Sta Lucia strives to grow even bigger

MANILA, Philippines - Property giant Sta. Lucia Land Inc. (SLI) is laying the groundwork for expansion in the next six years as it strives to grow even bigger.

One of its plans is to hitch a ride on the Duterte administration’s program to boost infrastructure spending in the country through several big-ticket projects.

SLI said this would greatly benefit its projects that are located near major government infrastructure projects that are  expected to be completed within the next few years.

These projects are the LRT Line 2 Extension along Marcos Highway, the MRT-7 project, the Cavite-Laguna (CALA) Expressway project and LRT 1 Cavite Extension project, the Metro Manila Expressway Project C6 and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Passenger Terminal Building project.

For the LRT Line 2 Extension project, for instance, SLI will expand the Sta. Lucia City Complex in Cainta, its first mall complex in the area with 11 hectares of prime real estate.

It will also develop the Sta. Lucia Business Center in Pasig City. The project is a proposed commercial six-story building which will be leased out to offices and commercial retail establishments.

“There is no limit to how much growth a company can reach. Our dynamism is here to stay and I would not limit growth to a few statistics. We have a lot projects, true, but our goal should be and has always been to achieve client satisfaction and to introduce new opportunities and development concepts. The country is ripe for growth. We should not pass on the chance to be the ones to steer it on its way,” SLI chief executive officer and president Exequiel Robles said.

To help SLI in promoting their projects, the company teamed up anew with versatile actress and celebrity Bea Alonzo.

This is the second straight year that Alonzo was named brand ambassador for the company’s real estate projects.

“I only endorse products and companies I believe in and Sta. Lucia is one of them….I really believe in what they do. I myself have a Sta. Lucia property, it’s my first house,” Alonzo said in a press briefing after the contract signing.

Alonzo said she has always been a big fan of the company and its projects that help build the Filipino dream.

During the contract signing, Alonzo recalled the time she was living in a condominium, which she bought from Sta. Lucia. “I had fun living in a condo. It taught me how to be independent – how to pay the bills and how to have a say in its design,” she said. 

Now, she’s also planning to invest in another residential development of Sta. Lucia in Quezon City.

Aside from buying a Sta. Lucia condominium property in Pasig, Alonzo also invested in one of the company’s premiere condo-hotel developments in Tagaytay along the Nasugbu-Tagaytay National Highway.

The project is an upscale and exclusive gated community that offers a commanding view of Taal volcano.

“It’s the only place in Tagaytay where you can relish a sea of clouds carried by the fresh cool winds,” SLI said.

For the company, choosing Alonzo as its brand ambassador was an easy decision to make.

Robles said Alonzo fits very well the company’s brand image.

“Bea is a strong-willed woman. She’s the type who would strive hard to fulfil her dreams and do whatever it takes to get what she wants. But unlike the stereotypical millennial, she is wise enough to invest in her future,” Robles said.

A member of the Sta. Lucia Group, SLI is now considered the biggest real estate developer in terms of combined land area totalling 10,000 hectares.

Its portfolio of projects include big ticket golf course developments such as Splendido Taal Golf and Country Club, Orchard Golf and Country Club and Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club.

It also has a roster of residential and condotel developments such as Residenze, Arterra Residences, La Breza and SotoGrande developments in Katipunan, Iloilo, Davao and Neopolitan.

It was started in 1972 by the Robles-Santos family and has since successfully focused on building planned residential subdivisions communities that cater to emerging middle class families. 

SLI has also diversified into vertical residential developments and is now keen on expanding its business further to now include condotels, residential estates as well as resort and leisure projects similar to its lake side communities in Iloilo and in Davao.

Years of experience, innovative thinking and the foresight of its top management has seen the firm through economic upheavals and political changes as well, Robles said.