It's a celebration in the real estate developments and developers industry as Lamudi presented the winners of The Outlook: Philippine Buyers’ Choice Property Awards from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao last November 14 at the Makati Shangri-La It was co-presented by Philippine Daily Inquirer Property and Holcim. The Outlook Awards used a two-step process to determine the winners for the House, Condominium, and Mixed-use categories: an esteemed panel of judges shortlisted the nominees for each category, and a 10,000-respondent survey revealed the big winner for each award.

For the Special Awards, the judges took to a pre-determined scorecard to choose the big winners of the night. Lamudi chose the Personality of the Year based on his contributions to the real estate industry for the past year.

(L-R) Personality of the Year, Mr. Jose Soberano III, Chairman, President, and CEO of Cebu Landmasters, Inc. with Mrs. Marose B. Soberano, Director, EVP, and Treasurer of Cebu Landmasters, Inc. and Ms. Bhavna Suresh, CEO of Lamudi Philippines.

Recognizing Affordable Homes and Condos in the Philippines

Price and value for money are two of the factors Philippine property seekers consider when they make a real estate purchase. Filipino households living on a fixed income want a home that can give them the property they deserve at a price tag they can comfortably afford. To this front, it is worth recognizing the properties that have made a name in the affordable housing sector, and at the recently concluded The Outlook Awards, it’s the Philippine property seekers themselves who crowned the winners through their survey participation.

SM Development Corporation’s Cheer Residences ultimately went home with the award for Best Affordable Condo in Luzon, presented in recognition of the affordable condominium project in Luzon that best matches moderate pricing with excellence in concept, design, amenities, and facilities. For this award, developments with an average unit price of up to Php100,000 per square meter were considered.

Avida Land Corporation’s Avida Southfield Settings NUVALI took home the award for Best Affordable House in Luzon, winning over other affordable housing projects in the area with an average unit price of up to Php50,000 per square meter. The winning development was determined for its moderate pricing paired with excellence in concept, design, amenities, and facilities.

The Visayas and Mindanao region also had Cebu Landmasters, Inc.’s Casa Mira Towers Labangon winning Best Affordable Condo, an award presented in recognition of the affordable condominium project in Visayas and Mindanao that shows excellence in concept, design, amenities, and facilities--for an average unit price of up to Php100,000 per square meter.

Here is the complete list of winners for The Outlook Awards 2019 per category:

Luzon Winners

Best Affordable Condo - Cheer Residences (SM Development Corporation)
Best Premium Condo - Avida Towers Makati Southpoint (Avida Land Corporation)
Best Luxe Condo - The Albany (Megaworld Corporation)
Best Affordable House - Avida Southfield Settings NUVALI (Avida Land Corporation)
Best Premium House - The Peak (Filinvest Land, Inc.)
Best Mixed-Use Development - Hamilo Coast (Costa del Hamilo, Inc.)

Visayas and Mindanao Winners

Best Affordable Condo - Casa Mira Towers Labangon (Cebu Landmasters, Inc.)
Best Premium Condo - Sanremo Oasis at City di Mare (Filinvest Land, Inc.)
Best House - Amoa (AboitizLand, Inc.)
Best Mixed-Use Development - The Mactan Newtown (Megaworld Corporation)

Special Awards

Best Green Project - Three E-Com Center (SM Prime Holdings, Inc.)
Best Innovation Project - The Seasons Residences (Sunshine Fort North Bonifacio Realty Development Corporation)
Best Co-Living Space - MyTown Co-Living Hubs (Philippines Urban Living Solutions, Inc.)
Best Co-Working Space - Acceler8 (UnionSPACE)
Personality of the Year - Jose “Joe” Soberano III, Chairman, President and CEO of Cebu Landmasters, Inc.

Grand Awards

Best Boutique Developer - Luzon - PHINMA Property Holdings Corporation
Best Boutique Developer - VisMin - DATEM Homes, Inc.
Best Developer - Luzon - DMCI Homes
Best Developer - VisMin - Cebu Landmasters, Inc.

Mr. Kian Moini, CEO of Lamudi and Ms. Bhavna Suresh, CEO of Lamudi Philippines.

Lamudi’s Global Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Kian Moini opened the gala with a look into the real estate trends that make the Philippines a force to be reckoned with in Southeast Asia, and Bhavna Suresh, CEO of Lamudi Philippines, ended the night remarking on the continued growth of the real estate sector in the country. The gala also remembered the passing of real estate leaders John Gokongwei, Jr. of JG Summit, Lucio “Bong” Tan, Jr. of Eton Properties, Willie Uy of 8990 Holdings, Henry Sy of SM Investments, and Liberator “Levy” P. Laus of The LausGroup of Companies.

The Outlook Awards’ official TV partner is Cignal TV and the official event partner is Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The event’s media partners are Business Mirror, Business World, Manila Standard, Malaya Business Insight, and The Philippine Star.

Lamudi also worked together with partner organizations Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA), Land Registration Authority, Re/Max, Colliers International Philippines, Ikea Southeast Asia, A. P. de Jesus & Associates, Philippine Daily Inquirer Property, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, Buskowitz Group, Santos Knight Frank, Buensalido + Architects, German Chamber of Commerce, British Chamber of Commerce, Australian - New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, Italian Chamber of Commerce, European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP), and Starbucks to make the event possible.

For more information, visit lamudi.com.ph/outlook2019.

Creating a sustainable, resilient, and adaptable home for this generation. Last November 14, 2019, the renowned leading online real estate platform, Lamudi, gave out prestigious awards to the most notable developers all over the Philippines. With two new categories and more nominations, Lamudi’s Outlook Awards 2019 proves to be a better representation of the developments that have been created for seekers--and of the buyers’ choices that ultimately crowned the night’s winners.

Lamudi’s The Outlook: Philippine Buyers’ Choice Property Awards 2019, co-presented by Philippine Daily Inquirer Property and Holcim, received 30% more nominations from developers this year, particularly coming from Visayas and Mindanao. With established names and boutique developers in the real estate industry vying for the awards, the competition was bound to be fierce--and fierce it was, as the discerning market ultimately decided the winners for the House, Condominium, and Mixed-Use categories.

HISTORY SPEAKS FOR ITSELF


Filinvest Land, Inc., which was awarded Best Affordable Condo in Luzon for Value for Money in 2018, proved their strength as a property powerhouse with their wide range of developments. At The Outlook Awards 2019, they bested other nominees for the Best Premium Condo for Visayas and Mindanao with their development, Sanremo Oasis at City di Mare. Filinvest’s Best Affordable House award last year for their development, Claremont, was also complemented by this year’s win for Best Premium House in Luzon for their development, The Peak.


Another powerhouse worth mentioning is Avida Land Corporation, with Avida Towers Makati Southpoint winning Best Premium Condo and Avida Southfield Settings NUVALI winning Best Affordable House in Luzon. Avida Land was also last year’s winner for Best Premium Condo for Trust and Reputation of Developer for their development Avida Towers Asten.


Megaworld Corporation, last year’s Best Developer in Visayas and Mindanao, also took home two awards at the Philippine Buyers’ Choice Property Awards 2019 for The Albany (Best Luxe Condo) and The Mactan Newtown (Best Mixed-Use Development).

Here is the complete list of winners for The Outlook Awards 2019: Luzon Winners

Best Affordable Condo - Cheer Residences (SM Development Corporation)
Best Premium Condo - Avida Towers Makati Southpoint (Avida Land Corporation)
Best Luxe Condo - The Albany (Megaworld Corporation)
Best Affordable House - Avida Southfield Settings NUVALI (Avida Land Corporation)
Best Premium House - The Peak (Filinvest Land, Inc.)
Best Mixed-Use Development - Hamilo Coast (Costa del Hamilo, Inc.)

Visayas and Mindanao Winners

Best Affordable Condo - Casa Mira Towers Labangon (Cebu Landmasters, Inc.)
Best Premium Condo - Sanremo Oasis at City di Mare (Filinvest Land, Inc.)
Best House - Amoa (AboitizLand, Inc.)
Best Mixed-Use Development - The Mactan Newtown (Megaworld Corporation)

Special Awards

Best Green Project - Three E-Com Center (SM Prime Holdings, Inc.)
Best Innovation Project - The Seasons Residences (Sunshine Fort North Bonifacio Realty Development Corporation)
Best Co-Living Space - MyTown Co-Living Hubs (Philippines Urban Living Solutions, Inc.)
Best Co-Working Space - Acceler8 (UnionSPACE)
Personality of the Year - Jose “Joe” Soberano III, Chairman, President and CEO of Cebu Landmasters, Inc.

Grand Awards 

Best Developer - Luzon - DMCI Homes
Best Developer - VisMin - Cebu Landmasters, Inc.
Best Boutique Developer - Luzon - PHINMA Property Holdings Corporation
Best Boutique Developer - VisMin - DATEM Homes, Inc.



To open the awarding ceremony, Lamudi’s Global Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Kian Moini cited the real estate trends that make the Philippines a force to be reckoned with in Southeast Asia.

The gala also honored the recently departed real estate leaders John Gokongwei, Jr. of JG Summit, Lucio “Bong” Tan, Jr. of Eton Properties, Willie Uy of 8990 Holdings, Henry Sy of SM Investments, and Liberator “Levy” P. Laus of The LausGroup of Companies.

Bhavna Suresh, CEO of Lamudi Philippines, ended the night with encouraging closing remarks about real estate’s continued growth in the country.

The Outlook Awards’ official TV partner is Cignal TV and the official event partner is Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

The event’s media partners are Business Mirror, Business World, Manila Standard, Malaya Business Insight, and The Philippine Star.

Lamudi also worked together with partner organizations Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA), Land Registration Authority, Re/Max, Colliers International Philippines, Ikea Southeast Asia, A. P. de Jesus & Associates, Philippine Daily Inquirer Property, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, Buskowitz Group, Santos Knight Frank, Buensalido + Architects, German Chamber of Commerce, British Chamber of Commerce, Australian - New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, Italian Chamber of Commerce, European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP), and Starbucks to make the event possible.

Visit lamudi.com.ph/outlook2019 to know more.

This is just one of the many talks that I have attended recently, and most of them are all about taking action in climate change. Indeed, we are in a climate change crisis and we are ought to make an action that will course out a solution for our world to be still a habitable planet.

One of the real estate websites, Lamudi, just made a successful event "The Outlook Real Estate Conference 2019" which was held at the Makati Shangri-La. The company brought together industry thought leaders from all over the country to talk about the hot topics in the Philippine real estate sector, and one of the main focus is addressing the current issue of climate change.

The Outlook: Philippine Real Estate Conference 2019, with co-presenters Philippine Daily Inquirer Property and Holcim Philippines, provided an avenue for insightful discussion spanning a wide range of topics from sustainability to alternative ways of investing in real estate.

The major sponsors for the event are the International Workplace Group and SMDC, and the official TV partner is Cignal TV. The Outlook Conference has also teamed up with event partner Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA), and media partners Philippine Daily Inquirer Property, Business Mirror, Business World, Malaya Business Insight, Manila Standard, and Philippine Star.

The Role of Developers in Making the Philippines More Sustainable

The Outlook Conference started strong with its first track, “Taking Sustainable Action: Addressing Climate Change Through Real Estate,” where moderator Cathy Saldaña, Managing Director of PDP Architects, steered the conversation into a topic dear to her heart. The panel revealed that though different companies are already pioneering efforts to use solar energy, waste management, and water recycling to be more sustainable, there is a need to adopt a more global, top-down approach to initiate change that will last.

The panelists for this track were Cecilia Domingo, Vice-President, and Head of Meralco; Gian Carlo Valerio, Chief Executive Officer of Solana Land; Ram Maganti, SVP for Marketing and Innovations of Holcim Philippines Inc.; and Gay Santos, a financial inclusion specialist/advocate.

The Philippines is blessed with sun and rain, Saldaña noted, both of which can be harnessed as sources of energy. Maganti also mentioned the scarcity of freshwater, prompting the company to use recycled water as part of their sustainability efforts. Domingo talked about the residential and commercial efforts started by Meralco and its subsidiaries, from solar panels to e-sakay as an initiative. According to Domingo, the Meralco compound has already banned single-use plastic, and are active in tree-planting initiatives for carbon reduction.

On the side note, I was surprised that one of the bosses of the company I worked before was the Keynote Speaker at this conference, Mr. Vince Dizon, President and CEO of BCDA. He was happy to present the developments in the New Clark City which will host this year's SEA Games. Two of the facilities, Aquatic Center and Athletic Stadium, that will be used in the SEA Games are already completed.  Aside from this, there are more have bee constructed that will soon attract others to make a living in this new arising city.

Real Estate Marketing for a Younger Market

The second track, “New-Age Customer Experience: Transforming Real Estate Marketing in the Age of Disruption,” moderated by Deborah Ong, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Lamudi, explored the role of disruption in shaping a new breed of real estate clients along with strategies that should be adapted to thrive in this new consumer environment. The panel discussed the “end” of the mall to give way to online shopping, and how this prediction years ago failed to take into account the adaptability of Filipinos to change. What could have ended an industry sparked disruption, giving rise to the changes in the way people do business and how consumers consume.

The panelists for this track were Thomas Mirasol, General Manager of Federal Land; Marco Antonio, President & CEO of Century Properties; Tek Samaniego, Property Editor of Philippine Daily Inquirer Property; Jose Soberano III, CEO of Cebu Landmasters; and Eugene Lozano, First Vice President for Sales and Marketing for Megaworld Corporation.


Lozano, who has witnessed the transition from traditional to digital marketing, said there is now a focus on Google Analytics. To successfully implement these changes, Lozano mentioned the importance of informing key people in the team. “We’ve been very busy re-training, providing lectures and materials to different key people just to keep up with the digital transformation of marketing strategies nowadays.”

“The consumer today is more demanding,” Ong noted.

“And they really want to get their money’s worth,” Samaniego added. Uncovering New Real Estate Sales Strategies

“Fresh Perspectives: Mapping Evolving Real Estate Sales” was moderated by Bhavna Suresh, Chief Executive Officer of Lamudi. The third track leaned towards preparing the sales team for new business models, strategies, and practices that improve how real estate is offered to customers. The panelists mentioned the importance of likability and trustworthiness, the human touch, malasakit, and thinking beyond after-sales.

The panelists were David Rafael, President & CEO of Aboitiz Land; Beth Ventura, President of Anchor Land Holdings, Inc.; Ricardo Lagdameo, First Vice President of Damosa Land; and Raphael Felix, President of Phinma Properties Inc. and Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA).

Rafael admitted to wondering about the future of real estate. “Will we ever reach a point where people would buy property the way they buy food from Foodpanda or they buy a shirt from Lazada?”

Upon pondering, however, Rafael has come up with an answer: “At the end of the day, the human person buying property will really still need to talk to a human person.” Startups and Their Exploration of the Sharing Economy

“Paradigm Shifts: Exploring the Sharing Economy in Philippine Real Estate” explored the changing Philippine conditions and the rise of startups that have led to the growth of the sharing economy. Eric Manuel, of Arch Capital Management, moderated the track, which discussed the commute as a major pain point for residents who eventually decide to move to co-living spaces. The very young population of the Philippines wants to be measured by their performance, not their timesheet. Co-working spaces, on the other hand, allow young professionals to expand their network.

The track’s panelists were Jelmer Ikink, Group Director of MyTown; Nick Padilla, Co-founder, CEO & Space Captain of Kahon.ph; Paul Rivera, Co-Founder & CEO of Kalibrr; and Lars Wittig, Country Manager Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, S. Korea for International Workplace Group.

Shared spaces answer the tenants’ need to escape the commute. Ikink further noted that the future of work, especially its definition, will change over time and to address this, they are working towards a zero-commute lifestyle. This means working, living, and all amenities will be in the same space. Choosing Investments: From POGO to Property

“Changing Face: Uncovering Alternative Ways to Invest in Real Estate” zeroed in on the drivers of investor demand, the new investment opportunities available in the market, and how the market can tap into these to encourage a robust real estate economy. The moderator, Cignal TV’s news anchor Danie Laurel, asked about the viability and sustainability of POGO as an investment. Panelists also recommend diversifying as a smart way to invest.

The fifth and final track’s panelists were Richard Raymundo, Managing Director of Colliers; Mikko Barranda, Associate Director of Leechiu Property Consultants Inc.; Iluminada Sicat, Assistant Governor of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; and Noel Rapadas, Senior Vice President and Chief Finance Officer of Torre Lorenzo.

Sicat presented an interesting fact that will help guide investors in diversifying their portfolio: “We did an assessment of the impact of POGOs on the price of our residences. There was a sudden increase in the price of rent, but if you look at the net contribution of POGOs, it’s not that big, actually.”

Raymundo also noted that if POGOs did not come, “the rents would have corrected anyway.”

Rapadas mentioned that there is still a long way to go for these kinds of investments to be sustainable. He urged investors to look at what drives prices up, and suggested ing a fixed plan to see growth. Rapadas also said that despite the increase in the prices of real estate, the Philippines is still relatively cheap compared to other places for investment in Asia.

Projects Shaping the Filipino Community

Keynote speaker Vince Dizon, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), shared the plans for New Clark City as part of the Build, Build, Build program. New Clark City is planned to be the Philippines’ first smart, green, and resilient metropolis.

The Outlook Real Estate Conference also gave a platform to Virlanie Foundation, a private, non-profit and non-sectarian organization reaching out to marginalized children and communities in the Philippines. Lamudi and Virlanie launched a partnership program, Cherish-A-Home Fundraising, to help the disadvantaged, abused, neglected, and abandoned children through in-kind and cash donations that will improve their quality of life in any of the foundation’s eight homes.

The Outlook Conference: Future Forward

Lamudi’s The Outlook: Philippine Real Estate Conference 2019 gathered real estate thought leaders to share their insights on the pressing topics facing Philippine real estate today. The event leads up to Lamudi’s Outlook Awards: The Philippine Buyers’ Choice Property Awards scheduled on November 14, 2019, at the Makati Shangri-La, where property developers from all over the Philippines gather to celebrate the outstanding achievements that shaped the country and steered it to a greener future.

The winners of the awards are determined by a panel of judges and a survey involving 10,000 active property seekers.

To know more about The Outlook Awards 2019, head to lamudi.com.ph/outlook2019.