Industrial beacon reshaping Batangas highlands
The highlands of Batangas, once characterized by sugarcane fields and quiet barangay roads, now feature LIMA Estate along the Lipa–Malvar corridor.
Spanning more than 1,000 hectares, this industrial-anchored estate by Aboitiz Economic Estates includes factories, offices, dormitories, schools, and retail streets that remain lively after work hours. It demonstrates how industrial parks can evolve into fully realized districts and gain regional recognition.
Estate as a working ecosystem
LIMA Estate, registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, is the country’s largest private industrial estate. It hosts over 200 locators and around 75,000 employees, making it a vital hub for Batangas and Southern Luzon.
Factories sit alongside logistics yards, offices, and support facilities, creating an ecosystem where manufacturers can find nearby suppliers and talent. The 70-ha Biz Hub offers a more urban setting with commercial blocks and civic spaces, forming a new provincial center. It functions as a living district where people work, run errands, dine, and find housing, transforming a distant factory into a vibrant urban neighborhood.
PropertyGuru recognition
At the 2025 PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final in Bangkok, Aboitiz Economic Estates won the Best Industrial Development (Asia) title for LIMA Estate, strengthening its reputation as a leading industrial project in the region.
This victory follows previous recognitions in the past years at the same awards, where LIMA Estate was also named Best Industrial Development in Asia and Best Green Development in Asia, while Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates was recognized as Best Industrial Developer in Asia.
Investors who previously prioritized Thailand, Vietnam, or Malaysia now see Batangas estates in awards, briefings, and reports. Design quality, infrastructure, and sustainability become as important as tax benefits or labor costs.
Smart, expandable infrastructure
The industrial hub is already undergoing an expansion program of roughly 110 hectares of new industrial land, with long range plans to bring the estate footprint to about 1,500 hectares over the next decade. The business hub is also slated for a 40-ha expansion that will add commercial, retail, mixed-use, and residential components.
Road networks, new access points, and on-estate circulation improvements gradually tighten LIMA’s link to Calabarzon Region’s expressways and ports. The ability to plan multiyear capacity expansions inside a single estate reduces relocation risk, unifies logistics planning, and streamlines coordination with government agencies.
Green blueprint for industrial growth
LIMA Estate is the first and largest industrial estate in the Philippines to earn a 5-Star BERDE District Certification from the Philippine Green Building Council.
This rating evaluates emissions, water efficiency, transportation, land use, and governance at the district level rather than at the individual building level. Facilities like LIMA Tower One also contribute to sustainability, holding a 5-Star BERDE rating as Batangas’ first premium office building.
The estate invests in renewable energy, smart water networks, and digitally monitored utilities. For export manufacturers, these features align with global ESG (environmental, social and governance) standards, helping corporate sustainability officers meet decarbonization, resource efficiency, and social responsibility goals.
Life around the factory gate
As the industrial hub matured, residential and community layers grew around it.
Housing projects nearby accommodate employees and middle-income families working within the estate and its surroundings. Commercial strips, outlet retail, and hotels energize the Biz Hub, serving daily needs and weekend traffic from a wider area.
The partnership with Batangas State University boosts this live-work-learn model. A new 10-hectare campus in the industrial hub, announced in 2025, will host engineering and technology programs focused on industry. Students will learn near production floors, R&D teams, and logistics, making the estate a hands-on learning environment.
This creates opportunities for local upskilling and career growth. It also provides companies with a pipeline of graduates knowledgeable in estate operations, safety, and technology.
