PLDT Inc. said Tuesday it expects to announce the new location for its headquarters before the end of the year.
“Hopefully, we have one or two good leads, and let’s see where those leads bring us,” PLDT chairman and chief executive Manuel Pangilinan said.
The new headquarters would be similar to those built by Google and Facebook in the US.
The company has been looking for new headquarters since 2016, as it plans to redevelop Ramon Cojuangco Building and Makati General Office in Makati City
PLDT said the planned transfer of headquarters was in line with its digital pivot.
Pangilinan earlier said the company was looking at Alabang in Muntinlupa for the new location of the headquarters.
Pangilinan said he would also step down as president and chief executive of PLDT if the company would post continued profitability starting next year.
“I do hope that when we reach that point where the numbers continue to look good, and if myself sense that the numbers are sustainable for 2019 and beyond, sure. I will not be here forever,” Pangilinan said.
PLDT earlier reported a net income of P6.9 billion in the first quarter, up 39 percent from P4.9 billion in the same period last year.
Consolidated core income reached P6.1 billion in the three-month period, up 14 percent from a year ago.
Core income, excluding that of unit Voyager, rose 23 percent year-on-year to P6.7 billion, which if annualized would put the company ahead of its income guidance of P23 billion to 24 billion for 2018.
PLDT’s consolidated service revenues amounted to P36.7 billion, up 3 percent year-on-year.
PLDT Home reported revenues of P8.9 billion in the first quarter, up 14 percent year-on-year, driven by robust subscriber take-up of its home broadband services. The enterprise group posted revenues of P9.2 billion, up 7 percent.
The wireless individual business of Smart, TNT, and Sun contributed P14.8 billion in service revenues in the first quarter up 2 percent year-on-year.
