Cebu Landmasters Inc., the Cebu-based property developer founded by industry veteran Jose Soberano III in 2003, embodies that trademark DNA Cebuanos are known for — having that strong sense of family, origin and community.
It’s no surprise that its projects–which have gone far beyond Cebu and are now found all the way to the sprawling cities of the Visayas and Mindanao–offer Filipinos different ways to enjoy their families and their communities, giving them a strong sense of identity.
Indeed, a testament to this, Cebu Landmasters bagged a number of awards at the recent 9th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards 2021.
These are Best Developer (Visayas), Best Developer (Mindanao) and Special Recognition in ESG, Special Recognition in Sustainable Design & Construction.
The company’s brands also bagged their respective awards: Best Condo Development (Visayas) for MesaVirre Garden Residences; Best Condo Development (Metro Cebu) for Casa Mira Towers Mandaue; Best Condo Development (Metro Davao) for One Paragon Place; Best Housing Development (Mindanao) for Velmiro Uptown CDO; Best Mega Mixed-Use Development for Patria de Cebu; Best Township Development for Davao Global Township and Best Hotel Interior Design for Radisson RED.
Less than five years since its market debut on the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2017, CLI has successfully cemented leadership in VisMin, accelerating its expansion to new businesses as it prepares for the country’s economic recovery.
Expansion
Armed with a bigger war chest from its 2017 IPO wherein it successfully raised P2.9 billion– a testament to the faith and confidence of investors on the company–CLI has now successfully expanded its product lines in key growth areas in response to the changing needs of the market.
Changing market
It’s a changing market indeed as more and more Filipinos want more than just a home. The younger generations or the millennials are open to co-living while aspirational Filipinos look forward to enjoying themselves in resort developments; others want to live in townships where everything is within reach.
Against this backdrop, CLI delivers.
CLI has ventured into co-living spaces, with the launch of The Pad in Banilad, Cebu with a retail area and storage facility.
Its township developments are found in Davao (DGT); Minglanilla (MingMori) and Cagayan de Oro City (Manresa Town).
Ming-Mori is a 100-hectare estate 80 percent owned by CLI. It will rise southwest of Cebu City, envisioned to be a regional growth center.
In June of this year, the project has already obtained approval from the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), which coordinates and administers reclamation projects nationwide.
CLI had the notice to proceed in September and groundbreaking was done in October.
The approval was the culmination of a comprehensive and stringent five-year review. This included the issuance of an Environmental Compliance Certificate, which required consultations with a wide range of stakeholders and the submission of development objectives showing its responsiveness to the environment.
The P20-billion Ming-Mori Techno Business Park will be CLI’s third large-scale township project following its townships in Davao City and Cagayan de Oro.
“We foresee that Ming-Mori will transform this area of Cebu into a dynamic economic zone,” said Soberano III, chairman and CEO of CLI.
Campus of the future
But wait. There’s more. The company is also set to unveil more townships in key areas in VisMin.
CLI is also developing Manresa Town, a 14.3-hectare mixed-use university town in Cagayan de Oro with generous open spaces and an adjacent campus town.
In September, CLI announced the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to acquire 14.3 hectares of Xavier University (XU) – Ateneo de Cagayan’s Manresa Property in uptown Cagayan de Oro. Proceeds of the acquisition will be used to develop the new XU Masterson Campus, which at 21 hectares will be three times larger in area than the current campus.
Provisions in the agreement prepared by Xavier University and endorsed by Jesuit leaderships in the Philippines and in Rome were approved by the Vatican after a thorough two-year review process.
The new 21-hectare XU Masterson Campus, named after the late Fr. William Masterson SJ, is envisioned to catalyze development in Northern Mindanao with a Sustainable and New Normal-ready Campus Masterplan – characterized by an abundance of space, green areas, wide roads, dedicated bike lanes, campus-wide wireless connectivity, and healthy and adaptable learning facilities for virtual and physical classes. This “Campus of the Future’’ aims for a more socially relevant and inclusive learning institution focused on strengthening Xavier University’s colleges and schools.
“We envision an academically stronger university in this new campus – one that will facilitate learning in the new normal and at the same time produce men and women for others that can make relevant contributions to Mindanao,” said Fr. Mars Tan S.J., President of Xavier University and an environmentalist.
CLI also listens to the pulse of market especially discerning Filipinos seeking to create memories with unique experiences.
Thus, it has embarked on resort developments for travelers.
This is especially timely as Filipinos are expected to seek unique experiences after the pandemic. Thus, CLI has introduced Abaca Resort Mactan and Magspeak, both in Cebu.
Abaca Resort is CLI’s first resort development. The P2.5 billion expanded luxury boutique hotel is set to be completed in 2024 and will have a 125-room all-suite accommodation featuring exclusively panoramic ocean views.
This is envisioned to fill the gap for luxury resorts catering to global travelers in Cebu’s thriving tourism scene in preparation for international mobility. It will rise 17-stories high on a 4,500 square meter property formerly occupied by the multi-awarded Abaca Boutique Resort in Punta Engano, Lapu-Lapu City, a tourism growth center.
Indeed, CLI has blossomed from just a residential developer into a more diversified company catering to the changing and aspirational Filipino lifestyle.
Moving forward, Soberano said CLI is pursuing more land acquisitions and estate development projects to meet growing demand in VisMin.
“We continue to pursue projects in anticipation of VisMin’s strong recovery and opportunities to move this region forward,” he said.
It’s also all about giving Filipinos that strong sense of family and community, wherever in the VisMin they may be.