CEBU LANDMASTERS, INC. (CLI) is approaching 50,000 homes, its chief executive officer said after the Visayas-Mindanao developer was named Best Developer at the 14th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards.

“This is to honor my father (Jose Soberano III). He started CLI [back then] with 200 houses in 2004. We’re now approaching 50,000 houses in a few months,” CLI Chief Executive Officer Jose Franco B. Soberano said as he accepted the award at Shangri-La The Fort Manila on Thursday last week.

CLI won nine awards across 46 categories, including Best Developer, Best Developer for Visayas and Mindanao, and Best Housing Developer.

The recognition underscores how the company’s portfolio now spans housing, condos, retail, and hotels across regional markets, not just a single product line.

The company was also recognized for projects in hospitality, residential, and retail developments.

Radisson RED Cebu Mandaue won Best Next Gen Hotel Development after opening in April.

CLI’s residential projects The Wave Towers, North Grove at Pristina Town, and Casa Mira Homes General Santos won Best High End Condo Development (Metro Cebu), Best Mid End Condo Development (Metro Cebu), and Best Housing Development (Mindanao), respectively.

Its Astra Lifestyle Centre won Best Retail Architectural Design.

Other developers with projects in the Visayas and Mindanao were also recognized.

Damosa Land, Inc., which won Best Boutique Developer, received two awards for TRYP by Wyndham Samal on Samal Island: Best Investment Condo Development and Best Beachfront Condotel Architectural Design.

Filinvest Land, Inc. won Best Large Scale Housing Developer, while its Futura Homes Palm Estates in Bacolod won Best Housing Development (Visayas).

For individual awards, Araneta Group President Jorge L. Araneta received the Life Achievement Award, while Megaworld Corp. President Lourdes T. Gutierrez-Alfonso was named Real Estate Personality of the Year.

Araneta City Senior Management Consultant Rowell Recinto received Mr. Araneta’s award on his behalf.

“Mr. Araneta pioneered the integrating entertainment with retail long before it has become normal in development. [He] also pioneered the concept of transit oriented development even before Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Railway Transit (LRT) [were created]. So those initiatives that Mr. Araneta did is reflective of his pioneering legacy in the property industry,” Mr. Recinto said.

The awards come as residential demand remains strong in key provincial markets, according to Colliers Philippines, while developers continue to expand hotel and office supply in cities outside Metro Manila.

Colliers said average take-up rates for house-and-lot projects in provincial markets ranged from 88% to 96%, while condominium take-up ranged from 82% to 91%.

Iloilo led house-and-lot take-up at 95%, followed by Davao at 93% and Cebu at 92%.

For condominiums, Negros Occidental led at 91%, followed by Iloilo and Davao at 89%.

Colliers also said high-end and leisure-oriented residential developments have drawn strong investor demand, citing sold-out projects such as Rockwell Land Corp.’s The Villas at Aruga and AppleOne Group, Inc.’s Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort The Residences.

The projects had average prices of P590,000 per square meter (sq.m.) and P296,000 per sq.m., respectively.

The Visayas and Mindanao are also expected to see 4,877 hotel rooms added to the pipeline.

Cebu accounts for 2,282 rooms, or 46% of the incoming supply, according to Colliers.

The consultancy cited JW Marriott Panglao, Park Inn by Radisson Cebu South Road Properties, Somerset Gorordo, Hotel101 Cebu-Mactan, Sofitel Cebu, Pullman Cebu Mactan, Citadines Mactan Cebu, Radisson RED Cebu Mandaue, and Radisson RED Mactan among the projects contributing to the pipeline.

In the office segment, Colliers said Metro Davao remains a tight market, with fair market rent at P532.42 per sq.m. amid limited lease availability.

Metro Cebu’s office market has adjusted to smaller business process outsourcing (BPO) requirements, with Cebu IT Park accounting for 54% of take-up in Cebu and 66% of tenants signing with local developers.

Average office rent at Cebu Business Park stood at P617 per sq.m., higher than Alabang’s P586 per sq.m.

Bacolod’s fair market rent was at P488.40 per sq.m. as the market works to attract larger anchor employers. — Juliana Chloe A. Gonzales