Navigating uncertainties with wealth of experience
There is something to be said about a developer that has learned not only how to survive difficult cycles, but also how to keep moving through them without losing focus—or nerve.
For Torre Lorenzo Development Corp. (TLDC), that kind of resilience has been earned over time. It comes from years of watching markets turn, costs rise, and sentiments shift, and then learning when to keep building and when to hold firm to the business it knows best.
Proceeding with prudence
Today, that resilience is being tested again.
Amid inflationary pressures, rising construction costs, geopolitical uncertainties, and cautious buyer sentiment, TLDC is not treating the market as if nothing has changed. Given the Middle East conflict and its impact on market confidence, the company acknowledges that it is not “business as usual,” but neither is it stepping back from plans driven by actual demand.
In an interview with Inquirer Property, TLDC CEO Cathy Casares-Ko disclosed that the company is pushing through with its plans for the year, including launches for two new projects in Metro Manila and Pampanga; earthworks for Vertica in the University Belt in Manila; construction of its residential towers in Davao; the turnover of units in a residential tower in Lipa, Batangas; and the soft opening of Dusit Princess Lipa, targeted by yearend.
The difference, she added, is in how those plans are being carried out. After all, TLDC, too, is affected by the same pressures weighing on the rest of the industry.
“We will continue to spend, but spend with prudence,” Ko said.
Active pipeline
Prudence, however, does not mean paralysis, which is why the company is preparing to launch this year an education-oriented residential project in the Taft Avenue area, where demand from students, parents, investors, and young professionals remains strong.
It is also advancing plans for a 3.7-hectare development in San Fernando, Pampanga, envisioned as an integrated masterplanned community, with residential towers and a retail component that will serve the future residents and surrounding market.
The township, however, is being reviewed closely before the planned launch this year. Ko said they want to make sure they have captured the real costs, especially since the development is larger and more complex than a single-tower project.
While such pipeline may not be comparable to the scale of other national players, it says something just as important about the company’s position. TLDC is still moving, but on its own terms.
This, Ko said, has always been part of TLDC’s advantage. Its relatively lean structure allows the company to react quickly, listen more closely to market feedback, and adjust plans before decisions become too costly to reverse.
In Davao, for example, the strong take-up of earlier projects within Tierra Davao complex has encouraged TLDC to proceed with Crest Suites, which recently broke ground.
“The demand is still there. There is just a mismatch in what is being built versus what is being demanded,” Ko said.
Remaining resilient
This is also the reason why premium university residences remain at the core of TLDC’s portfolio. After all, its projects sit at the intersection of two essentials families continue to prioritize even in difficult times: housing and education.
“This is why our core remains to be the education-centered condominiums. The demand never goes away. In fact, we’re seeing that the demand is actually increasing because of our very young population, and at the same time, we are seeing foreign students coming to the Philippines to study as well,” she added.
Besides demand, TLDC’s resiliency comes from its ability to quickly pivot and recalibrate. It is agile and adaptable, able to find creative ways to respond to changing market conditions without losing sight of its core product or compromising the value of its developments.
One clear case is Torre Lorenzo Loyola along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.
Ko said this project, which was launched in 2019, has been through six crises over the last six years—from the pandemic, Ukraine-Russia conflict, Trump-era tariffs, ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators, flood control controversies, to the ongoing Middle East conflict. And yet, take-up remained strong and prices continued to appreciate, from about P170,000 per sqm at launch to upwards of P300,000 per sqm today.
Indeed, much can be gleaned from everything that Ko, a seasoned industry leader, has shared.
Uncertainty does not erase opportunity, but it does demand discipline. TLDC is a strong reminder that resilience in real estate is not about waiting out the storm, but rather knowing how to move while the storm is still here.
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