Concrete proof that women build better futures
When empowered women step into a space, their passion and compassion can leave a lasting mark.
And nowhere is this more evident than in traditionally male-dominated industries like homebuilding, where women are steadily transforming the landscape.
This Women’s Month, Inquirer Property honors four women who have carved out their place in this frontier, proving that a woman’s role extends far beyond homemaking and, in turn, making the world better for it.
Marilene Acosta
Pag-IBIG Fund
Marilene Acosta rose through the ranks in the truest sense of the phrase.
Starting as an accounting clerk in 1981, she is now the chief executive officer of the Home Development Mutual Fund, or Pag-IBIG Fund, the government-owned corporation that helps Filipinos achieve homeownership.
As then deputy CEO for home lending, she had already set records in housing loans. When she assumed the top post in 2022, the corporation sustained this momentum and continued to reach record highs in membership savings and net income.
Maricen Jalandoni
BASE Bahay Foundation
Maricen Jalandoni provides strategic direction to BASE Bahay Foundation as its president and board chairperson.
The institution helps low-income families and disaster-affected communities build affordable homes that are also comfortable, disaster-resilient, environmentally sustainable, and responsive to community needs. BASE Bahay is widely known for championing Cement-Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT), which combines traditional materials with modern engineering.
Liza Crespo
Ecotecture
Liza Crespo has been a strong advocate for eco-conscious architecture. She acquired expertise through education and professional practice in the United States, which she applied upon returning to the Philippines in 2009.
Crespo was part of the team that designed the Public Safety Savings and Loan Association Inc. headquarters along Edsa, which features one of the country’s first vertical gardens. Her portfolio is defined by sustainability—clear evidence of her commitment to the principle.
Girlie Lopez
Build Change
Build Change provides predominantly women-led households access to financial resources to retrofit their homes against natural disasters. The organization operates in 15 countries, including the Philippines.
Girlie Lopez serves as the country program manager. Build Change has partnered with microfinancing institutions to extend loans to low-income Filipino households. Having grown up in a poor family whose life was often disrupted by calamities, Lopez brings deep empathy to the families she now serves.
