Century founder bags Asean property award

Century Properties Group founder and chairman Jose Antonio was cited as the 2012 Real Estate Personality of the Year at the Southeast Asia Property Awards for his work in “transforming the Manila skyline with quality developments.”

Antonio was also cited for his work as “a true industry pioneer” and for “drawing the global spotlight not only to the Philippines but to the entire Southeast Asian region with notable brand collaborations.”

The awarding ceremonies were held on November 21 at the Shangri-la Hotel in Singapore.

Antonio is the second recipient of the award after Ho Kwon Ping, executive chairman of the Banyan Tree Holdings, won it in 2011. The Century Properties founder also received the citations bestowed by the awards to Trump Tower at Century City for the Best Residential Development-Philippines category, and Century Properties Group for the Best Developer-Philippines category.

A firm believer in the growth potential of the Philippines, Antonio founded Century Properties 26 years ago amid the People Power Revolution. Under Antonio’s leadership, Century entered into collaborations with global brands in real estate and interior design, including Versace Home for The Milano Residences, MissoniHome for Acqua Livingstone, Trump for Trump Tower at Century City, yoo inspired by Starck with John Hitchcox and Philippe Starck for Acqua Iguazu and Paris Hilton for the Azure Urban Resort Residences Beach Club.

“I believe that Century’s remarkable competitive strength lies in the passion of its people. This has translated into a proven heritage of innovation and product differentiation. We are committed to not just introduce firsts but also deliver quality projects that help transform Metro Manila as a world-class and cosmopolitan city,” Antonio said.

Jules Kay, managing editor of Property Report Southeast Asia magazine, said of Antonio: “Despite such high-profile developments, as a seasoned property professional he remains focused on quality.”

In his acceptance speech, Antonio said: “Southeast Asia and the whole of Asia is moving toward the center of economic gravity of the world and we are fortunate and excited to be working in this part of the world today, where growth will be the major theme.”

The South East Asia Property Awards (SEAPA) aims to recognize the best of the region’s luxury real estate as well as underscore high-caliber work in construction, architecture, interior design and property management.

The Personality of the Year title is a special award and the only one given by SEAPA for a personality’s outstanding body of work within the region’s real estate landscape. The rest of the SEAPA category titles are given to developers, their projects and other real estate consultants like architects, interior designers and property consultancy firms.

This year’s roster of finalists comprised developers and projects from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, with a total of 38 awards handed out in different development, developer and property consultancy categories.—Doris C. Dumlao