Locator housing emerging as key differentiator in ecozone dev’t

MORE economic zone (ecozone) developers are integrating locator housing to gain an edge over the competition, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said.

“From our experience, we see more developers integrating dormitory and residential facilities in their ecozone projects,” PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga said via Viber.

“Locator company executives and workers will benefit most from this setup, including employer companies that see these facilities as an imperative to ensure business continuity, especially during disasters,” he added.

He said housing is deemed a best practice in other countries with freeports and ecozones.

“For developers of township projects like Aboitiz, it is a must that they provide as well for residential facilities to make their ecozones more viable and competitive,” he added.

Aboitiz Economic Estates, the developer behind ecozones such as LIMA and TARI Estates, is also closely working with Aboitiz Land to integrate housing in its projects.

“With these two business units, we look forward to the integration of the full real estate offering. We will now be the Aboitiz real estate arm,” according to Farrah Nina L. Mayol, senior assistant vice-president for corporate branding and communications at Aboitiz Economic Estates.

“We see this integration as something that strengthens our organization more because we offer the full spectrum of real estate solutions,” she added.

Aboitiz Land currently has developments in Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, and Cebu.

“Our strategy moving forward is to build residential developments within the estate … to serve the residential needs of the estate,” she said.

“It could be houses and lots; we will also be building more workforce housing, because within our estates we serve around 1,000 employees, and those people need housing, so that will be the role of Aboitiz Land moving for-ward,” she added. — Justine Irish D. Tabile