FENG shui consultant Francis Gaw said he sees rosy prospects for Cebu’s economy in this Year of the Red Fire Monkey, supported by thriving sectors such as tourism.
He cautioned, though, that the province should be cautious about terrorism threats.
“Cebu in general is very good. Your tourism is high, huwag lang magkaroon ng bombing otherwise, lagot na (just be sure to prevent any bombing, otherwise, you’ll be finished),” said Gaw in an interview, after his presentation for clients of Sundance Residences by Worldwide Central Properties last Saturday.
He also suggested that Cebu invest in other tourism facilities such as a huge music and entertainment facility, an arena that can host international sports events, and a new tourism destination to sustain its tourism traffic.
The Year of the Red Fire Monkey, which starts today in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, will last until Jan. 27, 2017.
Gaw said that for this year, he would advise those born in the year of the tiger (1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010) to put on hold major plans such as starting a business or putting in investments.
“There should be no new beginnings for Tigers this year,” he said.
Among sectors of the economy, real estate, he said, is winding down.
“The real estate industry in reality has a shelf life. It will go straight for 10-15 years then after that, it will relax for eight to 10 years. Actually, for real estate, we maybe have two to three years more that we are okay. After that it will relax,” said Gaw.
“By relax, I mean less sales in everything because people who have the money to buy need to save again. After that period, the industry will go up again,” he added.
For all his predictions, however, Gaw said success or failure ultimately depend on the individual.
“If the Chinese zodiac tells you you’re unlucky and you don’t do anything about it, then surely there would be misfortune. But then again, life is what we make it,” he said.
Gaw advised the crowd to pray, saying “the best feng shui in the world is still God.”