Leechiu’s Fab 5: Government officials Pinoys should be thankful for amid trying times

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April 8, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Real estate veteran David Leechiu believes that the Philippines still has a lot to be thankful for despite recent setbacks, most notable of which are the revelations of massive corruption in the country and the ongoing US-Iran war.

“Complain as we all want, but I think we are blessed to have these people be in office. These people are very competent. They are quite wealthy in their own regard. They don’t really need this job to be honest, and yet they continue to do this very thankless job,” Leechiu said.

So who are these Cabinet secretaries and public leaders whom the chief executive officer of real estate brokerage Leechiu Property Consultants has regarded as “very competent people trying to do the right thing for the Philippines?”

Leechiu’s fab five includes a star-studded list of government leaders composed of Finance Secretary Frederick Go, Securities and Exchange Commission chairperson Francis Lim, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and Education Secretary Sonny Angara.

“When I am overcome by all these bad news about the Philippines, I just take comfort the fact that these five, I’m sure there are many more, but most prominently, these five, led by Secretary Deck Go, pushing and doing their thing to make the Philippines better and steer this country out of trouble. Please take comfort in that,” Leechiu said.

Go left his post in early 2024 as CEO of the Gokongwei Group’s Robinsons Land Corp. following his appointment as special assistant to the president for investment and economic affairs. He was tasked to lead the Department of Finance last year after President Marcos reshuffled his key economic officials.

“He (Go) probably is the most competent person in government today. Nobody in government has built the number of buildings he’s had and has to hustle with local and foreign investors and manage conflicting interests of different parties,” Leechiu said.

Leechiu also expressed his deep admiration to Lim, a former president of the Philippine Stock Exchange and major business groups, for his fearlessness.

“Chair Lim has no fear. He will go up against anyone for the sake of regulation to uphold the law,” Leechiu said.

Lim’s recent market reforms have in fact face oppositions from certain stakeholders, including a current plan to impose a term limit on broker-directors of an exchange.

Meanwhile, Leechiu described Dizon as the most well-rounded government official, having led various agencies such as the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and the Department of Transportation prior to his current role as secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

“And he has the passion. If he did not have the passion, he would not looked so old,” Leechiu jokingly said.

As for Tiu Laurel, Leechiu said the current agriculture chief fits his role perfectly.

“Ever since he was born, he was already fishing out in the sea. He has been a fisherman, farmer through and through. He knows what it takes to build it. The problem is he cannot solve 60 years of neglect in a span of two years, but he is moving so much faster in the right direction,” he said.

When it comes to Angara, Leechiu thinks that the Department of Education secretary’s “heart and soul are in the right place.”

“We are so lucky to have him there as secretary because he really cares for the people and his constituents“ he said.

“All these people, they don’t need to be there if they didn’t care so much for this country and for the people,” Leechiu added.

With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East already taking its toll on many economies and property markets globally, Leechiu said the Philippines is still in a relatively good position at present.

“Things could be worse. Things could be a lot worse, but they’re not. Because if you look at many of our neighbors, from Hong Kong to Taiwan to China, with the exception of maybe Korea and Japan, most property markets are in shambles. Thailand is in shambles. Vietnam is doing okay. Cambodia is in shambles,” Leechiu said.

“It’s a mess in many parts of the world. One of the few bright spots is in the Philippines,” he noted.

Leechiu pointed out that ever since the Iran war happened and the Gulf States were hit, a lot of capital is seen looking to move out of the Gulf into Asia, particularly the Philippines and Thailand, “because they see that these two countries are some of the most under-appreciated markets in the world with particular focus on health care and hospitality.”

“I say this after we just hosted a couple of billionaires through Manila and other parts of the Philippines as an investigative tour for these billionaires to invest here with their friends,” he said.

“We’re hosting a group from Vietnam next week, because they are also investigating why they are not investing in the Philippines. They recognize that they should because it is an under-appreciated market, and they want to diversify from what’s going on in China, what’s going on in Japan,” Leechiu added.

Still, Leechiu believes that it is going to be hard times for the country over the next few months due to the prevailing geopolitical tensions.

“It will be very hard, but we take comfort in the fact that remittances, the BPOs and consumption will keep us away from the disaster that many markets are going through right now,” he said.