Robinsons Home to expand outside Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines–The subdivision development arm of Gokongwei-led Robinsons Land Corp. plans to fortify business outside Metro Manila and break into the residential property market of Bacolod and Palawan this year.

Corazon Ang Ley, general manager of Robinsons Home, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, told reporters on Tuesday that the horizontal property developer would launch three new projects worth P1 billion to P2 billion this year. The new projects will cover about 20 to 30 hectares in combined footprint.

Apart from Palawan and Bacolod, Robinsons Home is launching its second project in Batangas. This residential brand under RLC is banking on areas outside Metro Manila for continued growth.

“We’re trying to decongest Metro Manila. Besides, the opportunities are there, given the housing needs there. Also, a lot of people are now clamoring for cleaner environment,” Ley said. “Because of the synergy that we have within the conglomerate, like URC (Universal Robina Corp.), we can grow outside Metro Manila,” said Ian Emerson Lee, assistant manager at the company’s business development unit. 

In Palawan, the upcoming project will be located in the capital city of Puerto Princesa. “For Puerto, we feel we can be competitive in terms of pricing and development,” Ley said.

Robinsons Homes typically sells around 1,500 residential units each year and this year, demand is expected to be stable.

In 2014, Lee estimated that sales take-up grew by 12 percent compared to the level in 2013. For the entire local property market, sales take-up actually contracted by 7 percent last year, based on estimates by property consulting firm Colliers Philippines.

Over its 20-year history, Robinsons Homes has embarked on 32 residential projects from as far as Laoag, Ilocos Norte in the north to as far down south as General Santos in Mindanao. Of these, over 5,000 homes in 20 residential communities had been built Laoag, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Antipolo, Batangas, Cavite, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos.

The total residential business accounts for about 35 percent of RLC’s total revenues. Robinsons Homes in turn accounts for about 15 to 20 percent of RLC’s residential segment.

Robinsons Homes has three sub-brands:
– Bloomfields caters to professionals and executives living with an extended family or for a second home away from the city or as an investment and offers lots at a price range of P8,000 per square meter with lot sizes averaging 320 square meters while house-and-lot packages are priced at less than P10 million.
– Brighton offers average lot sizes of 180 square meters at starting price of P6,000 per square meter while house-and-lot offerings are priced below P5 million. This brand is seen suitable for families upgrading to a bigger home, including OFW families as well as local businessmen who prefer practical yet efficient living spaces.
– Springdale offers residential lots at an average of 120 square meters priced at an around P4,000 per square meter while house-and-lot packages are priced below P2 million. This brand caters to the upper and middle C segments of the market and seen as ideal for those investing in their first home. Doris C. Dumlao