Rockwell makes room for a changing market
The Philippine property market has changed considerably over the past 30 years—and so have its homebuyers and investors.
Competition has intensified, buyers have become more discerning, and even established developers can no longer take their position for granted. These changes are hardly lost on Rockwell Land Corp. president and chief operating officer Valerie Jane L. Soliven, who has spent more than three decades navigating the Philippine property market.
She pointed out that the Philippine property market, once dominated by a handful of major developers, now includes some of the country’s largest conglomerates, making the industry more competitive while bringing in players with the financial capacity to pursue developments.
Homebuyers, meanwhile, have become more discerning. Technology has changed how they search for and evaluate properties, while the pandemic has prompted many to place greater importance on space, convenience and safety, Soliven explained in an exclusive interview with Inquirer Property.
Preparing for the cycle
For Soliven, part of keeping pace with these changes is preparing for the inevitable highs and lows of the property market.
“It’s a cycle. What we’ve learned over the years is to make sure you stay in the game, take advantage of the highs, but be prepared for the lows,” she said on the sidelines of the CREBA National Convention 2026 in Cebu City.
Beyond preparing for market cycles, Soliven also sees value in exchanging insights with fellow developers, particularly as the industry responds to changing market conditions. This was among the reasons Rockwell participated in the CREBA National Convention for the first time.
The discussions, Soliven said, were “quite relevant to the times,” particularly as developers navigate changing market conditions and explore ways to better respond to the needs of Filipino homebuyers.
Beyond shelter
That willingness to exchange ideas was particularly relevant to this year’s convention, held during National Shelter Month under the theme “Beyond Shelter: Creating Communities, Transforming Lives.”
The discussions highlighted a broader challenge confronting the industry: ensuring that housing development translates into greater access to homeownership and communities that genuinely improve everyday living.
Rockwell itself had taken a step toward widening access just a week before the gathering. On Oct. 13, it signed an agreement with Pag-IBIG Fund to expand financing options for qualified homebuyers under the Expanded 4PH Program.
For a developer long associated with premium residential communities, the arrangement offers another way to reach a broader market. It also shows how cooperation with financing institutions can help make housing options more accessible.
Relationships that endure
Such partnerships reflect Rockwell’s longstanding emphasis on building relationships, which Soliven considers essential to the company’s continued success.
“We’ve always valued relationships, not just with clients but also with our suppliers, contractors and our own people. We believe relationships can take you far and wide,” she said.
As Rockwell now looks to expand into new locations and product segments, Soliven believes the company’s longstanding commitment to quality and service will remain central to its growth. She is particularly optimistic about the opportunities this expansion presents, especially for Rockwell’s younger leaders.
For this next generation, the opportunity is not simply to build on what Rockwell has achieved, but to apply that experience to a market with increasingly diverse needs.
It is a challenge also shared by the entire property industry, where future growth will depend as much on making quality homes accessible to more Filipinos as on understanding what makes these homes worth owning.
