The final shortlist for the 2017 PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards has been announced, and among those who made the cut are perennial winners and upstart developers from all over the archipelago.
This year’s competition, presented by title sponsor Kohler, could turn out to be another bumper harvest for Megaworld Corporation as it has garnered 25 official nominations, the highest turnout among all participating companies. Various categories, such as Best Retail Development, Best Luxury Condo Development and Best High End Condo Development for Metro Manila, and Best Residential Architectural Design, feature Megaworld projects competing against each other.
Established developers Robinsons Land Corporation and ArthaLand have five nominations each, along with insurance firm Philam Life, which entered its long-anticipated office building in Cebu Business Park. The Philam Life building, which has been shortlisted for Best BPO Office Development, will also house the company’s central Philippines regional headquarters and is now one of the tallest towers in the city.
Lindsay J. Orr, chairman of JLL Philippines and head judge of the Philippines Property Awards, is optimistic that the very robust BPO sector will continue to drive demand for modern office building both within and outside Metro Manila. This is despite recent news that the U.S. government is seeking to levy higher taxes on outsourcing firms that operate in the Philippines.
“My take on it is that those BPO contracts with the US will still be honoured. Doors are also opening to China and Russia. I look at it more as an opening up of a relationship to other countries,” Orr said.
For the 2017 Awards, the fifth edition of the real estate industry’s most prestigious honours, the panel of judges has opened new categories. For instance, the Awards will now seek to recognize developments that feature elements of Universal Design.
“Universal Design is the design of a built environment that can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability,” Terry Blackburn, founder and managing director of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards, explained. “We are proud to recognise it alongside longstanding awards for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development as part of PropertyGuru Group’s own CSR mission.”
“With the commercial real estate and condominium segments in the Philippines flourishing, we believe it’s time to reward the developers who put consumers first. Their projects exhibit dedication and excellence in real estate for which the Awards stand,” – Terry Blackburn
For 2017, a total of 89 entries were received and deliberated during a six-month nomination and judging process supervised by BDO, one of the world’s top accountancy and auditing firms.
The winners of this year’s Property Awards will be announced at a black-tie gala dinner and awards ceremony on Thursday, 4 May 2017, at the Fairmont Makati. Over 300 of the Philippines’ top real estate executives are expected to attend. Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo will give the opening keynote speech, where she will highlight the impact of the country’s tourism industry on the burgeoning real estate landscape.
In addition, Robinsons Land Corporation president Frederick D. Go will receive a special award during the gala dinner. Go was recently named the 2017 Philippines Real Estate Personality of the year by the editors of Property Report magazine for “leading the company that transforms people’s dreams into reality through real estate projects that last generations.”
“We want to leave a legacy of having improved the quality of life of everyone we have touched in our businesses, whether they are a mall customer or partner, an occupant in our office buildings, a hotel guest or a homeowner,” Go said on behalf of Robinsons Land Corporation. “We are building the business of building dreams and making life better.”
The winners of the main competition categories in the Philippines will advance to the two-day PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards grand finale this November at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Singapore, where they are set to compete for more regional honours and to vie for the title of “the best in Asia” against a field that includes entries from across the continent.
Hari V. Krishnan, CEO of PropertyGuru Group, wished the shortlisted developers well:
“Congratulations to the developers who made the shortlist of the PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards. We’re excited to learn about the impressive projects across different segments, including the rapidly-growing office sector. This generation of young and tech-savvy real estate consumers, many of whom are thinking of buying or renting their first property in the Philippines, will be more equipped to make confident and informed property decisions based on the results of this year’s competition.”
The PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards 2017 gala dinner is presented by title sponsor Kohler; co-sponsors JLL Philippines and Regus Philippines; The ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), the official broadcaster; The Philippine STAR, the official newspaper; Zipmatch.com, the official online property portal; CARE International, the official charity of this year’s event; Titania Wine Cellar Inc, the official supplier; the event’s media partners Inquirer.net, Oxford Business Group, HGTV Asia and PropertyGuru Property Report magazine; supporting associations British Chamber of Commerce Philippines and European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, and official nomination and judging supervisor BDO, the world’s fifth largest auditing and accountancy firm led by co-managing partner Paul Ashburn.
To inquire about tickets or to get more information about the fifth annual PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards, visit the official website.
Full shortlist of the PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards 2017:
DEVELOPER
Best Developer- WINNER to be revealed on 4 May 2017
- AppleOne Properties Inc
- Keyland
BEST OF THE BEST
Best Green Development- ArthaLand Century Pacific Tower by ArthaLand
- Philam Life Center Cebu by The Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company (Philam Life)
- St. Moritz Private Estates by Megaworld Corporation
- Vista Taft by Vista Residences, Inc. (Vista Land Group)
- WINNER to be revealed on 4 May 2017
SPECIAL AWARDS
Special Recognition in CSR- ArthaLand
- Century Properties Group Inc
- Megaworld Corporation
- Robinsons Land Corporation
- ArthaLand
- Robinsons Land Corporation
DEVELOPMENT CATEGORIES (RESIDENTIAL)
Best Luxury Condo Development (Metro Manila)- Livingstone by Century Properties Group Inc
- St. Moritz Private Estates by Megaworld Corporation
- The Florence by Megaworld Corporation
- The Royalton by Ortigas & Company
- 27 Annapolis by Bayswater Realty
- 8 Forbes Town Road by Megaworld Corporation
- One Eastwood Avenue by Megaworld Corporation
- Solstice by Alveo Land Corporation
- Casa de Sequioa by Keyland
- Vista Taft by Vista Residences, Inc. (Vista Land Group)
- Urban Deca Tower Edsa by 8990 Holdings, Inc.
- AppleOne Banawa Heights by AppleOne Properties Inc
- One Pacific Residence by Megaworld Corporation
- Damosa Fairlane by Damosa Land
- Seawind by Damosa Land
- Tagaytay Highlands (Woodridge Place) by Highlands Prime, Inc. (SM Group)
DEVELOPMENT CATEGORIES (COMMERCIAL)
Best Office Development- Alliance Global Tower by Megaworld Corporation
- ArthaLand Century Pacific Tower by ArthaLand
- Philam Life Center Cebu by The Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company (Philam Life)
- Philam Life Center Cebu by The Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company (Philam Life)
- Scape by Asya Design
- Southkey Hub by Keyland
- Tower One Plaza Magellan by Megaworld Corporation
- Robinsons Galleria Cebu by Robinsons Land Corporation
- Uptown Mall by Megaworld Corporation
- Venice Grand Canal Mall by Megaworld Corporation
- 8 Forbes Town Road by Megaworld Corporation
- Base Line Center by Cebu Landmasters, Inc.
- Grand Tower Cebu by Grand Land Inc.
DESIGN CATEGORIES
Best Residential Architectural Design- One Eastwood Avenue by Megaworld Corporation
- One Pacific Residence by Megaworld Corporation
- One Uptown Residence by Megaworld Corporation
- The Radiance Manila Bay by Robinsons Land Corporation
- St. Moritz Private Estates by Megaworld Corporation
- The Sapphire Bloc by Robinsons Land Corporation
- Three Central by Megaworld Corporation
- Uptown Mall by Megaworld Corporation
- Venice Grand Canal Mall by Megaworld Corporation
- Alliance Global Tower by Megaworld Corporation
- ArthaLand Century Pacific Tower by ArthaLand
- Philam Life Center Cebu by The Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company (Philam Life)
- Scape by Asya Design
- Damosa Fairlane by Damosa Land
- One Pacific Residence by Megaworld Corporation
- One Uptown Residence by Megaworld Corporation
- The Florence by Megaworld Corporation
- Alliance Global Tower by Megaworld Corporation
- Philam Life Center Cebu by The Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company (Philam Life)
- Scape by Asya Design
- Uptown Mall by Megaworld Corporation
PUBLISHER’S CHOICE
Real Estate Personality of the Year- Frederick D. Go, President, Robinsons Land Corporation
