Ayala Land’s new president upbeat on 2023 outlook

By Revin Mikhael D. Ochave, Reporter

LISTED property developer Ayala Land (ALI) is upbeat on its growth outlook for this year carried by its malls segment, according to its new top official.   

“We are very positive [on our outlook]. We continue to launch. I think the market has been very supportive. The malls are back to their pre-pandemic performance. All told, we are very positive,” ALI President and Chief Executive Officer Anna Ma. Margarita “Meean” B. Dy said on the sidelines of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines’ conference in Pasay City last week.   

“This year, we have our budgets planned out so I’m just going to have to make sure that the team delivers on all the commitments that we have set out for ourselves. That is what we are focusing on,” she added.   

Ms. Dy officially took the helm at ALI on Oct. 1 after the retirement of her predecessor, Bernard Vincent O. Dy.   

“We’ll continue with all our residential launches. We’ll continue to expand our malls, [and] do our own reinventions in the next few years,” Ms. Dy said.   

ALI is the real estate development arm of Ayala Corp. The company is engaged in the development of residential, office, commercial, and industrial properties for sale; commercial leasing through shopping centers, offices, hotels, resorts, factory buildings, warehouses, co-living, and co-working spaces; services such as construction, property management, retail energy supply, and airlines; and property-related investments.   

Meanwhile, ALI Senior Vice-President Robert S. Lao said that a marketplace or “bagsakan” would soon rise in the company’s Pampanga Technopark.   

“While majority of the development is designed to cater to light and medium industrial enterprises, Pampanga Technopark also envisioned to help improve the supply value chain in Luzon and open up opportunities for our farmers and cooperatives,” Mr. Lao said in a speech delivered during the Pampanga Technopark Appreciation Night in Mabalacat City last week.   

ALI’s logistics unit, AyalaLand Logistics Holdings Corp. (ALLHC), manages the Pampanga Technopark, which is the first master-planned agro-industrial township in Central Luzon.

According to Mr. Lao, the marketplace will serve as a depot for agricultural produce and regional products. The area would also be equipped with support facilities such as a dry warehouse and cold storage.   

He added that the frontage of Pampanga Technopark would also soon have commercial spaces to allow retail stores, offices, lodging facilities, and co-working spaces.   

“The estate will serve as a platform to enable local and regional businesses, small to medium enterprises too, into bringing quality and locally produced goods and services to more Filipinos,” Mr. Lao said.   

“All these are set to contribute and align with the government’s push for countryside development and industrialization, and Pampanga Technopark is in a strategic position and location to help drive economic activity in the region,” he added.   

Gabriel Luis T. Sioson, ALLHC Industrial Parks and Real Estate Logistics general manager, said on the sidelines of the event that the planned marketplace, dry warehouse, and cold storage are expected to be finished by the third quarter of next year, while the retail spaces are slated for completion by the second quarter of 2025.   

Mr. Sioson said that Pampanga Technopark recently launched its third phase, which is allocated for industrial use.

“Right now, Pampanga Technopark is at 270 hectares, majority of which are for industrial use. Some of our locators include those engaged in food manufacturing, paper packaging, electronics, and automotive components,” Mr. Sioson said.   

Both ALI and ALLHC shares were last traded on Oct. 6. ALI shares fell 15 centavos or 0.52% to P28.45 apiece, while ALLHC shares dropped eight centavos or 4.37% to P1.75 each.