(The Philippine Star) Updated July 05, 2010 12:00 AM [ BusinessWorld Online ]
MANILA, Philippines - The beginning of 2010 has marked great milestones for Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI). The leading real estate developer in the country has recently launched numerous expansion projects encompassing residential, commercial, educational, and mixed-used developments just within the first half of the year. There is great momentum and Ayala Land is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Last year, Ayala Land unveiled to the public its full masterplan for 2010, which focuses on creating multiple growth centers nationwide. Growth centers have united communities through revolutionary lifestyle and business platforms. Ayala Land now is pleased to announce they have surpassed even their own expectations.
Rex Mendoza, Ayala Land chairman and president, says there is a great market turnout for this year that they have decided to revise their original plans to accommodate the growing demands.
“They like what they see and people are supporting the projects,” Mendoza states. “We are trying to engage the entire organization to advance some projects we thought we were going to be doing at the third or fourth quarter. We’re now doing them at the second quarter. Some of the things on the slate for 2011, we’ll probably be doing at the last quarter. We are going to do more and that’s good news for us.”
Among these projects are Ayala Land Premier’s residential enclaves Park Terraces in Ayala Center, Makati and Santierra in Nuvali, Laguna. Mendoza explains selling duration usually takes two to three years. But in its first opening week, 90 percent of Park Terraces was already sold. “We launched Santierra on January and we’re supposed to be in phase one, but as we speak, we already sold out phase three. So, the 44 lots were all gobbled up,” he claims.
Geographic expansion and character
True to their unwavering vision of “Enhancing land and enriching lives for more people,” Ayala Land continues to stretch their reach across the country. With the shifting national landscape and active Philippine tourism campaign, Ayala Land has announced its big plans for their leisure developments.
According to Mendoza, people always figure ALI as a Mega Manila player, but the company has proven they can go far and beyond. From their successful business process outsourcing (BPO) and retail developments in the south (Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Bacolod, and Iloilo) to the north (Baguio), they are now gearing for bigger moves in Ayala Center Cebu and MarQuee Mall in Angeles, Pampanga. Site plans for El Nido, Palawan are also in full-swing.
“Our hotel line is going to be expanded, so you will see us looking at this tourism and resort business as a major contributor to the overall ALI landscape. We are in talks with several operators because we want it to be huge. ALI does this in a two-prong basis: acquisition and organic growth at the same time, so it’s going to be fast,” he says. “Of course, within Mega Manila, our growth will still be unprecedented, because we’re doing a lot in Makati, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, and TriNoma in Quezon City.”
Each Ayala development is unique with its own distinct character. But every project is unified by the common goal of improving life and nation building. Mendoza says: “It’s just a matter of analyzing people have different needs and we’ll have to give the products and services that will match those needs. For us, it’s a matter of putting all of these things together so people could see that one business doesn’t become independent of another. A person wants to live, work, play, and recreate. Why does he have to deal with so many people and so many companies to be able to do that? Why not a one-stop-shop of sorts that gives all of these things within arms reach? That’s what we do.”
Sustainable design
The Ayala group continues to raise the bar in the real estate industry through quality service combined with corporate social responsibility. In 2009, the company has started its sustainability program that is centered on environmental stewardship and impact reduction. Aside from creating a board-level Sustainability Committee to oversee proper management, Ayala Land has also published its first Integrated Annual and Sustainability Report covering the company’s financial agenda and clear sustainability framework.
The sustainability efforts for all Ayala projects addresses energy utilization, waste management, water, and air quality. Each development has implemented green design featuring high-performance sustainable architectures, safe pedestrian and bike lanes, environmentally-sensitive products, and natural landscapes.
“People will have to realize that we have married our business goals with our sustainability goals. One cannot survive without the other. The problem is there is not enough consciousness about sustainability. And it’s a challenge for us to educate real estate buyers that they always have the green and better option,” he explains. “This is not just a stop-gap move, because if the idea of sustainability becomes something of an after-thought or maybe a retro-fit, it doesn’t work. It has to be there from the very start. In terms of the future, we’re still stretching ourselves in coming up with more innovation and approaches to reach more lives.”
Community stewardship is also a component to sustainable living. Ayala Land concentrates on social development activities to teach, help, and create opportunities for population within and around the community in order to uplift lives.
Ayala Land gives people from all walks of life the option for a better way of living. The company has recently launched Avida’s new brand of economic housings called Amaia, which delivers top quality for affordable prices. Ayala knows service doesn’t stop with just providing shelter, it must extend to helping the people maintain it through sustainable system and better choices.
Ready for tomorrow
The 2010 ramp-up is merely the beginning for Ayala Land. The coming years pose more challenges for the team and gladly welcome it. According to Mendoza this is a great opportunity to step up their game and create more openings for service improvement and customer relations.
“It’s not going to be more of the same. It’s going to be more of more,” Mendoza promises. “By 2011, we should be able to enhance the template that we’ve laid out for 2010. Infrastructures? Yes. Open areas and green areas? More. Very ironic, but that’s a challenge. Everything has unfolded this year and 2011 will complete the story.”
For more information about Ayala Land, visit www.ayalaland.com.ph.
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