Rockwell Land continues to scale new heights at 30
Nestor J. Padilla made his way up the sun-drenched slope with the kind of ease you’d expect from someone out for a relaxed stroll on a quiet weekend.
The Rockwell Land chairman and his team were actually headed up the short but steep trail leading to the view deck of The Samanean at Paradise Farms. It was shortly after they broke ground for this sprawling 110-hectare community in San Jose del Monte—Rockwell’s first in Bulacan—and everyone was just eager to check out the sweeping views from one of the most picturesque vantage points in this nature-inspired development.
Although the mid-morning heat bore down, neither he nor his team seemed to mind. After all, when you’ve spent the last 30 years reaching new heights, what’s one more hill to climb?
Exclusive, exceptional, elegant
The blessing and groundbreaking for The Samanean signaled exciting times for Rockwell.
As it celebrates its 30th year, this high-end developer—rightfully in a league of its own—continues to transform unconventional locations and terrains like that of The Samanean into exclusive, exceptional and elegant living spaces.
Its flagship development, the iconic Rockwell Center Makati, remains the best example, with it being the former site of a decommissioned power plant. Since then, Rockwell has brought its signature lifestyle to more locations within and outside Metro Manila, including Cebu, Laguna, Batangas, Bacolod City, Pampanga and now, Bulacan. It has also since diversified its offerings to include vertical and horizontal residences, offices, and retail centers.
“In 30 years, we created new standards. We created new ways of developing,” Padilla said in an interview with Inquirer Property.
“I think we’ve shown that some difficult sites can be unlocked and become really valuable places to live and work. Who would have thought the old power plant will become what is now? In Bacolod, who would have thought the rolling terrain would become a beautiful site? We develop challenging sites and create and unlock values where people don’t see value,” he explained.
Biggest expansion yet
Padilla, however, believes that there’s so much to look forward to in the coming years especially as Rockwell continues to expand with groundbreaking projects that would set standards anew and cater to the changing preferences of its discerning market.
“A masterplan is never, never set in stone. You adjust as you see how the market responds. Our vision is also going to adjust to whatever new challenges that come to our plate. For example, you’ll sometimes have potential deals that fall in your lap and which could change your course dramatically in the next five years. If that happens, the next five years will be so different than what we know today,” Padilla said.
For this year alone, in time for its 30th anniversary, Rockwell is embarking on its biggest expansion yet with over 500 hectares added to its portfolio in new horizontal developments. It’s a significant milestone for Rockwell, which has gained renown for its condominium communities.
This portfolio includes The Samanean, which offers expansive lots situated in an elevated, modern, yet nature-inspired community, strategically located in one of Bulacan’s most progressive areas. Rockwell’s expansion also includes two other newly launched projects: Molinillo at Rockwell Center Lipa, and Lauan Ridges in Batangas. Currently in the pipeline is a premium beachfront development in Lian, Batangas to be launched this year.
“We would want to leave our stamp in more areas in the Philippines and have more diversity (in terms of our offerings). We’re in residential, office, and retail, but there’s another segment that’s showing promise, which is the leisure development. So we’re all excited for this,” added Rockwell president Valerie Lopez-Soliven.
Exceeding standards
Soliven, who has been with Rockwell for nearly three decades, explained that the goal has always been to exceed expectations and standards despite the company’s aggressive expansion.
“The mantra really is the same— to uplift the standards of what you’re used to, bring it up a notch or two until that becomes the new standard, and then bring it up again. That’s how we’ve always done things, every time we get into a project,” Soliven said.
“It’s also about the quality, whether we go vertical or horizontal. Our market is more or less same so we know what they want. We make sure to put ourselves in their shoes and exceed their expectations,” she concluded.
