Aboitiz infra arm bares plans to expand West Cebu Estate

CEBU, Philippines —  The Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., is going to build more office buildings and residential condominium components as part of its expansion plan of the West Cebu Estate, which houses the West Cebu Industrial Park (WCIP) in Balamban, Cebu.

In a press briefing, Aboitiz InfraCapital head for integrated economic centers, and president of Cebu Industrial Park Developers, Inc., Rafael Fernandez de Mesa bared that while the masterplan of the 39-hectare expansion project inside the WCIP, the company is certain to build BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) buildings, as well as residential condominium units.

The WCIP, known as the largest shipbuilding hub in the Philippines, is operated and developed by Cebu Industrial Park Developers Inc. (CIPDI), a joint venture project of AboitizLand and Tsuneishi Holdings of Japan.

The expansion project, which will start in January next year, is scheduled for completion by 2023. This will cement the company’s vision to make West Cebu Estate, not just an industrial park, but a masterplanned integrated estate, he added.

“Today, what we have there is primarily industrial use but with our expansion we are not only planning to expand the industrial estate but we are also planning to put up a commercial component that will not just serve the estate but also the surrounding community of Balamban,” De Mesa explained during the Aboitiz InfraCapital unveiling of its fresh brand identity.

Of the total 540-hectare, the company is developing 39 hectares for the mixed-use component.

According to de Mesa, the expansion will funnel in an additional P2.5 billion inventory.

Once completed, the company is looking at doubling its working population to at least 28,000.

Today, the West Cebu Estate’s locators are employing 14,000 people.

WCIP is a 540-hectare mixed-use estate anchored by a 283-hectare Philippine Economic Zone Authority registered zone that has complementary commercial, institutional and residential components. The estate is the home of 11 locators from medium to heavy industries, some of which are the biggest shipbuilding firms in the world.

Meanwhile, Aboitiz InfraCapital and its business units unveiled a fresh brand identity that reflects the group's forward ambition to be the country's top of mind in infrastructure solutions. The goal is to further grow its business in the coming years by proactively participating in project opportunities in the industrial development, water, digital infrastructure, and transport sectors.

“At the beginning of the year, we set out to revamp our brand as part of our top priorities. We want to establish InfraCap as a full-fledged Strategic Business Unit within the Aboitiz Group, with a unique, impactful, and market-relevant brand identity and to be known as a reliable partner for growth, dedicated to nation-building and uplifting the lives of Filipinos,” said Aboitiz InfraCapital President and CEO Cosette Canilao.

Anchored on the Aboitiz Group’s purpose of driving change for a better world by advancing business and communities, we at Aboitiz InfraCapital aim to create purpose-driven infrastructure,” she added.

AIC has been ramping up its portfolio in the past few years. For 2021, the company earmarked PhP13 billion in total consolidated capital expenditures (CAPEX) with its partners for the rollout of various projects, including its newest venture into common towers.