Aboitiz Economic Estates and Aboitiz Land took home six honors at the 2026 PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards, spanning industrial, mixed-use, residential and sustainable development.
The wins included Best Developer (Luzon), Best Industrial Developer and Best Sustainable Commercial Developer, alongside recognitions for TARI Estate, Biz Hub at LIMA Estate and The Villages at LIMA Estate.
In this Q&A with PhilSTAR Property, Rafael Fernandez De Mesa reflects on what the recognitions mean for the group and its approach to building economic centers.
PSTAR: What do these recognitions say about the direction the group has taken in developing communities and economic estates?
DE MESA: What is particularly meaningful to us is the breadth of the recognition. Being named Best Industrial Developer for the sixth consecutive year affirms a capability that has been at the core of our business for decades. But this year, the recognition also extends across mixed-use development, residential, sustainability, and ultimately Best Developer in Luzon.
I think that reflects how our development model has evolved. Our industrial roots taught us to begin with the fundamentals: attract investment, build the right infrastructure, create quality jobs, and respond to real economic demand.
For us, these awards are an affirmation that a jobs-first, industry-anchored approach can be a powerful foundation for building more complete and sustainable communities.
PSTAR: What do TARI Estate and Biz Hub at LIMA Estate demonstrate about how industrial estates are evolving?
DE MESA: TARI Estate and Biz Hub at LIMA Estate represent two different stages of the same development model, while also giving us a strategic presence at both ends of the Luzon Economic Corridor.
In Southern Luzon, LIMA demonstrates what can happen when a strong industrial base matures into a broader urban economy.
In Central Luzon, TARI represents the next generation of that model. We are applying decades of industrial development and estate management experience to a greenfield location with the infrastructure, connectivity, and operating capabilities needed to support major investments and increasingly sophisticated industries.
Together, they illustrate how the role of industrial estates is changing. They are no longer simply places where factories locate.
PSTAR: How is sustainability creating tangible value for businesses, communities and investors?
DE MESA: We see sustainability fundamentally as a question of lasting value.
For businesses and investors, that means creating estates that are more resilient, efficient, and competitive over time through better resource management, renewable energy, sustainable mobility, infrastructure, and reliable operations.
But sustainability also has to include people. The investments coming into our estates create significant economic opportunity, and we want surrounding communities to be able to participate in that growth.
PSTAR: How does residential development fit into the broader vision for integrated economic centers?
DE MESA: Jobs may be where our model begins, but ultimately people need places where they can build their lives.
The Villages at LIMA Estate is important because it brings residential communities into the same ecosystem as employment, education, retail, dining, leisure, hospitality, and essential services.
Rather than thinking about industrial, commercial, and residential development as separate businesses, we can plan them as interconnected parts of one economic ecosystem.
When jobs, homes, services, and quality of life reinforce one another, you create communities that are better positioned to sustain their growth over generations.
For Aboitiz Economic Estates and Aboitiz Land, the PropertyGuru wins ultimately reflect this continuing evolution: from building places for industry to creating economic centers where investment and employment can support more complete communities—and where growth is designed to endure.
Rafael Fernandez de Mesa, President and CEO of Aboitiz Economic Estates and Aboitiz Land, accepts the Best Developer (Luzon) award at the 2026 PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards.
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