A strong, defining win for Cebu Landmasters’ next chapter
Cebu Landmasters Inc.’s biggest win this year came at a particularly fitting moment.
Just two months into Jose Franco B. Soberano’s term as president and CEO, the homegrown Cebu-based developer reclaimed the Best Developer title as it enters a new phase of leadership and pushes further beyond its VisMin stronghold.
This prestigious honor, the highest distinction accorded at the recently held 14th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards, capped a strong night for CLI, which emerged as the most awarded developer with nine wins across multiple categories.
‘Truly earned’
But the Best Developer (Philippines) title stood out for another reason.
CLI first received the same recognition in 2019, during a period of diversification and geographic expansion following its initial public offering (IPO). Seven years later, it returned to the national podium with a more expansive footprint and a new generation now taking the company forward.
“When we were awarded as Best Developer in the Philippines in 2019, it was the most pleasant surprise… However, I always felt that we needed to prove ourselves more to really earn that distinction. To receive the award again in 2026 now feels that it was truly earned, with CLI registering the highest compounded annual growth rates amongst our peers from 2019 to 2026,” Soberano said in an interview with Inquirer Property.
He was, however, quick to widen the circle around the recognition.
“What makes it special is that while we don’t chase these awards, this allows us, CLI leaders, to share this recognition with the entire Cebu Landmasters family, and to all our industry partners and especially our homeowners and communities we serve. It also validates that we are on the right track, and yet the reminder to the team is that there is still more to accomplish and improve,” he added.
A title that raises the bar
That is how CLI intends to carry the Best Developer title forward. For Soberano, growth in revenues, reach and landbank has to be matched by the less visible parts of the business that ultimately define the experience of its customers, employees and communities.
“The entire CLI organization has to remain grounded, just as how our founders Joe and Marose (Soberano) have always carried themselves with utmost humility. We acknowledge that there are many facets of real estate development that don’t show up in the numbers. There is customer satisfaction, after-sales service, community impact, and even employee morale and growth,” Soberano explained.
For a company now widening its national footprint, staying grounded also means remaining close to the markets where it built its name. At present, the Visayas and Mindanao markets continue to account for more than 90 percent of CLI’s active portfolio.
“VisMin is still the fastest-growing market for real estate in the Philippines. It is characterized by a healthy end-user demand accompanied by reasonable, fundamental, and progressive supply,” the CLI chief said.
The numbers bear this out. CLI has posted a 95 percent sellout rate across its 46,000-unit residential portfolio and generated more than P176 billion worth of residential inventory since 2003. Its national push is being built on the strength of the VisMin markets that fueled its growth.
Room to grow
Currently, CLI’s short-term residential pipeline in VisMin includes more than 11 projects comprising some 5,600 homes worth P25 billion. CLI is building up its recurring income businesses, with five more hotel projects in the pipeline and 778 room keys under construction following the opening of its fifth hotel.
Its 273-hectares landbank provides another platform for expansion. Two recently acquired estates in Cebu and Cavite will bring CLI’s estate portfolio to five masterplanned communities, which can support some P300 billion worth of projects in the next eight years.
“Underlying all these plans is the need to preserve the trust that has enabled CLI to grow. As we launch more projects, enter new markets and broaden our businesses, we must continue to deliver quality, fulfill our commitments and create lasting value for our customers, partners and communities,” Soberano said.
The second generation grows it
Preserving that trust also means carrying forward the values on which CLI was built.
“The first generation dreams it. The second generation grows it. It’s been only two months since I started my new role as president, but I am very motivated to lead our organization into its next phase of growth while inspired by the very same values that have gotten us to where we are today. Our executive chairman has built the strongest possible foundation for CLI with a corporate culture centered on family, faith and service,” he said.
Those values, Soberano said, will remain central as CLI approaches its 25th year in 2028 and assumes a larger role in the property industry.
“We will approach our 25th year in the industry in 2028. We have to instill in our organization a deep sense of humility that there is still a lot more that CLI can improve on, and that there is a greater role that CLI can play in giving back to the community and country,” he said.
“We are evolving from a regional player into a national player, so we will make a greater effort to communicate our brand of development, to feature the many Landmasters who make CLI the great company that it is, and to show concrete examples of what leadership really means in the industry. We would like to walk the talk, in the hopes that these raise the bar for our industry,” Soberano concluded.
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