Listed property developer Century Properties Group Inc. (CPG) has already presold P1.7 billion worth of residential units of its Batangas mixed-use tourism development.
CPG managing director Robbie Antonio told reporters the Batulao Artscapes project in Nasugbu, Batangas was well-received by the market as it has already sold a chunk of its units before its official launch.
“We’re above what we expected,” Antonio said.
CPG held an exclusive launch of the first phase of the 142-hectare mixed tourism property in Batangas, which covers around 54 hectares of the entire property, last Saturday.
The Batulao Artscapes, the company’s first foray in the tourism and leisure market, offers an active retirement village component featuring designer homes from Revolution Precrafted, world -class village-exclusive vacation amenities, a man -made beach with club-house, and a lake with a charming wedding chapel.
Art cum adventure or ‘artven-ture’ facilities include a sports park, flavor park, and art park with museums designed by Pritzker Prizewinning archi-tects, according to CPG.
The project dubbed as the world’s first livable art park, will showcase a fine collection of ‘livable art’ exceptional designer homes. Total sales value of the first phase amounts to P19 billion.
Antonio said with the Batulao Artcapes only covering about a third of the 142- hectare Batan-gas property, the entire mas-terplanned project is estimated to rake in a total sales value of over P55 billion.
Meanwhile, with the project targeting the foreign retirees market, Antonio said residential units of the project operate like a condominium, as it offers shared amenities, but in a horizontal manner, unlike high rise condominiums with vertical shared amenities.
They live their lives online, and are not shy about showing off their precious toys and presence at exotic places that most other people can only dream about.
Meet the princelings and princesses of regional political and business leaders.
While in the past only their closest friends and family members got to see these lifestyles of the rich and famous, social media platforms now bring these bling bling images to everyone.
This gilded lifestyle became fodder for Malaysian newspapers two weeks ago, when they zoomed in on Ms Meera Alyanna Mukhriz, a granddaughter of the country’s former prime minister and now opposition leader Mahathir Mohamad.
The government-backed media showed her living what they said was a “celebrity lifestyle”, showing her wearing designer clothes, travelling on a yacht and holidaying abroad. She is the daughter of Mr Mukhriz Mahathir, former Kedah menteri besar who is also in the opposition today.
Apart from being easy prey for political attacks, these young people could perhaps also be more circumspect about what they show off to the public.
In Malaysia, where many Muslims are turning deeply conservative, Instagram pictures by TV personality Rozita Che Wan lightly kissing her husband Zain Saidin at Paris’ Eiffel Tower in 2014 and on Greece’s Mykonos island in 2016 led to dozens of angry comments. She said she had to block hundreds of these netizens from her account.
In Indonesia, a tweet in August of a picture of a Koenigsegg – a Swedish sports car – by a friend of local celebrity Raffi Ahmad described the car as Raffi’s new ride.
In response, a tweet from the account of the Directorate-General of Tax said: “Please inform Raffi to report on his annual tax filing if he has new asset.”
Here are some other children of prominent people who like to post on their eye-catching adventures.
1. CHRYSEIS TAN
Ms Chryseis Tan, daughter of Malaysian tycoon Vincent Tan of the Berjaya group. Photo: Instagram
Daughter of tycoon Vincent Tan of the Berjaya group.
Chryseis often documents her travels through Instagram stories.
The heiress is chief executive of Berjaya Times Square, a giant shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur. Forbes valued her father Vincent Tan, one of Malaysia’s most recognisable tycoons, at US$820 million (S$1.1 billion) this year.
Chryseis was recently engaged to Mr Faliq Nasimuddin, 32, a son of the founder of large Malaysian conglomerate the Naza Group.
She had her pre-wedding photoshoot in Venice. Dressed in a Monique Lhuillier gown, her photos were taken by Greg Finck, one of the top wedding photographers listed by Harper’s Bazaar.
She celebrated her 29th birthday last month in Venice, with dinner in an emptied-out hall at the Aman Venice, where George Clooney tied the knot with Amal Alamuddin.
2. ISABELLE DUTERTE
Ms Isabelle Duterte with her $4,200 Celine bag, in one of many posts showing her with her expensive, designer accessories. Photo: Instagram
Granddaughter of President Rodrigo Duterte
Isabelle, 17, stirred a hornet’s nest when she posted on Instagram photos of herself in expensive, designer garb as her father was being investigated over 6.4 billion pesos (S$170 million) worth of smuggled methamphetamine.
The teenager is the daughter of Davao Vice-Mayor Paolo Duterte, 42, the elder of President Rodrigo Duterte’s two sons. Davao is located in Mindanao and is also the home city of President Duterte.
Paolo’s name came up in testimony given in August to the Senate by a Customs “fixer” being investigated for allegedly facilitating a shipment of 604kg of crystal meth in May. Paolo has professed his innocence.
While this was happening, Isabelle posted the photos that showed her with a US$3,100 (S$4,200) Celine bag and donning a US$750 pair of Chanel ballerina flats. She has another Celine bag, worth about US$2,700, and US$620 Gucci Ace sneakers.
Critics say the photos betray a legacy of ill-gotten wealth while supporters have told the critics to leave the girl alone.
Isabelle has managed to parlay the attention into a career in show business.
3. RICHARD MULJADI
Mr Richard Muljadi, a grandson of Indonesian entrepreneur Kartini Muljadi, astride his two red Ferraris. Photo: Instagram
Grandson of entrepreneur Kartini Muljadi
Lawyer-turned-entrepreneur Kartini Muljadi was the only Indonesian woman in Forbes Indonesia’s 2016 50 Richest individuals, with a net worth of US$760 million (S$1 billion). Her family controls listed pharmaceutical firm Tempo Scan Pacific.
Her grandson Richard, 29, regularly shows his audience how some of that money was spent.
In one picture, he is standing astride two red Ferraris.
A short video highlights how he spends a day at home, showing him starting the engine of his red Porsche 911 Carrera, then his yellow Lamborghini, before cruising around his swimming pool in a Yamaha WaveRunner jet boat.
In another photo, Richard shows he has not one, but two, vintage watch collectors’ items – the 1970s Rolex Military Submariner.
He is married to former model and actress Shalvynne Chang, 27.
4. ROBBIE ANTONIO
Mr Robbie Antonio with his friend Lenny Kravitz at the Art Basel Miami Beach show in 2015. Photo: Instagram
Scion of Century Properties
Robbie, 39, is the son of Century Properties’ owner Jose Antonio who is a business partner of US President Donald Trump.
The property scion is friends with Mr Trump’s children Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr. Those ties have led to a US$150 million (S$200 million), 57-storey, Trump-branded tower in Manila.
In 2013, Robbie commissioned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas to build him a US$15 million Manila home to house a museum for his art collection, including a series of 35 portraits of himself by some of the world’s top contemporary artists, dubbed in a Vanity Fair story as his “Museum of Me”.
While Robbie keeps a low profile on social media, his Instagram account has him posing with celebrities he considers close friends, such as Adrien Brody and Lenny Kravitz. He has also been photographed with Paris Hilton, who designed an artificial beach for him, and, of course, with Mr Trump.
The self-promotion and networking are part of a successful business model that Century Properties has latched on to. It builds luxury properties and has celebrity partners like Ms Hilton.
5. NORASHMAN NAJIB
Mr Norashman Najib at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai last week. Photo: Instagram
Son of Prime Minister Najib Razak
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai last week created a stir amid reports that several models had been denied entry into China.
One person unaffected was Mr Norashman Najib, 27. The son of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had a seat at the show which featured models in scintillating lingerie.
He also posted a selfie with one of the models, Josephine Skriver.
His fashion show buddy? Singapore’s Kishin RK, heir of property giant RB Capital.
Ashman, as he is known to friends, is well known to social media users.
He frequently documents his love for music on Instagram.
But most posts show him trailing his father on official business trips, including the ministerial meeting with US President Donald Trump in September.
President Donald Trump has temporarily put his sons in charge of his company, but the Trump Organization still does business abroad. That has prompted questions about whether that might influence Trump’s official decisions.
A look at some of his business partners and contacts in Asia, where he is winding down a five-nation trip:
In this March 2, 2017 photo, Filipino Jose E.B. Antonio, chats before the start of a forum at the Manila Polo Club in the financial district of Makati, Philippines. Trump’s partner in a Philippines venture, Jose E.B. Antonio, was named a “special envoy” to the U.S. by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Oct. 28, less than two weeks before the November 2016 U.S. election. Antonio is chairman of Century Properties Group Inc., which partnered with Trump for the branding of the posh Trump Tower in Manila’s Makati business district. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
PHILIPPINES
Trump’s partner in a Philippines venture, Jose E.B. Antonio, was named a “special envoy” to the U.S. by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Oct. 28, less than two weeks before the November 2016 U.S. election. Antonio is chairman of Century Properties Group Inc., which partnered with Trump for the branding of the posh Trump Tower in Manila’s Makati business district.
The $150 million, 57-story tower was quietly turned over to unit owners earlier this year. The muted opening contrasted with the project’s high-profile 2012 groundbreaking rites, when Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric posed for cameras in Manila, smiling and holding shovels.
Antonio rose from modest beginnings but has been listed along with his son Robbie Antonio by Forbes magazine as the Philippines’ 28th-richest family, with a combined net worth of over $400 million in 2017. Paris Hilton, Versace and Armani are among Antonio’s other rich and famous business partners. The businessman has said he has known Trump for many years and his son Robbie is described on his company’s website as “a good friend of the Trump family.”
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CHINA
Trump has met plenty of Chinese entrepreneurs, but his biggest friends in China in financial terms are state-owned banks and companies. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd., the world’s No. 1 commercial lender by assets, is among the biggest tenants of Trump Tower in Manhattan. Its lease ends in 2019, which has prompted questions about how a sitting American president’s family company will negotiate new terms with a bank controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.
Trump’s partners in Trump World Golf Club Dubai in the Persian Gulf awarded a $32 million contract to China State Construction Engineering Corp. to build the project in a deal reported in September by McClatchy. That prompted questions about whether the Trump Organization was honoring its pledge not to do business with foreign governments.
In the private sector, Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, the world’s biggest online commerce company by total sales, was among the stream of Chinese business leaders who visited Trump Tower in Manhattan to meet the president following his election.
The Kushner Cos., the family company of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, cut short a sales campaign in China after a Chinese businesswoman, Ding Ying, was linked to an effort to attract investors in exchange for U.S. visas that advertised ties to the “Trump Family.”
Anbang Insurance Group Ltd., one of China’s biggest insurers, discussed possibly investing in a Manhattan skyscraper owned by Kushner Cos. Those talks ended in March without a deal.
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JAPAN
Masayoshi Son, Japan’s richest man and the chief executive and founder of Softbank Group Corp., was quick to visit Trump after the 2016 election and to promise $50 billion for investments in U.S. startups that he said would create 50,000 jobs. After the meeting in Trump Tower, the then-president-elect praised Son as a “great man of industry.”
Son, 60, said he had visited Trump to “celebrate his new job,” adding, “Because he said he would do a lot of deregulation, I said, ‘This is great, the U.S. will become great again.'”
A Japanese of Korean ancestry who graduated from the University of California, Son has won both criticism and accolades as a daring investor who has gathered partners in diverse technology sectors from around the world, and has been likened by some to billionaire investor Warren Buffett.
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INDONESIA
Billionaire Hary Tanoesoedibjo founded his own political party and had ambitions to run for Indonesian president in 2019, but now says he’ll support current President Joko Widodo. His company is building two resorts in Indonesia – one in Bali and the other in West Java – that Trump’s business is involved with through management and licensing deals.
Usually known as Tanoe, the 52-year-old tycoon is the founder of the media and real estate conglomerate MNC. He has been dogged by a criminal investigation this year into accusations that he sent threatening text messages to a deputy attorney general who was investigating a tax case involving an MNC company.
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MALAYSIA
Malaysian property developer Tiah Joo Kim, whose father is one of the Southeast Asian country’s wealthiest businessmen, licensed the Trump brand for a hotel and condominium tower in Vancouver, Canada, before Trump’s political ascent. Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric attended the opening in March for the gleaming, 69-story building, where a one-bedroom apartment at 699 square feet (65 square meters) starts at around $1 million.
In an interview with The Associated Press just before the hotel’s opening earlier this year, Joo Kim said he found Trump’s statements about Muslims, Mexicans and women “extremely stressful.” ”I did a lot of soul-searching because people were attacking me for it,” he said.
Joo Kim, 37, is the son of tycoon Tony Tiah Thee Kian, a staunch Christian who built his fortune in stockbroking in the 1990s before expanding into real estate. Groomed to inherit the family business, Joo Kim last year was appointed CEO of its property arm TA Global. He also runs the Canadian-based Holborn Group. Raised in Kuala Lumpur, he studied at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and earned a master’s degree in international business at Macquarie University in Sydney.
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Associated Press writers Elaine Kurtenbach in Tokyo, Teresa Cerojano in Manila, Philippines, Joe McDonald in Beijing, Stephen Wright in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.
FILE – In this Jan. 9, 2017 photo, then President-elect Donald Trump stands with Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma as they walk to speak with reporters after a meeting at Trump Tower in New York. Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, the world’s biggest online commerce company by total sales, was among the stream of Chinese business leaders who visited Trump Tower in Manhattan to meet the president following his election. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)FILE – In this Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, file photo, then President-elect Donald Trump, left, accompanied by Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, speaks to members of the media at Trump Tower in New York. Japan’s richest man Son was quick to visit Trump after the 2016 election and to promise $50 billion for investments in U.S. startups that he said would create 50,000 jobs. After the meeting in Trump Tower, then-President-elect Trump praised Son as a “great man of industry.” (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)FILE – In this Jan. 14, 2017, file photo, Media Nusantara Citra (MNC) Group President and CEO Hary Tanoesoedibjo gestures during an interview with The Associated Press in Jakarta, Indonesia. Billionaire Hary Tanoesoedibjo founded his own political party and had ambitions to run for Indonesian president in 2019, but now says he’ll support current President Joko Widodo. His company is building two resorts in Indonesia – one in Bali and the other in West Java – that Trump’s business is involved with through management and licensing deals. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)FILE – In this June 19, 2013, file photo, Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up as he poses with Tiah Joo Kim, left, CEO and president of Holborn Group, upon arrival to announce the building of Trump International Hotel and Tower Vancouver in downtown Vancouver, Canada. Malaysian property developer Joo Kim Tiah, whose father is one of the Southeast Asian country’s wealthiest businessmen, licensed the Trump brand for a hotel and condominium tower in Vancouver, Canada. Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric attended the opening in March for the gleaming, 69-story building, where a one-bedroom apartment, at 699 square feet, starts at around $1 million. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
If millennials are, fairly or unfairly, typecast as those who expect to be handheld more, and the ones who feel “entitled”, then startup entrepreneurs are the antithesis of that stereotype. Not only are they self-motivated and independent, they are mentally prepared for hard work and sacrifice. They are not overnight successes, and many of them are still struggling to find traction.
One startup founder who has had a couple of pivots already to find profit intimated that if she can turn back the hands of time, she would consider a brick-and-mortar business, which may give her faster returns. But a startup cares for passion first before profit, and did I tell you earlier they have grit, lots of grit? Let’s get back to those pain points and how they solved such.
“How do I know what my employees in the field are really doing?”
If you have a sales force out in the field, or personnel in branches around the country, accept your human reality – you are not omnipresent. Imagine that you can monitor those in the field and in the branches, and their activities as they happen. And imagine that your same people know that their activities from far away are known to management, in real time. Will their performance improve? Will your revenue improve? Absolutely.
Businessmen who use the Tarkie mobile app swear by it. The ability to monitor in real time when field personnel logs in and out of work, when they deviate from their itinerary, or whether supervisors are doing their job at their respective outlets, is a game changer. It increases productivity. It is empowering for any business.
Rio Palabrica-Ilao, founder of MobileOptima Inc., actually had to do a few pivots before finally gaining traction with her digital tracking app. From a time-keeping system, to a tablet-based inventory system, and then finally to an app that tracks employees in the field, captures field expenses, and generates reports. Now that Tarkie is “tracking”, it is beginning to scale up its volume of users. Their challenge is to constantly keep the architecture strong, and the dashboard dynamic, with new innovations. It is also worth pointing out that this startup company is run by a partnership between Rio and her spouse – another interesting dynamic that we don’t have space to take up this Sunday.
“I am a small business, with small funds, and I am at the mercy of my clients as to when I get paid.”
“Cash is king”, or maybe, cash flow is king. For SMEs, who shun borrowing because of its tedious requirements and covenants, cash flow must necessarily come from investments – and from sales. B2B sales are however, almost always not in cash, and receivables don’t get converted to cash that quickly. Not only do big companies and payers have longer payment cycles, some receivables could become long overdue.
Magellan Fetalino not only observed, but felt this pain of SMEs who struggle to make both ends meet, let alone grow the business because the expected cash flow does not happen on time. His solution, factoring. His medium, fintech. Through the platform that his company, Acudeen Technologies, Inc. developed, SMEs are able to sell their receivables online for instant cash. The platform includes a credit rating system for the receivables and the SME to help retail buyers and big financial institutions evaluate the collection risk of receivables or invoices they will buy.
Receivable or invoice financing, and factoring, are maybe highfalutin terms for the common SME, so the first step for Acudeen is to educate SMEs on the product. In over a year, Acudeen has processed over P200 million in receivables. That he processed over P200 million is not what’s interesting. It is that he did not even need to have the money to convert them to cash.
“Can I pay all my bills in a “one stop shop”, in my house clothes?”
This startup’s fast-growing enterprise serves the Filipino masses, both the banked and unbanked, with their most common financial transactions – utilities payment, money transfers, mobile load purchase, even travel ticketing and courier services. But, Allen G. Mascenon did not only serve the masses. He created entrepreneurs, leveraging on the power of franchising for ExpressPay, Inc. and the technology of electronic fund transactions.
Growing more than 200 percent year on year, Expresspay now has over 1,000 outlets nationwide with the ambition to grow his network to 10,000 outlets in the next four years. Expresspay’s bold growth targets will allow it to bring financial inclusion to the country’s 7,100 islands and its barangays that do not have easy access to financial services, or the resources to own smartphones. Expresspay’s success story may just be starting as it is may soon shed off its startup label with its application with the PSE for initial public offering of its shares.
“Can I construct an awesome-looking house with a mid-size budget, four times faster, and 100% more beautiful?”
Dream on, you may say. But Robbie Antonio, founder of Revolution Precrafted, would say “dream no more”. That reality is here, and can even exceed your wildest dreams.
Very little is startup anymore about his enterprise, and Robbie is an entrepreneur with a truly big-time mentality, and a great idea to back it up – so great that he was able to now get 61 renowned architects and designers internationally to back him up (via exclusive contracts!). The idea is to build designer houses, made to order, then ship them – done in about 90 days, at a fraction of the cost it would take to have these constructed the traditional way. “Democratizing design”, as Robbie says, and breaking the privilege of the elite few with a business that brings great architecture to people.
Now present in six different countries, and targeting 18 countries his company identified, he has closed deals to supply more than 12,000 units. He is reported to be the country’s first unicorn, which is a startup valued at least US$1 billion. (How proud, I wonder, his father is – Jose Antonio, founder and chairman of Century Properties that developed Trump Tower, among others.)
My two Sundays were devoted to some of the country’s very own startups. They see pain points, they don’t complain. Instead, they find their passion, do something to solve it, and make an enterprise out of it. A truly admirable bunch, aren’t they?
We’ve narrowed down the city’s most respected names and selected the very best.
ABOITIZ The family currently engaged in banking, power, and real estate among many other ventures traces its history in the Philippines to a Spaniard of Basque origin, Paulino Aboitiz, who arrived in the 1870s. He married the daughter of a well-to-do merchant a few years later, and started the rise of the Aboitiz clan in the southern Philippines, first in Leyte and later in Cebu. Starting with abaca trade, the family diversified following the claim of Paulino’s son Ramon (1887-1974) that “Any business where we can make money, we will go into.” Today, the family conglomerate Aboitiz Equity Ventures is chaired by Jon Ramon Aboitiz while his second cousin Erramon is the president and CEO.
IMAGE Courtesy of Aboitiz Family Ramon Aboitiz
ANTONIO The son of a banker, Jose Antonio founded his Century Properties real estate firm in 1986, just six days before the EDSA revolution. “Perhaps nine out of 10 of the most successful and wealthiest families derived and continue to derive incomes from real estate,” he reasoned in one interview. Today Antonio and his family are among the richest in the country, worth an estimated $260 million according to Forbes magazine. With all of his sons—Jigger, Marco, Robbie, and Carlo—involved in the business, the empire of the Antonios is ever expanding. The group’s exclusive developments include the Trump Tower, Knightsbridge and Gramercy Residences, Century City Mall, as well as collaborations with Philippe Starck, Missoni Home, and Versace Home.
IMAGE Dix Perez for Town and Country Marco, Carlo, Jigger, and Robbie Antonio
ARANETA The Aranetas of the LBC group have an interesting ancestor in the form of Don Gregorio Soriano Araneta, the secretary general of Emilio Aguinaldo’s Malolos Republic who also became the first Filipino solicitor general and secretary of justice and finance. Don Antonio Araneta, one of Gregorio’s 14 children, bought LBC Aircargo from its American owners in 1950, but it was his son Carlos “Linggoy” Araneta who made the firm a household name with his idea for 24-hour delivery service (Renamed LBC Express in 1988). Today Linggoy’s children Juan Carlos, Santi, Dino, and Monica hold the reins in the family company.
IMAGE courtesy of the Araneta family Don Antonio Araneta with son Linggoy in Germany, 1958
ARANETA In 1975, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier’s “Thrilla in Manila” put the country on the world’s sporting map. One of the stars of the show is still in place today, the majestic Araneta Coliseum, the crown jewel in industrialist J. Amado Araneta’s self-named Araneta Center in Cubao. This branch of Aranetas owes the start of its fortune to Juan Araneta, who founded the Ma-ao sugar refinery in Bago, City, Negros, over a century ago. The family patriarch today is Jorge Araneta, who keeps a tight watch over the Araneta Group with the help of his siblings Judy Araneta Roxas (mother of Mar Roxas) and Maria Lourdes “Baby” Araneta-Fores (mom to Chef Gaita Fores).
IMAGE Dix Perez Jorge Araneta
CAMPOS What began with a small corner store owned by Jose Yao Campos in 1945 is now the country’s largest drug-manufacturing company. And though the founder died in 2006, Unilab is still a family run business, now helmed by his daughter Joy Campos Hess and her son, Clinton Hess. Jose’s eldest son, Butch, runs another family founded company, Nutri-Asia, and serves as vice chairman of Del Monte Philippines, while also serving as chairman of Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation. Jeffrey D.Y. Campos oversees the family’s vast real estate holdings through Greenfields Development, whose projects include a multi-hectare property in Mandaluyong and the joint venture with another prominent family in Santa Rosa, Ayala Greenfield Estates.
CHAN After emigrating from Fujian Province, China, in the 1940s, Chan Lib and See Ying established the trading company Liwayway Marketing in post-war Manila. Who knew that it would lay the foundation for a multitude of successful business ventures including snack items (Oishi), lighting and bathroom fixtures (Chan C Bros), as well as a best-selling apparel brand (Bench)? The most prominent of the couple’s children are the media-shy Carlos Chan, and Nenita Chan Lim and Ben Chan, both of Suyen Corporation, the parent company of Bench and Dimensione, among other lifestyle brands. The third generation of Chans—including Carlos’s six children and Nenita’s two—are slowly filling in the big footsteps of their parents in their respective companies.
IMAGE Magic Liwanag
COJUANGCO No list about Philippine families is complete without mentioning the Cojuangcos. The descendants of a Chinese immigrant, Co Yu Hwan, members of this extended family have become influential in business, politics, and society, settling first in Bulacan and then Tarlac. From the second generation, Melecio Cojuangco’s children were Jose Cojuangco Sr. (the father of Corazon Aquino and Peping Cojuangco), Antonio (the father of PLDT’s Ramon), and Eduardo Cojuangco Sr. (Danding’s father). The fifth generation Cojuangcos include President Noynoy Aquino, Tonyboy Cojuangco, Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, Congressman Mark Cojuangco, and Charlie Cojuangco.
CONCEPCION Behind the continuing success of this multi-generational business family are perhaps the most prominent set of twins in Philippine society, Ronnie and Joecon Concepcion. The 84-year-old brothers born just 10 minutes apart are the sons of industrialist Jose Concepcion Sr., the founder of Concepcion Industries and co-founder of RFM Flour Mills along with Salvador and Victoria Araneta, the inlaws of Joecon. Ronnie’s side of the family includes former &C cover subject Ton Concepcion as well as current Concepcion Industries president, Jojo Concepcion. John of Selecta and Joey of Go Negosyo fame are the sons of Joecon. The twins’ sister is Mely Concepcion Hechanova, whose daughter, Renna, is vice chair of Condura.
IMAGE courtesy of the Concepcion family The Concepcion couples, from left: Joe and Marivic Concepcion, Paeng and Mely Hechanova, Jose and Hermina Concepcion, Ronnie and Menchu Concepcion, Rene and Susan Concepcion
CONSUNJI Cornflakes in the morning, then paksiw na bangus or torta for lunch—simple fare for a not-so-simple man, David Consunji of DMCI. The construction titan is the ninth richest Filipino according to Forbes magazine, but his old habits and virtues—honesty and living simply among them—die hard. While the architects behind famous buildings are better known, it was Consunji’s company that erected them: the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Philippine International Convention Center, Westin Philippine Plaza, and the Ayala Triangle, just to name a few. Sid, the eldest son, handles the construction firm now, with siblings Jing, Victor, Jorge, Lucy, Cristina, and Dinky also involved.
DELGADO Three prominent branches of the Delgado family were at one time all part of, appropriately enough, the Delgado Brothers company. Founded by Antonio Delgado in 1946 with his brother Francisco (Don Paco) and Jose, Delbros was a pioneer in logistics, later on expanding into trading, investments, and port operations. After leaving the company, Don Paco further increased his wealth by going into shipping and real estate. Today Delbros is run by Antonio’s son Eduardo (married to Margarita Delgado of Teach for Philippines) and grandson Jose Paolo Delgado.
ELIZALDE Another family with Basque origins, the Elizalde name has been prominent for more than 150 years, first gaining notice through Don Joaquin Elizalde, a sugar baron in Panay and Negros, whose descendants would acquire Tanduay Rhum from the Ynchausti family in the 1920s. Though the Elizalde clan sold the liquor company to Lucio Tan in the 1980s, it still has significant land holdings and one descendant, Don Joaquin’s grandson Fred Elizalde Jr., still owns majority of Manila Broadcasting Company running it with his son, Juan. Fred’s wife, Lisa Macuja, heads the prestigious ballet company Ballet Manila. Other well-known Elizaldes include Francisco Elizalde (married to Pamen Roxas) father to Patxi, Santi, and Carlos.
GOKONGWEI The story of this family’s patriarch doesn’t quite follow the typical rags to riches arc. Riches to rags to riches would be more apt. Born to a well off Chinese family in Cebu, the family fortune was lost when John’s father died suddenly. He revealed how he got back on his feet with a speech at the 20th Ad Congress: “So, what can I do? I worked.” Now 90, Gokongwei has surrendered duties in his companies to his children. Only son Lance picks up most of the slack at Cebu Pacific and JG Summit, while eldest child Robina is the president of Robinsons Retail Holdings, which has Robinsons Department Store, Robinsons Supermarket, Handyman, and Toys R’ Us under its wing.
GOTIANUN Andrew Gotianun called it a day back in the 1980s, hoping to spend a life in easy retirement with his wife Mercedes. But not much later he was back in business, taking charge again of Filinvest Development Corporation, the company he founded in 1955, armed with new ideas on how to take it further. His second wind gave Filinvest enough momentum to push the Gotianuns up to 18th on the richest Filipinos list of Forbes magazine in 2015. He passed away in March 2016, with four of his children carrying the load in the company, Josephine (president and CEO), Jonathan (chairman), Andrew Jr. (director), and Michael (vice president). His wife Mercedes is chairman emeritus.
LAUREL The family used to be a fixture in politics, but as the clan expanded, so has its realm of influence in society. Today’s generation of prominent Laurels are descendants of the nine children of José P. Laurel (1891-1959), the third President of the Philippines. Among the notables in the brood were former Vice President Salvador “Doy” Laurel, former Senate President Pro Tempore Sotero Laurel II, former House Speaker José Laurel Jr., and Arsenio Laurel, whom sports buffs will remember for winning the Macau Grand Prix twice. In this generation, we have the educators Bobby and Peter Laurel of Lyceum University (Manila, Laguna, and Batangas), fashion designer Rajo Laurel, stage actors Cocoy and Franco Laurel, and television personalities Patty and Denise Laurel.
IMAGE courtesy of the Laurel family Jose P. Laurel with Rose Laurel-Avencena, Francis Cardinal Spellman, Pacencia Laurel, Nene Laurel, and Alice Yulo Laurel
LOPEZ Few families have gone through the ebbs and flows of fortune like the Lopezes of Iloilo. Guiding the family through its most difficult times was Don Eugenio Lopez (1901-1975), who resurrected the family fortunes (drawn mostly from sugar) after World War II, only to lose almost everything in the dark days of martial law. Though he didn’t live to see his companies (Meralco, ABS-CBN, Manila Chronicle) returned to the family, his sons Geny (“El Capitan”), Oscar, and Manolo ushered in a new era of prosperity after the 1986 EDSA revolution. The next generation is led by Piki Lopez (First Philippine Holdings) and Gaby Lopez (ABS-CBN).
IMAGE courtesy of the Lopez family
LORENZO You don’t get to have a university sports facility named after you for no reason. Luis “Moro” Lorenzo certainly earned that right, after being a hoops star for Ateneo in the late 1940s and later as a visionary businessman. In the early 1980s he purchased and turned around a failing banana exporting company; now Lapanday Holdings is one of the largest independent producers and exporters of pineapples and bananas in the country. He passed away in 1997. From his eight children, eldest daughter Rica L. Davila is now the firm’s CEO and chair, while her younger brother Tomas is the vice chair. Outside the company, Martin found success operating numerous restaurant chains, while youngest Isa is an esteemed gallerist and artist.
IMAGE courtesy of the Lorenzo family Luis Lorenzo
MADRIGAL From humble beginnings in Albay, Don Vicente Madrigal amassed an empire built on shipping, coal, cement, and real estate to become one of the country’s wealthiest men as well as a senator in the mid 20th-century. His wife Susana was his lucky charm, as it was she who had the foresight to buy large tracts of land in Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, Canlubang, and Laguna. Upon his death, Don Vicente’s wealth was equally divided among his seven children, but it was Consuelo Madrigal (1921-2008) who achieved the greatest prominence in business and social circles, especially known for her philanthropy. Paz, another daughter, also became a Philippine senator in the 1960s. The Madrigal legacy lives on through the grandchildren of Don Vicente and Susana, which include brothers Vicente II and Gerardo Madrigal, Chu-Chu Madrigal, former senator Jamby Madrigal, and Ging Gonzales-Montinola.
MONTINOLA According to family lore, the first Montinola to reach Philippine shores was Juan Montinola, who arrived in 1781 from Malaga, Spain. By the mid-1800s, the family had already risen to prominence in Iloilo. Ruperto Montinola, the great-grandfather of former Bank of the Philippine Islands president Aurelio “Gigi” Montinola III, was even elected the province’s governor. It was Aurelio Sr., a lawyer, who established the family in Manila shortly after World War II. One of his sons, Aurelio Jr., married Lourdes Reyes, the only daughter of Nicanor Reyes, the founder of Far Eastern University. Since Gigi stepped down from BPI, he’s busied himself with being the FEU’s vice chair, sitting on the board alongside his mother, sister Gianna, and brothers Juan Miguel and Anton.
ONGPIN The family name is virtually synonymous with Binondo, Manila’s Chinatown. On its most important avenue stands a statue of the clan’s founding patriarch, Don Roman Ongpin. A dealer in art supplies, his store El 82 was patronized by the likes of Juan Luna and Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo—but his most important contribution to society was being a supporter of the Philippine revolution. Today, his descendants still make the headlines and society news—including former Town&Country cover subjects Lisa Ongpin Periquet and Michelle Ongpin. The two are the offspring of the brothers Jaime (Jimmy), the former finance minister under Cory Aquino, and Alphaland chairman Roberto (Bobby), respectively. Another scion of the clan, Deanna Ongpin-Recto is a champion of the arts as is Jaime’s widow, Maribel.
IMAGE courtesy of the Ongpin family
ORTIGAS The Ortigas clan’s vast landholdings comes from Francisco “Don Paco” Ortigas (1875-1935), a successful lawyer who in 1931 purchased the Hacienda de Mandaloyon from the Augustinians, in partnership with Vicente Madrigal and a few others. The 4,033-hectare property spans the cities of San Juan, Pasig, and Quezon City. If you’ve ever wondered who Julia Vargas is while driving in Ortigas Center, it is none other than Don Paco’s wife. The properties are managed today by the family’s holding firm Ortigas & Co. Limited Partnership Holdings. Among the key people in the clan are Rafael Ortigas Jr., Fernando Ortigas, Ignacio Ortigas, Francisco “Pacqui” Ortigas III, and “Ish” O. Montilla, the son of Chari Ortigas.
IMAGE courtesy of the Ortigas family Amalia, Julia, Carmen, Maria Asuncion, Rosario, Francisco and Eduardo Ortigas
PADILLA Nicanor Escobar Padilla (1851-1936) from Pangasinan started a clan noted for producing prominent doctors, lawyers, and legislators. His brood of 11 (nine from his second wife, Ysabel Bibby) included Justice Sabino Padilla, Senator Ambrosio Padilla, Congressman Benedicto Padilla, Dr. Nicanor Padilla, and Dr. Florencia P. Dualan. From the succeeding generations, we have Justice Teodoro Padilla (the father of renowned eye doctor Minguita Padilla Lopez and lawyer Sabino “Binoy” Padilla), PhilHealth President Alexander Padilla, Couples for Christ’s Francisco Padilla, NYC-based lawyer Monique Padilla Gallego, and international banker Maite Padilla Gallego.
RUFINO A big family of real estate moguls, bankers, philanthropists, and artists, the different branches can trace their roots from the children of Macario Rufino: Ernesto, Vicente, Ester, and Rafael (their initials are where the old EVER Theater in downtown Manila got its name). The siblings developed a chain of cinemas, including the legendary Rizal theater and QUAD in partnership with the Ayalas. They also co-founded two banks. Charlie, the son of Vicente Rufino (yes, the street in Makati is named after him) and brother of Marixi Prieto, is among the most visible of the current generation, being one of the top developers in Taguig and Makati. The artist Marivic, the daughter of Rafael, is also a regular on the social circuit.
IMAGE courtesy of the Rufino family Ditas, Charlie, Cory, Marixi, mom Meding, Pixie, and Ma. Paz Rufino
SY For the eighth year running, Henry Sy is the country’s richest man, estimated to be worth $12.6 billion by Forbes Magazine. Now 92, Sy has long since transferred power in his various companies to his six children. Tessie Coson is in charge of the family’s banking interests in BDO Unibank; Elizabeth takes care of SM Hotels & Conventions Corporation. The eldest son, Henry Jr., chairs SM Prime, while Hans moved to a director role recently. Harley is in charge of the retail units Supervalue and Super Shopping Market (SM Hypermart), while Harley, the youngest, oversees the department stores division and SM Investments.
IMAGE courtesy of the Sy family Henry Sy
TAN From living in a small one-room apartment to owning vast tracts of land here and in Spain (with more than 1,500 hectares of vineyards for his brandy business alone), Andrew Tan has come a long way in a relatively short time. He became a millionaire at 27 through his appliance business, but it was his distillery (makers of Emperador Brandy) and real estate firm (Megaworld) that elevated him to megarich status. His wife Katherine is also involved in the family businesses. The couple has four children: Kevin, Kendrick, Kester, and Kara.
TAN Over the past two years, the consolidation of El Capitan’s companies has paid off—to the tune of $4 billion. Share prices of Lucio Tan’s companies got a boost thanks to the prospect of more efficient management (eldest son Michael is in charge), making him the fourth richest in the land. At 82, Tan is still very much hands-on, known for calling business meetings with his top brass that last deep into the night. Daughter Cherry is married to Alfred Ty, son of Metrobank’s George Ty.
Lucio Tan
TANCAKTIONG Tony Tan Caktiong’s family run company is truly bigger than ever with more Jollibee branches across the globe opening regularly. According to Forbes, it is the “fastest-growing Asian restaurant chain in the world” to date. Hey, even Anthony Bourdain gave the Aloha burger a thumbs up. Over the years, the family snapped up other fast-food restaurants including Chowking, Greenwich Pizza, and Red Ribbon, among others, all leading to a rise in Jollibee’s listed share price (and Tan’s net worth, now $3.8 billion). Part of the company since the beginning, Tan’s wife Grace leads the Jollibee Foundation, while eldest child and only son Carl Brian is the company’s business development director. His two daughters live in California.
TANTOCO If there’s a family who knows about luxury, it’s the Tantocos. Since 1951, when Bienvenido Tantoco and his wife Gliceria Rustia opened Rustan’s (a clever portmanteau of their names) the family has provided only the best in retail shopping for discerning Filipino consumers. Even their supermarkets have a luxury touch, often having gourmet items not found in other places. With the third generation of Tantocos there has been a growing expansion, not just in the acquisition of foreign luxury brands, but notably in restaurant and retail franchising, such as with Starbucks, Golden Spoon, and Family Mart.
IMAGE courtesy of the Tantoco family Menchu T. Lopez, Nedy Tantoco, Gliceria Tantoco, Merl Tantoco-Pineda, and Bienvenido Tantoco
TY When a young George S.K. Ty ran out of money in his early 20s (he was setting up a flourmill at the time), he asked for a loan from a bank. Furious about getting denied, he vowed to put up a bank of his own. At 29 he did just that, opening Metrobank in 1962. It is still the greatest source of the Ty family’s wealth, but they have diversified by going into real estate, insurance, and power generation. Ty might be ranked higher on the list of richest Filipinos, if not for his philanthropic nature—he once donated $100 million to build a Catholic church in China and funded the building of a technical school in Laguna. Sons Arthur and Alfred now run the bulk of the family enterprises.
YAP Known to be one of the more flamboyant of the Filipino-Chinese tycoons, Emilio Yap’s crown jewel is the Manila Hotel, which is over a century old. He passed away in 2014, but the family’s influence and power carry on, much of which still comes from the Manila Bulletin, the daily paper his family has been involved in since the 1960s. The family is also into banking (Philtrust Bank), pharmaceuticals (Euro Med Laboratories), shipping (President Lines) and education (Centro Escolar University). Emilio’s son Basilio Yap took over as chairman of both Manila Hotel and Manila Bulletin, while his grandson Emil Yap III continued to serve as vice chairman of the hotel and executive vice president of the newspaper and Enrique Yap Jr. takes the reins as the hotel’s executive vice president.
IMAGE Medal Elepaño
YUCHENGCO After inheriting his father’s insurance business, Alfonso Yuchengco steadily built an empire of his own, getting involved in everything from banking and education (RCBC, Mapua Institute of Technology) to car dealerships and construction (Honda, EEI Corporation). Among his children, daughter Helen Y. Dee is most likely to assume the mantle of leadership in the Yuchengco businesses. “A.Y.”—as the ambassador is known in business circles—is a food and wine aficionado, and a member of the exclusive Chaine des Rotisseurs. Pastry chef Sunshine Pengson (daughter of Bella Yuchengco), is A.Y.’s granddaughter.
IMAGE courtesy of the Yuchengco family Alfonso Yuchengco
ZOBEL Enrique Zobel attained success in real estate, construction, insurance, and agriculture. Of his two surviving children, Inigo is the more visible—an astute businessman, he’s also a fixture on the polo circuit. Enzo’s daughter Mercedes (Dedes) and second wife Dee prefer to keep a low profile, and both are engaged in philanthropy. Young Zobels coming into prominence include Inigo and Maricris’s son Jake and daughters Bianca and Natalia who recently opened lifestyle special store LANAI.
ZOBEL DE AYALA The family behind the Ayala Group of Companies (Ayala Land, BPI, Globe Telecom, Manila Water) traces its roots in the Philippines to Antonio de Ayala, who arrived in the early 1800s. The Zobel part of the name comes courtesy of Jacobo Zobel, who married Trinidad, Antonio’s daughter. The current patriarch, Jaime Zobel de Ayala, is happily retired, stepping down to devote more time to his photography hobby, most likely. His two sons, Jaime Augusto (“JAZA”) and Fernando, out of the seven children, work for the Ayala group. JAZA’s daughter Mariana, a Harvard graduate, works with Ayala Malls. His son Jaime Alfonso, also a Harvard grad, works at Globe.
IMAGE courtesy of the Zobel de Ayala family
This story originally appeared on Townandcountry.ph.
by Dorris Dumlao-Abadilla, Philippine Daily Inquirer
Century Properties Group (CPG) has teamed up with Indonesian conglomerate Bakrie to develop three master-planned estates in the Philippines—a Media City, a Sports City, and a Technology Corridor—in a bid to strengthen the tourism and media technology sectors of both the Philippines and Indonesia.
The agreement sets the stage for a mutual sharing of resources, from allocating capital investments to the exchange of expertise and skills to embark on these projects.
Revolution Precrafted Properties Ltd., a real estate technology startup founded by its chief executive officer Robbie Antonio —son of CPG chair and founder Jose Antonio—forged the cooperation between CPG and Bakrie Global to conceptualize and support the Media City, Sports City as well as the Tech Corridor, a statement said.
The memorandum of understanding among the parties was signed on April 28 on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.
CENTURY Properties Group, Inc. chairman and CEO Jose E.B. Antonio, Revolution Precrafted Properties founder and CEO Robbie Antonio, Bakrie Global Ventura CEO Anindya Novyan Bakrie, and Bakrie Global Ventura director and Viva Media Baru president and CEO Anindra Ardiansyah Bakrie signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the sidelines of the 2017 Asean Summit to develop and strengthen the tourism and media technology sectors of both the Philippines and Indonesia.
The agreement sets the stage for a mutual sharing of resources, from allocating capital investments to the exchange of expertise and skills to establish a Media City, a Sports City, and a Technology Corridor in the Philippines.
by Dorris Dumlao-Abadilla, Philippine Daily Inquirer
Clockwise from left: Revolution Precrafted Properties Founder and CEO Robbie Antonio, Century Properties Group Chairman and CEO Jose E.B. Antonio, Bakrie Global Ventura CEO Anindya Novyan Bakrie, and Bakrie Global Ventura Director and Viva Media Baru President and CEO Anindra Ardiansyah Bakrie at the MOU signing in Manila on April 28.
Century Properties Group (CPG) has teamed up with Indonesian conglomerate Bakrie to develop three master-planned estates in the Philippines – a Media City, a Sports City, and a Technology Corridor – in a bid to strengthen the tourism and media technology sectors of both the Philippines and Indonesia.
The agreement sets the stage for a mutual sharing of resources, from allocating capital investments to the exchange of expertise and skills to embark on these projects.
A third company, Revolution Precrafted Properties Ltd. – a real estate technology startup founded by its chief executive officer Robbie Antonio, son of CPG chair and founder Jose Antonio – also takes part in the cooperation between CPG and Bakrie Global to conceptualize and support the Media City, Sports City as well as the Tech Corridor, the statement said.
As part of the agreement, CPG will seek to provide the land for the three themed master-planned projects.
The memorandum of understanding among the parties was signed on April 28 at the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. This partnership is seen setting the stage for future collaborations within the ASEAN countries.
Media City is envisioned as a mixed-use development that will host a state-of-the-art multi-media content development center. It is also planned to have residential, retail and other commercial components.
Sports City is planned to offer multiple sports complexes in the country for use by the general public.
The Technology Corridor is envisioned as the Philippines’ own version of California’s Silicon Valley. It is planned to enhance bilateral technology transfers between the two countries, as well as serve as a hub for the country’s tech-centric brain pool.
For Revolution, the deal includes supplying designer homes, hotel villas, and amenity space to Bakrie Global’s property affiliates in Indonesia. There are 3,000 hectares of land, owned and developed by the Bakrie Group, totaling $1.1 billion for the residential and villa component alone.
The partnership is seen to allow Revolution to diversify into producing highly functional and customizable spaces. As part of the signed agreement, Revolution will look to supply five mega studios and five hectares of office spaces and storage facilities to Bakrie Global’s Mediapolis studio project in Jakarta, which shall represent Indonesia’s strong commitment in Creative Industries and advanced broadcasting technologies.
Bakrie Global, for its part, agreed to lend the expertise and resources of its telecommunications, media and technology arm Visi Media Asia, Indonesia’s fastest growing integrated media company, to be involved in the aspects of broadcasting, programming and content creation in Media City for distribution in the Philippines and Indonesia.
“I am very pleased to have this framework of collaborationwith Bakrie Global of Indonesia to develop the Philippines’ first-ever Media City, Sports City, and Technological Corridor. This kind of synergy will help build the Philippines’ competitive edge as a tourism and hospitality destination with modern media and tech capabilities, as well as open a host of opportunities for business and employment,” CPG chair and chief executive officer Jose E.B. Antonio said.
“I am extremely proud to start this partnership with Century Properties Group and Revolution Precrafted, two very innovative companies from the Philippines that share the same vision with Bakrie Group in promoting industries through the creation of relevant developments that address the demands of the times. We look forward to advancing these goals while contributing to the nation-building of our respective countries,” said Bakrie Global Ventura CEO Anindya Novyan Bakrie.
Bakrie Global Ventura is a professional private equity arm of Indonesia’s Bakrie family focusing investment in digital age businesses.
“In its thrust to grow and expand its business from custom precrafted designer homes to creating meaningful public spaces, Revolution Precrafted is fortunate to bring these three companies together to forge this multi-faceted synergy and cooperation for real estate, technology, sports and media. We look forward to this collaboration with one of Indonesia’s largest conglomerates and the Philippines’ most innovative property company,” said Robbie Antonio, CEO of Revolution Precrafted Properties Limited.
Revolution delivers high-design structures such as modular homes, prefabricated stations and buildings, as well as pop-up retail and fitness centers designed by 53 of the world’s best designers, brands and Pritzker prize architects. It recently, raised seed funding from the world’s most prolific venture capital firm, 500 Startups at $256 million valuation.
The local property developer bucks regional bloodbath on Wednesday, November 9, with analysts believing the surge is because of Trump’s presidential victory
MANILA, Philippines – Century Properties Group Incorporated surged on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on Wednesday, November 9, after its business partner Donald Trump won the United States presidential election.
Shares in the property company, which holds the license to develop Trump Tower in Manila, settled at 72 centavos after gaining 12 centavos or 20% in Wednesday’s trading.
Century Properties bucked the regional bloodbath, with analysts believing the surge was because of Trump’s presidential victory.
“This is more of a psychological buy. As you know, they are the local partner of Trump Organization for Trump Tower Manila,” Harry Liu, chief of brokerage firm Summit Securities Incorporated, said in a phone interview.
COL Financial head of research April Lee Tan echoed Liu’s remarks. She said Trump’s victory could be the reason for the surge in Century Properties’ shares, amid a regional bloodbath.
Donald Trump Jr, the US president-elect’s son, visited the country in 2014 to help Century Properties break ground on the $150-million Trump TowerTM Manila, a 56-storey residential building in the sprawling business district of Makati City.
“I’ve always loved the Philippines. I think it’s just a special place, and Manila is one of Asia’s most spectacular cities. I know that this project will be second to none,” Donald Trump, chairman and president of the Trump Organization, was quoted in the official website of Trump Tower Philippines as saying.
Robbie Antonio, the head of the company’s business development, was introduced to Ivanka Trump, who had him meet her father, who then agreed to license his trade and family name to Century.
As of May 2016, Century Properties said masonry activities for Trump Tower were in “full swing up to the topmost floor (57th level) while plumbing and electrical roughing-in have reached the 40th floor.” It is set to be opened within the year.
CEO named as special envoy to the US
Other than the Trump victory, Liu said investors could be thinking that “Jose Antonio being the new special envoy to the US will be beneficial for the company.”
President Rodrigo Duterte last October 28 named Century Properties chairman and CEO Antonio as special envoy to the US.
“His mission is to enhance business ties and strengthen the economic affairs between the two countries,” Century Properties told the local bourse in a disclosure.
Antonio also served as the country’s special envoy for trade and economics to China in 2005.
The chief of Century Properties graduated cum laude from San Beda College in Manila in 1966 and from Harvard University’s Owner/President Management Program in 2003. – Rappler.com
The younger Antonio with his father, former Ambassador Jose E.B. Antonio, who also serves as chairman of Century Properties.
I have been referred to as “Asia’s youngest real estate tycoon” and by Forbes Asia as the “liaison to the stars” as we, at Century Properties, have brought global fashion houses, Hollywood A-listers, prominent architects, and the most iconic real estate brands to the Philippines for exclusive luxury projects that are now changing Manila’s skyline.
It was in 2011 when I headed Century Properties’ International Brand Collaborations, and started to conceptualize, negotiate, source, and launch projects in Manila with lifestyle game-changers. These included the Trump Organization for Trump Tower at Century City; Paris Hilton for the Paris Beach Club at Azure Urban Resort Residences; and The Milano Residences in partnership with Versace and in collaboration with MissoniHome. We’ve also had collaborations with Yoo, the interior design company founded by John Hitchcox; and Philippe Starck, one of the most celebrated and revered living designers today. Our latest project is Century Spire, a residential office tower whose architecture is by Daniel Libeskind, with amenity interiors designed by Armani/Casa.
Over the years, I have learned that passion for innovation and excellence should always go hand in hand with market understanding and experience. We have to learn from the lessons of history, and innovate towards the aspirations of our target market. We may have come up with products that one would normally consider tough to sell but we’ve also successfully tapped into the aspiration of many Filipinos—which is to have a higher quality of life.
Apart from catering to the needs of the market, it would also be crucial to offer the best value among the products in your own category. Adding value to a real estate property will attract the very discerning property market. The market will always respond positively to lifestyle innovations that make sense. For a few more dollars, one can own property that is above par not only in terms of money value but also quality of life.
I have also learned that timing is everything. You have to know when to introduce specific products to specific markets. Developers who have experienced more than four economic cycles like ours will develop the sense of launching the right product to the right market at the right time.
Donald Trump Jr., executive vice president for Trump Organization, with Robbie Antonio of Century Properties. NELSON MATAWARAN