With Metro Manila becoming increasingly congested not only in the residential aspect but also for light industries such as warehouses and logistics that are affected by the traffic situation, the movement has gone southward towards the province of Cavite. In fact, Colliers International has released a report titled “Property Upside Down South: Industrial and infrastructure investments to boost Southern Luzon residential property,” noting that the region’s competitiveness as an industrial hub has also been enticing developers to build integrated communities and standalone residential projects to cater to rising demand in the region.
With this in mind, Cathay Land president Jeffrey Ng has been bullish about their Mallorca City development, which combines residential, commercial, and light industrial aspects in its 100-hectare property located at the heart of Silang, Cavite. Cathay Land’s Cavite Light Industrial Park (CLIP) is part of the 100-hectare Mallorca City development, which is designed to include residential areas for middle managers, owners and employees, along with commercial areas such as groceries and other retail outlets for workers and residents. “These espouse the live, work, play, and shop concept of our township that differentiates us from the other purely industrial locators in Cavite,” says Ng.
Location and accessibility for industry
Aside from the well-planned industrial and residential layouts, Ng also cites the massive infrastructure initiatives such as the Sangley aerotropolis and the road and bridge networks leading to Cavite as factors that have led to the continuous demand from locators at the light industrial park.
While CLIP is accessible from Manila and Batangas through the South Luzon Expressway, ongoing projects such as the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) and Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway (CTBEX) will also enhance interconnectivity among the neighboring municipalities and cities of Cavite and Laguna, aside from cutting travel time from the metropolis.
“In Cavite, growth is coming from all sides and we at Cathay Land are very ready for it,” Ng says. “We have seen that a new congressional district is added to Cavite every three years which shows the tremendous population growth in the province. This also means more manpower for the industrial locators.” He also notes that those living in Batangas, particularly communities that have been affected by the Taal eruption, are looking to transfer their places of work and residence to Cavite, and shares that the light industrial park only experienced a light ashfall which was cleared up easily and immediately.
High demand
“The consensus among property experts is that the CALABA corridor (Cavite- Laguna- Batangas) will continue to attract new and expanding manufacturing tenants, and this was validated by the recent report of Colliers International. The strong interest that Cavite Light Industrial Park is getting from investors is really pushing us to roll out more lots to meet the rising demand,” Ng adds.
As part of their growing portfolio, they have recently opened the third phase of CLIP, which has received very good response from locators, including manufacturing, assembly, and warehousing clients. With the high take-up of the recent two tranches of CLIP Phase 2, an additional nine lots were added and these lots were sold out in about six months’ time. Since then, 15 more lots were added to the company’s inventory with high confidence that these will not be in the market for long.
The most recent addition to the inventory of CLIP can be used either exclusively for industrial purposes or mixed-use industrial commercial estates. Selling at an average of P8,500 per sqm. with lot cuts ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 sqm., lots at CLIP provide a high value for money compared to their Metro Manila counterparts whose rates can reach upwards of the P100,000 per sqm.
Commercial spaces are likewise available for entrepreneurs, with prime allotments at the CLIP commercial strip. The 38 lots from the first phase are already sold out and an additional 16 were recently added with sizes ranging from 300 to 546 sqm.
Green and growth
As with their residential communities and leisure amenities, Cathay Land also has eco-friendly measures in place at CLIP. “We will be very strict with our emission standards for air and water. We are likewise encouraging our locators to use solar panels so they don’t have to rely 100-percent on coal-generated plants. Even though we have large reserve tanks in place, we are also talking to our locators to use rainwater and reuse greywater to reduce water wastage.”
With CLIP, Cathay Land is supporting the growth of Cavite, Ng says. “We feel that with the expansion of Metro Manila southwards, there is nowhere to go but to fill up the entire Cavite province. Here at CLIP, tenants will find it reasonable for their warehousing and manufacturing needs while having accessible housing for their managers and employees, expats and owners to live in at Mallorca City.”
The vision is also to help build the Philippine economy, Ng says. “Factories employ workers, and these provide good paying jobs in manufacturing products for the local and export market. From previously raw land, CLIP is now very productive as it affords factories and warehouses to disperse from Metro Manila. This, in turn opens up areas for more affordable housing in the metropolis while at the same time dispersing labor employment and spurring development to the countryside.”
With the Cavite Light Industrial Park located inside the master-planned Mallorca City, it also offers a better quality of life for the tenants and their employees. “The integrated township concept allows people to cut down on their travel time to work, which used to be one or two hours. Here they can even walk to work and spend more time with their families and enjoy the community’s leisure amenities.”
* * *
For more information on the Cavite Light Industrial Park or for a free site tour, contact Cathay Land through 8878-0188 or email [email protected].
