Foreigners living in luxury condos for free?

Before everyone gets angry at the title: I'm not saying taxpayers should buy luxury apartments for random foreigners while Filipinos struggle with housing.

I'm talking about empty privately owned condos, developer inventory and incentive programs.

There are buildings where units sit empty and developers, landlords and nearby businesses earn nothing from them. If a foreign remote worker or long-stay visitor is going to spend thousands a month in the Philippines anyway, giving them a free 1–3 month condo stay could actually make economic sense.

They still spend money on food, Grab, restaurants, gyms, cleaners, nightlife, tourism, healthcare and local services. Some will stay longer, rent the unit afterwards or eventually buy property. An empty condo contributes almost nothing; an occupied one with someone spending locally does.

Hotels already give free nights. Casinos comp rooms. Companies subsidize relocation. Countries offer tax breaks to attract businesses. This is basically the same idea applied to unused real estate.

And it doesn't have to hurt locals. Keep public and social housing completely out of it. Only use privately funded vacant luxury inventory, require a minimum foreign income or spending, cap the free period, and focus on developments with excess supply.

People hear "free condos for foreigners" and immediately take it to mean foreigners are somehow more deserving than Filipinos.

That's not the argument.

The argument is this: if a developer has an empty €150k condo and giving someone three free months brings spending, future rent and potential investment, why insist the unit stay empty just because "free luxury housing sounds unfair"?

If the economics work, I honestly don't see the problem.