BIZ BUZZ: CLI’s next Soberano chapter
A changing of the guard is underway at the Soberano family-led Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI), but don’t mistake it for a retirement party.
The listed developer has elevated longtime executive Jose Franco Soberano to president and CEO, while founder and his father, Jose Soberano III moves upstairs as executive chair.
Officially, it’s a succession plan years in the making. Unofficially, it’s a sign that the Cebu-based builder believes it has outgrown its regional roots and is preparing for a much bigger stage.
Timing, after all, is everything.
The leadership handoff comes as CLI is enjoying one of its strongest runs yet. The company posted record reservation sales of P24.6 billion in 2025, up 45 percent from the previous year, while continuing to expand beyond its traditional Visayas and Mindanao strongholds.
What’s catching market attention is where the company is headed next. CLI is preparing to launch its first residential mixed-use project in Pasig and has quietly assembled a 70-hectare property in Cavite that could eventually become a township development.
For years, CLI built its reputation by dominating markets that bigger Manila developers often overlooked. Now, the company appears ready to test whether that formula can travel north.
The elder Soberano isn’t exactly disappearing. As executive chair, he will continue steering strategy while the younger Soberano takes the wheel on day-to-day operations.
Investors will be watching whether the transition can preserve the company’s growth momentum—or even accelerate it—as competition intensifies in Luzon.
After all, passing the title is the easy part. Proving the next generation can build on a winning formula is where the real work begins.
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