Cebu Landmasters’ nine wins at the 2026 PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards reflect the growing strength of regional real estate—and a VisMin developer taking its experience to the national stage.
Some of the most interesting stories in Philippine real estate today are increasingly unfolding beyond Metro Manila.
Across Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and other growing regional cities, developers are responding to increasingly sophisticated markets with projects spanning housing, condominiums, townships, hospitality, retail and mixed-use communities.
For Cebu Landmasters, Inc. (CLI), that regional growth story reached a significant milestone at the 14th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards, where the homegrown VisMin developer was named Best Developer in the Philippines and took home nine awards overall.
The national title was CLI’s second Best Developer win following its first in 2019. The company was also named Best Housing Developer, Best Developer–Visayas and Best Developer–Mindanao. It marked CLI’s second Best Housing Developer title, fourth Best Developer–Visayas win and sixth consecutive Best Developer–Mindanao recognition.
Five CLI projects were likewise recognized across residential, housing, hospitality and retail design categories—a breadth that reflects how the company has grown alongside the regional markets it serves.
For Jose Franco B. Soberano, president and chief executive officer of Cebu Landmasters, Inc., however, winning the country’s top developer award is as much a challenge as it is an achievement.
“There’s still a lot the company can prove. Real estate is always about continuous improvement,” Soberano told PhilSTAR Property.
“I think that humility has allowed CLI to grow because in the office, we really ask ourselves: We win these awards, but have we really earned it? Do we really deserve it?”
The recognition, he said, “feels good,” but the response is straightforward: “It’s back to the office on Monday to check what else we need to improve.”
“That’s the attitude of our chairman, that’s my attitude as the next generation, and that’s the attitude of the rest of the company.”
A regional growth story
CLI’s rise also offers a case study in how Philippine property growth has expanded beyond the capital.
The listed company now has 132 projects across 18 key cities in Visayas and Mindanao, with nearly 50,000 homes in its portfolio across the region. Having built its scale and experience in VisMin, it is now expanding its presence into Luzon.
In an interview with PhilSTAR Property, Soberano said the combination of national and regional awards reflects how CLI has grown while remaining grounded in the markets where it started.
“The recognition in both the Visayas and Mindanao affirms the strength of our track record in VisMin, while the Best Developer in the Philippines award shows that what we have built in the region can also compete on a national level,” he said.
Soberano said CLI sees the recognition not only as validation of what its people have built, but also as a responsibility to uphold high standards as the company expands.
That sense of purpose has roots in the company’s beginnings.
“I think the evolution was really from our love for real estate,” Soberano said. “Our love for real estate started between my mom and dad, who are really real estate professionals, and then grew very strongly.”
But the family’s view of the business also came with a larger purpose.
“To be honest, it’s looking at real estate as a service,” he said. “Our family is very generous, very philanthropic, so we treat our business as our vehicle for service.”
CLI’s listing on the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2017 became a major turning point.
“That really allowed us to spread our wings and grow to different parts of the Philippines,” Soberano said.
Understanding the market
CLI’s nine wins also reflect the breadth of markets the developer now serves—from housing and condominiums to hospitality and retail.
Despite the different segments and uses, Soberano said the developments are connected by a common philosophy.
“What ties them together is our focus on understanding the market and the needs of the communities where we operate,” he said.
“The projects may serve different segments and have different uses, but we approach each one with the same discipline: build for real demand, deliver good quality, and create developments that are practical and relevant to the market. That consistency is important to us as we continue to grow our portfolio.”
That understanding becomes even more important as CLI expands beyond its traditional markets.
“We do not believe in taking a one-size-fits-all approach,” Soberano said. “Each market has its own needs, price points, preferences, and growth drivers, so we spend time understanding these before we develop any project. Our experience in VisMin has taught us to understand the market while we also work with local teams and partners. As we expand, we will bring that same approach to new markets while adapting to what each community needs.”
Staying the course
The recognition comes as the real estate industry continues to navigate global uncertainty—something Soberano believes makes moments of achievement particularly important.
“I think the world—or the industry—always needs positivity because in crisis, there are opportunities, and in crisis, there’s a call to help others also,” he said.
Developers, Soberano noted, are among those “orchestrating economic development in real estate.”
“Awards like this—and you saw many great recipients of awards, many successful developers—mean that the industry is still alive and kicking.”
Having spent 17 years in the industry, he has also learned to view uncertainty through the perspective of real estate cycles.
“I’ve had my share of cycles. It goes up and down, but it’s always about staying the course, always staying positive. That’s how we can grow.”
Building the next growth platforms
CLI is already laying the groundwork for its next phase.
“We have several concrete growth platforms in place,” Soberano said.
In its core residential business, the company has more than 11 projects in its short-term pipeline, comprising approximately 5,600 homes worth around P25 billion across key VisMin growth markets.
At the same time, Soberano said the company remains focused on completing and turning over its highly sold projects as committed to customers and unlocking its receivables.
CLI is also building a larger recurring-income business. Following the opening of its fifth operating hotel, the company has five more hotel projects in the pipeline, with 778 room keys currently under construction.
Alongside hospitality, CLI is expanding its portfolio of office, retail and other commercial developments toward 200,000 square meters of gross leasable area. The company is targeting the segment to grow to around 10 percent of the business.
Its 273-hectare strategic landbank provides another substantial runway for future development.
This includes two recently acquired estates in Cebu and Cavite, which will expand CLI’s estate portfolio from three to five master-planned communities.
The estates are envisioned as long-term growth platforms bringing together residential, commercial, hospitality and other uses that address the broader needs of their communities. According to the company, they have the potential to support approximately P300 billion in project value over the next seven to eight years.
But underlying these plans, Soberano said, is the need to preserve the trust that has enabled CLI to grow.
“As we launch more projects, enter new markets and broaden our businesses, we must continue to deliver quality, fulfill our commitments and create lasting value for our customers, partners and communities.”
Leading from the ground
CLI’s national recognition also comes during a generational transition in leadership.
As president and CEO, Soberano describes the leadership style he wants to bring to the company through two ideas: being hands-on and leading with empathy.
“Leaders have to be on the ground,” he said. “In real estate, we have to see what goes on in the field. We have to see how things can be perfected on the field.”
The second principle requires seeing developments through the perspective of the people they are ultimately intended to serve.
“I’ve always learned to put myself in another person’s shoes. I put myself in my homeowners’ shoes,” Soberano said. “That empathy means that we’re doing this for a greater mission.”
They also connect with the message Soberano delivered when accepting CLI’s biggest award of the evening.
“When I joined the company 16 years ago, we were just a team of 20—now, we have a workforce of 1,500,” he said.
“It’s been a journey filled with a lot of hard work but definitely defined strongly by the purpose of CLI, which is to treat real estate as a service for our countrymen.”
And as Cebu Landmasters takes the experience it has accumulated across Visayas and Mindanao into a broader national footprint, Soberano sees the award as carrying a responsibility that extends beyond CLI.
“We will view this recognition not just as an award, but as a responsibility to represent all of us in the industry in the best way possible and set a good example.”
Five developments, five dimensions of growth
Cebu Landmasters’ five winning developments span premium and mid-market residential, economic housing, hospitality and retail—reflecting the breadth of markets the VisMin developer now serves.
The Wave Towers
Best High-End Condo Development (Metro Cebu)
The P9.2-billion residential development in Cebu I.T. Park is CLI’s first international joint venture with NTT UD Asia, the real estate arm of Japan’s NTT Group, whose global footprint spans New York, London, Boston, Melbourne and Tokyo. Its first tower will offer 709 premium units, Japanese-inspired design and two expansive amenity decks focused on wellness and recreation.
North Grove at Pristina Town
Best Mid-End Condo Development (Metro Cebu)
CLI’s first residential development within the 70-hectare Pristina Town caters to the mid- and upper mid-market segments. Its two towers will offer 1,029 units, generous green spaces, resort-inspired amenities and a nearly 3,800-square-meter retail podium.
Radisson Red Cebu Mandaue
Best Next Gen Hotel Development
The P1.99-billion, 144-key lifestyle hotel is the first Radisson RED in the Philippines developed by CLI Hotels and Resorts. Located within Astra Centre, it combines contemporary design with Cebuano touches and forms part of CLI’s growing hospitality portfolio of 10 hotels with 1,719 keys.
Casa Mira Homes Gensan
Best Housing Development (Mindanao)
CLI’s first solar-integrated economic housing community and its 18th Casa Mira project offers 1,218 homes across a 21-hectare master-planned development. Select homes feature built-in 2.2-kilowatt solar systems, while 60 percent of the community is dedicated to open space. The project is already 100 percent sold out.
Astra Lifestyle Centre
Best Retail Architectural Design
CLI’s retail and lifestyle destination in Mandaue City forms part of the integrated Astra Centre alongside Radisson RED Cebu Mandaue, One Astra Place and Astra Corporate Centre. It brings together dining, retail, wellness and everyday conveniences through a mix of first-in-Cebu concepts and sought-after Cebuano homegrown brands.
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