Land could only be acquired through inheritance. Depending on the region, prices range from 1,000 to 5,000 pesos per square meter. Hawaii's Filipino population of about 180,000 represents the third largest ethnic group in the state. The timing is good for business opportunities, too. Lito Alcantra, who heads one of Hawaii's Top Twenty construction businesses as president of Group Builders, sees the investment potential created by the new law.
Labor is cheap and the economy is booming.
Owning land makes it possible. Roger Tacdol, head of ILWU's Maui Division, plans to take advantage of the new law. I've worked for 38 years but my retirement and social security checks may not be enough to live on when I retire. But you can live comfortably on that in the Philippines. Tacdol noted many displaced sugar workers, unable to afford property here, may have enough saved up to buy land in the Philippines.