Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) was awarded the Best Large Cap Corporate in the Philippines for 2009, among companies having a market capitalization of over US$2 billion, by Asiamoney magazine. The magazine also named ALI president Antonino T. Aquino as the Best Executive in the Philippines in its recent poll.
“We are honored and very grateful for the recognition given by such a prestigious publication as Asiamoney. We have put great effort into overcoming challenges in 2009 and these awards validate the success of those efforts,” said Aquino.
Asiamoney is a monthly financial magazine that has been an important source of intelligence and information for corporate executives and the investment community in Asia since 1989. It is a division of the Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, a respected global media group.
In an article published on the magazine’s website, ALI was cited for taking “a strategic change of direction” and expanding into the economic housing segment in order to broaden the company’s market penetration. According to the article: “It is a move that makes sense as the bulk of the country’s real estate demand lies in this segment…”
Asiamoney also recognized Aquino for his work in implementing the strategic changes, after just eight months at the helm, to propel the company’s growth in the coming years. “The president of Ayala Land has wasted no time in changing its strategic focus, making it more effective and sensitive to the market,” said the article.
Aside from venturing into economic housing, the company is entering into new geographies and expanding its base of master-planned and mixed use growth centers. It will complement this with small-format retail developments.
Recent initiatives along these pursuits include its partnership with the National Housing Authority for the development of the 29-hectare North Triangle property in Quezon City. ALI also entered into a Letter of Agreement with the City Government of Olongapo and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority to master-plan the seven-hectare Olongapo City Triangle near the Subic Bay Freeport Zone’s main gate.
The company is ramping up its project launches for this year. On January 12, ALI successfully held its first project launch for 2010 with the most recent addition to its portfolio of high-end residential offerings. Santierra, a 77-hectare development in the company’s Nuvali township in Laguna, features gently rolling terrain and unobstructed views of Mt. Makiling and Tagaytay ridge. Lot sizes range from 600sq.m. to 1,200 sq.m. The company grossed a record PhP 1.1 billion in sales of about 100 Santierra lots at the opening day.
Aquino strongly advocates the integration of the company’s social and environmental goals with its business goals. ALI is at the forefront of sustainable development and leads in applying practices to lessen its environmental footprint. For example, it successfully implements Solid Waste Management initiatives in the Makati business district, Bonifacio Global City, Nuvali and in all its malls.
ALI, along with other Ayala Group companies, recently entered into an agreement with ABS-CBN Foundation to help rehabilitate the Pasig River through the Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig project. ALI will master-plan and develop an area in Caluan, Laguna for relocation of informal settlers currently living along the banks of the Pasig river. It will serve as a model for other relocation sites, with proper water, sanitation and other facilities.
Ayala Land has been recognized for excellence by other award-giving bodies the past year. In December, The Asset, a multi-media publishing and research concern catering to leading corporate and financial decision makers in Asia, gave ALI the Platinum Award for All-Round Excellence in Financial Performance, Management, Corporate Governance, Social Responsibility, Environmental Responsibility and Investor Relations.
The Company’s Head of Investor Communications and Compliance, Alfonso Javier D. Reyes was also recognized as the “Best Investor Relations Professional in the Philippines” in the recently concluded Thomson Reuters Asia-Pacific Extel Survey 2009. The survey was participated in by global and regional fund managers and investment professionals as well as sell-side equity analysts and sales professionals.