Philippine excellence takes its place on the regional stage
The 14th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards was a memorable celebration of an industry that continues to evolve, expand and raise its ambitions.
This year, 16 organizations were recognized across 46 categories, representing an impressive breadth of achievement in residential, commercial, hospitality, industrial and mixed-use development, as well as design, sustainability and social impact.
Diverse, geographically widespread
What stayed with me most was the range of stories behind the winners.
We saw established names alongside homegrown developers, projects serving different segments of the market, and developments from across the country demonstrating that real estate excellence in the Philippines is increasingly diverse and geographically widespread.
One of the evening’s defining moments was Cebu Landmasters, Inc.’s return as Best Developer, seven years after first receiving the title in 2019. Its nine awards this year reflected not only its strength in the Visayas but also its growing presence elsewhere in the country.
The Best of the Philippines honors provided another measure of the quality we saw. The Spinnaker by Landco Pacific Corp. was named Best Condo Development (Philippines), while Idesia by P.A. Properties Hankyu Hanshin Inc. earned Best Housing Development (Philippines), emerging from some of the strongest developments recognised during the evening.
Celebrating legacies, new generation
Some of the most memorable moments, however, belonged to the people who have helped shape the industry.
We celebrated the pioneering career of Jorge L. Araneta with the Life Achievement Award for a remarkable legacy in integrated and mixed-use urban development.
Lourdes T. Gutierrez-Alfonso, president and CEO of Megaworld Corp., was named Real Estate Personality of the Year, while Monica D. Lorenzo received the Rising Star Award, representing an emerging generation of industry leadership.
Together, these achievements remind us that real estate is ultimately about more than buildings.
The places being planned and built today will influence how communities live, work and thrive for decades. The strongest developments respond to that responsibility through thoughtful design, sustainability and a genuine understanding of the people and communities they serve.
Benchmarking against Asia’s best
The celebration also extends beyond the Philippines. Eligible winners will represent the country at the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final in Bangkok on December 11, competing for the prestigious Best in Asia titles against outstanding companies and projects from across the region.
That regional stage is important. It gives Philippine developers an opportunity to benchmark their work against the best in Asia, gain visibility beyond their home market and exchange ideas with peers facing many of the same questions about urbanization, sustainability and changing expectations of how we live.
It is also an opportunity to show what Philippine real estate can contribute to the region.
The Grand Final forms part of PropertyGuru Week, which also includes the PropertyGuru Asia Real Estate Summit (ARES). Under this year’s theme, “The Next Cities Playbook”, the summit will bring together leaders and thinkers to explore the ideas and approaches that could help shape tomorrow’s cities across Asia.
It is important for Philippine developers to be part of that conversation, not only to learn from what is happening elsewhere in the region, but to share the experience, innovation and perspectives emerging from our own cities and communities.
Regional stage
After such a strong showing in Manila, I look forward to seeing Philippine real estate excellence represented in Bangkok and taking its place alongside the finest in Asia.
More importantly, I look forward to seeing how the projects, ideas and people we celebrated this year continue to evolve and contribute to the places we call home.
The developments being recognized today will help shape how communities live, work and thrive for years to come. Like its neighbors, the Philippines has an important role to play in defining what the next generation of Asian cities can become.
The author is the managing director of PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards & Events
