90% limit still applies to you and how long it lasts before you commit to seat counts. 4. How does your incentive status affect local business tax in Muntinlupa? This is a tax adviser question and not a building question, and we do not publish rates here. ### 4. Commute 1. Map your staff's home locations before you compare buildings. 2. Test the commute to each shortlisted building at your own shift hours, not mid-morning. 3. What public transport is nearby? Wikipedia lists South Station among the transport facilities in Filinvest City. Check which routes your staff would use. 4. Does the estate run shuttles, and do they run at your shift times? 5. How many car and motorcycle bays come with the lease, what does each extra bay cost, and is the parking area open 24 hours? 6. What is the lift wait at your shift change? Time it on a viewing. ### 5. Contract, density and exit 1. Who pays for the fit-out, and what does it cost to exit early? 2. What must you restore at exit: bare shell, warm shell or as-is surrender? Get a make-good cost quote from a contractor before you sign. 3. What is the maximum occupancy per floor under building and fire code, and who certifies it? 4. What is the minimum term, the annual escalation, and the deposit and advance rent? 5. Can you reduce seats during the term, and with how much notice? Published floor plates give a sense of scale. Filinvest Land lists a typical floor plate of 1,993 sqm for Filinvest One. Ask each landlord for its own floor plate and the contiguous space available. ### Get a shortlist Tell FlySpaces your headcount, whether you need PEZA, and your preferred part of Filinvest City, 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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