First Metro Investment Corp. (FMIC) said on Monday that in its pipeline for the first half of this year are the initial public offering (IPOs) and follow-on offerings of three big firms in the country, which costs nearly P5 billion each.

FMIC is the investment banking arm of Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. Justino Ocampo, FMIC senior vice president, told reporters that they have at least three IPOS and follow-on offerings on their pipeline for the first half of this year.

“Siguro [Maybe] at least P5 billion [each]. That is for the first half. We’re expecting the market to be very strong,” he said.

“It’s still a work in progress. But we expect [it] to be active in the first half,” Ocampo added.

In his presentation during an FMIC press briefing, he said that the economic outlook and prospects for the country are somewhat buoyant on the back of good economic fundamentals.

“For this year, there will be more IPOs and and follow-ons on the plate,” Ocampo said.

He added that for in 2013, banks may start tapping the equity markets to comply with Basel 3 requirements, which will be effective from 2014.

“Exchange Traded Funds [ETF] as a new offering; FMIC to list its own ETFs as soon as the listing rules are finalized,” Ocampo said.

All in all, the FMIC official said that the Philippine economy is indeed on the rise, with each of its sectors seen to perform better this year.

He mentioned that the growth sectors for the economy are property, despite rumors of a property bubble; consumer; gaming and tourism sector and infrastructure.

“The first half of 2013 for the property sector is going to be quite busy. Gaming and tourism are picking up. And infrastructure, people are going to spend more time on private-public partnership program of the government,” Ocampo said.

FMIC chairman Francisco Sebastian, for his part, said that with the 7.1-percent increase in the country’s gross domestic product in the third quarter of 2012, a lower than expected inflation rate of 3.2 percent, gross international reserves rising rapidly that has reached $84.1 billion, and a debt-to-GDP ratio that has fallen below 50 percent, the country is “definitely now on the rise.”

“The economy is in an unprecedented growth momentum,” he said.

FMIC’s 2013 economic outlook presentation also showed that in 2013, it projects GDP growth to range between 7.5 percent to 8 percent; inflation going down by 2.8 percent; further softening in oil prices; resiliency in overseas remittances and peso appreciation, among others.