Rockwell maps out a bigger, more ambitious future
A small model car sat inconspicuously on a desk by the window in Nestor J. Padilla’s office.
It was easy to miss, but almost perfectly placed, like a stylish footnote to the interesting conversation that was about to unfold with the chairman of Rockwell Land.
“It’s for adventure—to go more places,” Padilla said, pointing to the car.
That sounded about right for a company that, after three decades of building some of the country’s most exclusive and most coveted addresses, is once again looking ahead to new destinations and fresh possibilities. Clearly, Rockwell is enjoying the drive, and by the looks of it, has many more places to go.
As Padilla had put it: “We’re just getting started.”
Strong momentum
In an exclusive interview with Inquirer Property, Padilla said Rockwell’s momentum was helped by the launch of exciting projects last year, including horizontal developments that performed well and continued to gain traction throughout the first quarter of 2026.
That performance is especially notable for a company long associated with vertical luxury, polished addresses, curated communities and that unmistakable Rockwell lifestyle. Today, Rockwell’s portfolio is expanding beyond residential towers, with horizontal developments, resort communities, offices and leisure destinations broadening the company’s reach.
Among its most closely watched moves are the 350-ha Cabo San Diego in Lian, Batangas and the 17.5-ha Alabang Town Center, where Rockwell has acquired a 74.8-percent stake.
Life beyond the shoreline
For Cabo San Diego, Rockwell’s rising beach and golf resort community, Padilla is not planning just another coastal escape, where the day begins and ends with the view. In his mind, Cabo should have a life beyond the shoreline.
His reference is Carmel in California, where the beach is only part of the charm and the real pleasure is in wandering through a town with personality.
“The vision for Cabo San Diego is Carmel in California. You go to Carmel because of the beach, but it’s not just the beach. You go to Carmel because there’s Ocean Avenue (where there) nice, quaint shops, galleries, fashion stores, and artisan shops. We would like to be able to create that in Cabo,” Padilla said. “So it’s not just the usual beach resort where you have golf, beach, and villas. What do you do after? You want to be able to do something else.”
That says a lot about Rockwell’s ambition for Cabo. The view may bring people in, but the experience has to make them stay longer and come back.
Essentially, Cabo is not meant to be a resort that runs out of story after sunset. It is being imagined as a coastal destination with art, character, discovery and a strong sense of place.
“We’ve got so many artists,” Padilla said. “Can you imagine if we create a Carmel-like artist village in Lian? So you just won’t go to the beach. You go there because of the equivalent of Ocean Avenue.”
The Town by Rockwell
An equally ambitious vision is shaping another major move, this time in the south of the metro.
Rockwell’s acquisition of Alabang Town Center gives the company a major new anchor in Muntinlupa, one that comes with both promise and pressure as the property is already among the South’s most familiar lifestyle landmarks.
“Alabang is about the same size as Rockwell Center at 17 hectares. But the difference is that when we started Rockwell 30 years ago, we had the old power plant—literally a power plant. But this time, we have a mature Alabang Town Center, so we’re off to a good head start—unlike (here at Rockwell Center Makati) when we started from having to clean up a power plant. Now, all you do is improve the Town,” Padilla said.
The plan is to keep what people love, then bring it forward with Rockwell’s eye for detail. Padilla said the company is working with Carlos Ott, the architect and masterplanner behind Proscenium, to help bring back the charm of the old Town.
The goal is not to make Alabang feel like Makati. Rockwell is trying to make Alabang feel even more like itself, only better planned, better curated and more attuned to the next generation of Rockwellists.
The first changes, Padilla said, will become visible in the next few years, while the bigger transformation will unfold over the next five to 10 years.
Exciting opportunity
That confidence is grounded in what Rockwell already sees on the ground. Alabang Town Center may sit in Muntinlupa, surrounded by established subdivisions, but its pull goes well beyond Alabang. For many families, it has long served as a familiar weekend address for the South.
Padilla would know. He visits every Saturday to observe the market himself. Even before Rockwell’s major changes have started, he said sales and foot traffic have remained encouraging.
That is why the opportunity excites him. If Rockwell Center gave Makati one of its most polished urban enclaves, ATC gives Rockwell the chance to reinterpret its sensibility in a more relaxed and more suburban setting.
Padilla, in fact, cannot wait to see that vision come to life from above.
“I can’t wait to see the lights of Rockwell Center Makati and The Town by Rockwell Alabang all lit up when you’re landing at night,” Padilla added.
