Celebrating excellence in PH real estate development and design

(Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from the author’s speech at the 12th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards. She is the president of TAJARA Leisure & Hospitality Group Inc. and chairperson of the independent panel of judges for PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards.)

Esteemed guests, welcome to the 12th edition of the

PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards!

We’re all here for one thing: to celebrate and benchmark excellence in real estate development and design. I’m honored to be with you tonight on this joyous and healthy competition.

This year’s entries are like mirrors to the vibrancy of the property market. There are approximately 80 categories to present tonight, each one reflective of great, positive change in our industry.

As your chairperson, I’m devoted to reinforcing the most rigorous, unbiased standards of selection in this program. These awards are the ultimate validation of all your hard work, because they come from a place of honor and integrity.

We wouldn’t be here without my tireless co-judges: Carlo Cordaro, president and CEO, Atelier A; Carlo Rufino, co-managing director, NEO; Jaime A. Cura, Ph.D., vice chairman, The RGV Group of Companies; Jean de Castro, CEO, ESCA Inc.; Kathleen P. Obcemea, principal interior designer, KPO Beyond Designs Co.; Luis Enrique T. Mangosing, CEO, Metro Development Managers Inc. (MDMI); Michelle Barretto, founder and CEO, Vitamin B Inc.; Philip Mareschal, head of Property and Asset Management, JLL Philippines; and Richard Raymundo, managing director, Colliers Philippines.

The diversity of our judges also reflects the diversity of this competition.

Our industry is ever changing. Metro Manila emerged as the world’s fastest growing luxury real estate market last year. Residential property prices in NCR and primary cities posted yearly growth.

Horizontal projects remain attractive in the secondary and tertiary areas. And a lot of room to grow in the affordable housing market as the country needs to address the backlog of affordable homes to Filipinos.

In our industry, we stick by a mantra: “Location, location, location.” Years ago, this was just synonymous to saying “Manila, Manila, Manila,” but look where we are now.

On this island alone, areas like Cavite, Batangas and Laguna have become magnets for industry. Hospitality, residential developments, industrial estates and smart cities have become attractive locations for local enterprises and foreign investors alike.

The decentralization of economic growth also continues towards Visayas and Mindanao. What you once found only in Metro Manila, you may now easily find in cities like Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao.

Beaches and green spaces across the islands have earned spots on international travel lists, too. It’s no wonder many investors and property seekers choose to have second homes here.

Our awards tonight will reflect all these progress.

It goes without saying that the best kind of government investment is more infrastructure in these underserved areas. As we anticipate the opening of our first subway, we also look forward to the completion of new airports, bridges, and roads across the archipelago.

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There’s also an invisible kind of infrastructure. The Digital Infrastructure Project could be a gamechanger for us, as the Philippines still lags behind neighbors in terms of internet speeds.

Speeding up our connectivity will no doubt unlock value for many people, whether they’re employees telecommuting from home or digital nomads coming here from abroad. Digitalization will change the face of real estate development.

Since the pandemic, our lives at work, home, and beyond have blurred together. We’ve come to expect more of our brick-and-mortar spaces as a result.

Thankfully, developers have skillfully adapted. Over the years, our awards have recognized many masterplanned hubs and live-work-play communities.

This only tells us one thing: We all yearn for connection.

At this juncture, I want to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve gone through since our very first awards in 2013. Beyond the many trophies and accolades, let’s think about the profound impact we all have had on our fellow Filipinos and the families we have served.

There may be competition tonight, but we truly are stronger together as a community, with shared sacrifices, commitments, and dreams.

Best of luck to all the nominees tonight, and congratulations to our outstanding winners!