ABOITIZ InfraCapital’s Economic Estates business unit -- previously known as the Aboitiz Integrated Economic Centers -- was named as the “Best Industrial Developer in Asia” at the 16th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final.
AIC is one of only two regional winners from the Philippines in this year’s edition, and the first Filipino company to be honored for the industrial category in the regional event.
Rafael Fernandez de Mesa, head of Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates, and president of LIMA Land Inc. and Cebu Industrial Park Developers Inc., said the distinction shows that the Philippines is gaining favor among the most attractive investment destinations in the region and expressed readiness to continue working with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and other government agencies to make the country even more competitive against its peers.
“We are honored to be hailed as the Best Industrial Developer in Asia. This recognition is not only a testament to the Philippines being an attractive destination for foreign investment, but it also shows that our team’s expertise in developing and operating industrial estates is at a level that is on par with the highest global standards,” he said.
“We’re excited for the future as we continue to expand our footprint in the country, and as we introduce new products and services to the stakeholders within our Economic Estates. As we grow, we will also continue to transform through the introduction of the latest sustainable and smart city features into all of our developments. This will ensure that we’re able to cater to an increasingly demanding and sophisticated market that is seeking industrial estates that are developed and operated by responsible and forward thinking developers,” he said.
“Throughout the pandemic, our Economic Estates have served as an example of resilience and have helped to keep the country’s economic engine running by ensuring that the 100,000 Filipinos employed within our Estates continue to be able to provide livelihood for their families. The ongoing expansions at LIMA Estate and West Cebu Estate will add another 143 hectares of fresh inventory and will continue to support economic recovery by enticing new investors, generating more jobs, and spurring business activity in their localities,” he added.
AIC’s Lima Estate was also named Country Winner for the Philippines in the Best Industrial Development category.
Lima Estate, a 794-hectare industrial-anchored township in Lipa-Malvar, Batangas, is home to 130 international and local locators, 60,000 employees, 2,500 households, a 138-room 4-star hotel development, and 167 shops located in its mall establishments.
With its growing 30-hectare Central Business District (CBD) -- the first to rise in Batangas -- Lima has emerged as one of the leading industrial estates in the country. It currently houses various commercial components such as The Outlets at Lipa, Lima Exchange, Lima Park Hotel, and Lima Transport Hub.
Through Lima Land Inc., AIC is set to build a seven-tower office park at the heart of Lima’s CBD, to capitalize on the anticipated boom of business process outsourcing (BPO) companies outside the National Capital region.
Lima has also put four hectares of commercial lot inventory up for sale earlier this year.
In addition to Lima Estate, the AIC Economic Estates also include the Mactan Economic Zone 2 estate and West Cebu Estate in Cebu.
Spanning over 1,000 hectares in total, the Estates are known for being well-supported by a complete ecosystem of infrastructure facilities and services, run by Aboitiz affiliates, including Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC), AboitizPower, and Aboitiz Construction.
AIC previously received the Best Industrial Developer, Best Industrial Development for Lima Estate, Special Recognition in ESG, and Special Recognition in Sustainable Design and Construction awards at the 9th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards held in November.
The 16th Annual PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final was organized by PropertyGuru Group, Southeast Asia’s leading property technology company.
About 135 companies were in contention for this year’s regional accolades. The shortlist had been selected from the elite pool of award-winning companies and projects distinguished by the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards’ series of hybrid and virtual gala celebrations in 2021.
“The PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards series has become the Gold Standard of real estate in 16 markets over the last 16 years. This year’s award recipients remind us that recent setbacks neither hinder nor diminish the fundamental value of celebrating success. In 2021, the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards have encouraged developers, large-scale investors, and designers to become better versions of themselves, creating the next generation of real estate developments and helping industry stakeholders make higher-quality decisions than ever,” said Hari V. Krishnan, chief executive officer of PropertyGuru Group. (PR)