Twenty years—whether it is a person’s age, an employee’s length of service or the existence of a business/enterprise—is a milestone that should be celebrated.
For Cebu Landmasters, Inc. (CLI), there was more reason to rejoice aside from two decades of success in the highly competitive real estate industry. Its emerald anniversary was made even more memorable and significant by the honors and recognition it received at the recent 11th PropertyGuru Philippine Property Awards.
Cebu Landmasters won numerous awards at the 11th PropertyGuru Philippine Property Awards.
Topping CLI’s achievements at the prestigious annual awards was the title of Philippines Real Estate Personality of the Year bestowed on its founder Jose Rodriguez Soberano III, company chair, president, and chief executive officer (CEO).
Soberano was chosen by the team of Property Report by PropertyGuru, the official magazine of the Singapore-based PropertyGuru Group, Southeast Asia’s leading PropTech (property technology) company.
The CLI founder and CEO was cited for achievements that included leading the expansion of the homegrown Metro Cebu developer to more markets throughout the Philippine archipelago.
Soberano joins the elite ranks of past winners Henry Sy, Sr. and family (SM Investments Corp.), Ramon S. Ang (San Miguel Corp.), Manny Villar (Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc), and last year’s winner Lourdes Josephine Gotianun Yap (Filinvest Land Inc).
The newly minted Real Estate Personality of the Year said, “Receiving the award is a real honor, one that extends beyond myself . . . I owe more to the entire Cebu Landmasters organization and everyone who has supported us all the way.”
He acknowledged the even greater significance of the award being given on the 20th anniversary of CLI, which is also celebrated in September. “The timing of this recognition is especially meaningful to us as it coincides with CLI’s 20th anniversary in the industry. I dedicate this to all the men and women behind CLI, and everyone who has believed in us, namely, our homeowners, partners, investors, and stakeholders, especially the VisMin community.”
Casa Mira Towers Bacolod
Cebu Landmasters was also named Best Developer in Mindanao for the second year in a row. Its projects Casa Mira Towers Bacolod, Casa Mira Homes Danao, Casa Mira Iloilo, Costa Mira Beachtown Panglao and DGT (Davao Global Township) City Center also added to the honors received by the Cebu-based property developer.
Casa Mira Palawan
Soberano could not have been more worthy of the title conferred on him. He almost single-handedly nurtured and grew CLI into what it is today—a property developer whose portfolio of projects spans the Visayas and Mindanao.
STARTING SMALL
The businessman started CLI with only two employees, he being one of them. With such a “lean” team, Soberano himself went out to personally sell his new company’s development projects.
He began with the first San Josemaria Village in the municipality of Balamban, his hometown, in Cebu, targeting workers in the area.
Two decades later, the Philippine Stock Exchange-listed CLI has developed properties in other parts of Cebu, neighboring Bohol, Bacolod City in Negros Oriental, Iloilo City and Mindanao’s business and commercial hub, Davao City, among others.
In addition to running CLI, Soberano is currently chair of the Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise, president of the Cebu Country Club, Inc., president for Sri Visayan Foundation, Inc., treasurer and Director of the Sugbu Chinese Heritage Museum Foundation, Inc., and chair and president of the Ming-Mori Development Corporation.
Of course for Soberano, CLI will always be his top business interest. Now the leading property developer in Visayas-Mindanao, CLI has grown a lot since it launched in 2003 its first three-million-peso housing project in Cebu’s countryside.
It has become a multi-billion-peso listed company with over 100 masterfully designed real estate projects in different stages of development across 16 cities in the VisMin region.
As it continues to find new areas for expansion, it is starting to look up north for an opportunity to bring its own brand of property development to Luzon markets.
In a recent company town hall, Soberano acknowledged the company’s modest beginnings and how it continues to propel the CLI family forward.
“We value where we come from as we continue to grow and learn to give our best in serving our customers,” Soberano said. “Twenty years is the time when a person is starting to blossom but has yet to grow into full maturity. As CLI celebrates two decades of real estate development, I can say that we have only started to bring Cebu Landmasters to its future.”
Strength in diversifying
In the past two decades, CLI has created a diversified portfolio that includes residences, offices, hotels and resorts, mixed-use developments and townships.
But it is more than just the structures it has built that makes CLI look back with pride and look forward to a brighter future. The company is proud of its core values that put heart, not just brick and mortar, into every property development project.
CLI creates extraordinary experiences by being a customer-focused and community-centric company. It is driven by the values of commitment, collaboration, leadership, integrity and the agility to think big and act fast.
These qualities have allowed CLI to thrive in every venture it undertakes, from its first residential condominium in 2010 to its flagship economic brand Casa Mira in 2017.
CLI became the first homegrown, Cebu-based real estate developer to be listed at the Philippine Stock Exchange. Since then, the company has recorded double-digit growth across all market segments.
Its accomplishments in the field of real estate have been recognized and honored several times. In 2021, CLI got its first recognition from the PropertyGuru Philippine Property Awards by receiving the coveted top honor of Best Developer in the Philippines.
CLI also recently received the Community Initiative Award from the Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards (ACES 2023), which recognizes inspiring leaders and sustainability advocates cross-industry and across Asia.
Next stop Luzon
CLI's portfolio of projects spans across Visayas and Mindanao. Soon it will also be bringing its expertise in Luzon.
As it starts a new decade, CLI aims not only to strengthen its leadership in VisMin but also pursue its strategic expansion in Luzon.
The expansion plan is scheduled to be carried out starting next year. CLI aims to break ground in the country’s biggest island cluster by mid-2024, as part of its efforts to achieve its goals of driving the company’s capital, expanding its portfolio, and striving for sustainability.
The planned foray into the Luzon real estate market is also aligned with CLI’s mission to guarantee stakeholder satisfaction by bringing out the extraordinary in every step of the real estate journey. CLI’s commitment to be the most customer-centric and community-focused property developer is in keeping with its founder’s own commitment and dedication to enhance the lives of communities across the Philippines.
“Investing in real estate carries a significant societal responsibility as it directly impacts the challenge of bridging the housing gap and the overall development of our country,” Soberano said. “As developers, our role’s impact on the community is huge, and I am here to serve however I can through Cebu Landmasters.”
For more information about Cebu Landmasters Inc., visit https://www.cebulandmasters.