Ortigas & Company holds its ground with well-loved properties

Greenhills Shopping Center is a landmark in the Philippine property market, evoking fond memories among many Filipino business leaders and tourists of all kinds. Such sentimental affinity reflects the legacy of Ortigas & Company, the group behind this well-loved property and one of the Philippines' first mixed-use developers. It has seen the country through various boom-and-bust cycles and is approaching the future with renewed vigour. 

"Ortigas is like an 83-year-old man that has seen everything - the hard work that people put in, the stress of working in the city and going through life," says Joey Santos, senior vice-president and general manager of Ortigas & Company's real estate division. "Because we've seen all this, we place extra attention to the place they call home. We provide options that give people respite from the stress of everyday life."

Ortigas transformed Manila's landscape in the 1970s with horizontal developments such as Valle Verde, Greenmeadows and the Greenhills subdivisions. These enclaves served as the blueprint for today's townships - integrated communities that afford tranquillity even as they are centrally located in the bustling metropolis. 

All of Ortigas' assets are in prime locations. Spanning about 4,000 hectares, they were acquired from the Catholic Church in the 1920s. Ortigas has succeeded in establishing the Ortigas business district as a major economic centre. With the unprecedented success of the business and knowledge process outsourcing industry, Ortigas has moved with the times by hosting the global facilities of multinationals such as Maersk Line and Transcom.

Recognising the country's changing demographics, Ortigas has launched three mixed-use developments that cater to the company's high-end clientele while providing opportunities for the country's emerging middle class to own a home near the workplace and enjoy a modern lifestyle. 

At Capitol Commons, its 25-billion peso (HK$4.3 billion) project at the southern end of the Ortigas Center business district, five residential towers will rise within five years. Frontera Verde, an 18.5-hectare project in Pasig city, is anchored by Tiendesitas, a Maranao-tribe-inspired shopping destination for speciality merchandise from all around the Philippines. 

Meanwhile in Quezon city, Ortigas has Circulo Verde, a 10-hectare master-planned residential condominium community that is ideal for young upwardly mobile professionals, young starting families and empty nesters.