Peter Robert Roy: Enabling the Growth of Philippines’ Tourism through Real Estate

Peter Robert Roy, Founder, F8Works Construction Corporation

The Philippines’ economy relies heavily on tourism contributing 8.6% to the country’s GDP in 2023. This is expected to rise significantly in the following years. While the beautiful islands and beaches, impressive mountains, cuisine, and rich culture are the reasons why tourists are attracted to the country, the underlying infrastructure enables the industry to flourish. This is where the role of hotels, resorts, and real estate developers comes in. They are crucial to the growth of the country’s tourism industry.

Passionate about the growth and development of the Phillippines’ tourism industry is Peter Robert Roy, the founder of F8Works. He is someone who has invested heavily in real estate to ensure that the future of the country’s tourism succeeds. Started in 2006 and renamed in 2015, F8Works has established itself as a trusted real estate developer by completing several residential units, townhouses, business offices, and commercial projects under its belt. The company has also gained renown as a trusted general contractor. Peter Roy himself has over 20 years of experience in the industry successfully leading talented teams who are as dedicated and passionate as him in delivering quality for clients. 

F8Works is working alongside hotels and resorts with a mission to foster tourism growth in the Philippines. “The Philippines is an outstandingly beautiful country and we foresee that tourism in the country will continue to flourish in the coming years. We will need more hotels and resort developments,” says Peter.

Gaining Trust in the Market through Quality

Challenges are inevitable if you want to do something important in life. The acknowledgment of this and the willingness to tackle roadblocks along the way is a key to be successful in any area of life.  Peter Roy’s passion for real estate development and his willingness to embrace challenges have been the key drivers for his success today.

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Peter started from the bottom in the corporate world working as an engineering assistant in the Department of Public Works and Highways. Then he gradually made his way into the corporate ladder in two of the best and well-known real estate developers in the Philippines—Ayala Land Inc. and Megaworld Corporation. 

His experience working for different companies handling different projects laid the foundation for his future success. By the time he started his company, Peter Roy already had a comprehensive knowledge and extensive working experience in real estate development that enabled him to tackle challenges without compromising the quality of work. But most importantly, he developed a passion for the world of real estate. “I enjoy putting together all the intricacies of a real estate development from the designer’s conceptualization to the completion of the project. This has been my driving force to build my own company,” says Peter Roy, reflecting on the inception of his company.

However, passion and professional experience are not enough for a startup to gain trust in the market. Competing with the big players in the market for clients, Peter points out, was a big challenge for the company in the initial stage. However, they were able to gain trust and establish a name in the market through relentless focus on quality work and gaining in-depth knowledge to deliver impressive results. In addition, they were able to build important connections with key players and partners in the market that helped them set a place in the market.

Investing heavily in recruiting the best talent and building a trusted and reliable team has also been a major part of the company’s success. Although challenging, Peter Roy believes that finding good people who can be trusted with their positions and relied upon to produce quality results for clients is an integral part of a successful company. 

In addition, simplifying complex concepts and boiling down to the fundamentals of an issue is something Peter implements in his work to tackle issues. This is particularly important when working on a complex project as the real purpose and function can be easily lost in the process. 

Peter Roy’s Approach to Running a Business

Mr. Roy makes no qualms about his faith and his religion. His company, F8Works, was created based on his faith in God as a Christian. The name F8Works was inspired by a verse in the Bible F8Works: “For we are looking forward to a city, whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10)”. His commitment to uphold the values of his religion and his relentless effort to glorify God through his works drive the company to uphold itself to a high standard in term of ethical behavior and quality of work.

As a versatile leader, Peter enjoys working with different talents, brainstorming with them and solving problems together. He says, “Every challenging project is an opportunity to expand our knowledge and expertise. We just have to sharpen our swords daily.” 

There is truth in saying people give up when they face problems unless they are passionate. It is difficult to endure challenges when you do not have a vision and a passion for what you do.  Peter Roy is no exception. But with passion and by having a clear vision, F8Works has been able to endure difficult challenges and continue to meet the highest level of expected standards. “I share my passion in construction with the team. That’s how we endure work stress and the 24/7 level of work,” says Peter. With a vision to emerge as one of the most dynamic, innovative construction companies in the real estate industry in the Philippines, Peter Roy and his team are poised to take on more challenges and deliver exceptional results in the future.

However, a good work-life balance is not to be underestimated, and thus, a healthy balance is encouraged at F8Works. A good routine and a healthy personal life enable people to carry out their tasks in the most effective and productive manner. “To balance is to weigh everything. You cannot ignore the other aspects of your life; they will affect your performance at work. You need to set time for your spirituality life, for yourself, for your family, for work, and for your friends,” expresses Peter.

The Eight Core Values Driving the Company

Any organization must be guided by a set of values for it to operate in a way that is ethical while pursuing its goals and achieve them in the most efficient and impressive manner. For Peter Roy and his team, it is the eight core values which the company is named after. These eight core values serve as the foundation that guides the company in every area of the business. Beyond that, he considers these eight core values as important elements for someone to be successful in the real estate world.

Faith: “First, faith. For me, a closed-deal and completed project is 99.99% faith in God, and just 0.01 of my effort,” says Peter. “Every victory and achievement in the business is for God’s glory” he adds.

Focus: Be hands-on and know every detail of your work and that comes with intense focus. From the smallest to the biggest task, there should be no stone unturned.

Fellowship: One of the best examples of this is the Filipino word ‘pakikisama’ (getting along with others). Be it having a fellowship with a high profile client or dining at a ‘carenderia’ and making jokes with your fellow workers, connecting with others is important. “Fellowship precedes loyalty,” says Peter.

Fairness: Do not expect to receive what you don’t deserve. Do not be greedy in business dealings, but elevate one another whether that is your employee or your client.

Forthrightness: Be direct and sincere in dealing with your clients, suppliers and workers. Maintain integrity, honesty and ensure that no one is misled by making a false promise.

Flexibility: A company should persevere and be resilient, always coping even in times of distress, while having your humility in check when you are at the top. And that’s exactly what F8Works did during the COVID time. “The key was for us to adjust and create a system in the workplace that would benefit all,” says Peter.

Fantastic: Always strive to deliver more than what they expect—go the extra mile. Strive for excellence not only on work projects but also in quality service. 

Fulfillment: Celebrate every victory. The result of hard labor should be celebrated with your employees and co-workers.

With the eight core values as the guiding principles of the company, F8Works aims to be a key player in spearheading the next Philippines’ trillion economy by contributing to travel and tourism through real estate development. By upholding the core values religiously, Peter Roy and his dedicated team of experts are set to play a key role in the growth of the Philippines’ tourism industry.

Passion for real estate, unwavering faith in God, willingness to embrace challenges, and relentless focus to deliver excellence stood out as prominent traits of Peter that influence the culture of the company and how he runs the company. Considering the culture of the company, the track record of quality projects, the leadership approach of the founder, and the opportunities in the market, the future of F8Works looks bright under Mr. Peter Robert Roy.