“THE FILINVEST Group expects to invest over P20 billion [in Clark] in the next five years.”
Less an optimistic expectancy than a given certainty did Filinvest Land, Inc. CEO and President Lourdes Josephine Gotianun-Yap declare as she broke ground in May 2019 for the first phase of the group’s 288-hectare township development, Filinvest New Clark City, envisaged as “an agent of change in shaping a stronger economy.”
“We see this as one of our most ambitious developments to date. We are determined to build a smart and innovative township that we believe will integrate a variety of industries and lifestyles, local and foreign,” averred Mrs. Gotianun-Yap.
Enthused then-BCDA president-CEO Vince Dizon: “Filinvest is one of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority’s pioneer and integral partners in NCC, as we share the vision of creating opportunities in a modern, smart, and green metropolis. We look forward to seeing this new project come to life.”
The ensuing Covid-19 pandemic notwithstanding, Filinvest Innovation Park (FIP)- NCC opened in October 2023 to locators, particularly companies involved in the fields of logistics, e-commerce, light manufacturing, and data center operations as it inaugurated its two-storey administration building and RBF (ready-built factories) zone. Earlier, in July, it already welcomed its first locator – Australian EV battery manufacturer StBattalion.
Echoed current-BCDA chief Joshua Bingcang: “Filinvest is one of the first to believe in NCC’s potential as the next economic hub of the Philippines. We are confident that in months and years to come, more locators will see the potential of FIP and the whole of NCC.”
Huge as its investments in NCC are, by no means are they the only blue-chip interests the Filinvest Group holds in Clark that “will definitely bring in a lot of employment that will benefit even residents outside the Clark corridor.”
There is the 201-hectare Mimosa+ Leisure City where sit Quest+ Conference Center and the famed Mimosa+ Golf Course; and currently in various stages of construction are a lifestyle mall, four residential towers, a retail strip, and a high- end residential project.
It was Mrs. Gotianun-Yap that led the Filinvest Group to the leisure and hospitality industry, starting its hotel business with the launch of the Crimson and Quest hotel brands – Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan in 2010 and Quest Hotel and Conference Center in Cebu in 2012, and subsequently Quest+ Clark.
There too is the Clark International Airport (CRK) which formal certificate of Notice to Start O&M (operations and maintenance) and the Operating Franchise Certificate were awarded to Luzon International Premier Airport Development Corp. at the time Mrs. Gotianun-Yap was president-CEO of Filinvest Development Corp., serving as lead consortium member of LIPAD, alongside JG Summit Holdings, Inc., Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions, and Changi Airport Philippines Pte. Ltd.
In November 2023, CRK was hailed as one of the 24 World’s Most Beautiful Airports by the prestigious Prix Versailles, World Architecture Award. By the yearend, CRK logged in nearly 2 million passengers in 14,892 flights covering 11 international and 10 domestic destinations.
Only this February, CRK won the Routes Asia Marketing Awards 2024 for the Under 5 Million Passenger Airport category, besting contenders Cairns Airport, Australia; GMR Goa International Airport, India; Hat Yai International Airport, Thailand; and Sendai International Airport, Japan.
Spirit of RA 7227
Filinvest New Clark City. Mimosa+ Leisure City. CRK. With these, the Filinvest Group verily fulfilled – and continues fulfilling even more – the letter and spirit of Republic Act 7227 which created the BCDA and birthed Clark – then special economic, now freeport zone: The transformation of the former US military base
into an airport-driven investment hub generating employment to spur parallel development among the contiguous communities and the greater Central Luzon region.
At the center of these developments stood Mrs. Gotianun-Yap – the singular achievement defining her as Punto! Central Luzon’s Woman of the Year. Indeed, a woman of myriad achievements way beyond this paper’s parochial Clarkview is the highly accomplished business professional with a career spanning over three decades since earning her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago in 1977 – by itself an achievement.
Woman of substance
Cliched as it is, Mrs. Gotianun-Yap fleshes out the full meaning of that compliment – of power, performance, positive influence and impact in a chosen field of endeavor. That she has accomplished much in the various key leadership roles in the Filinvest Group is thus an understatement.
Among the most noteworthy was when, with her at the helm, Filinvest Land Inc.’s consolidated revenues grew 16% to P25.67 billion in 2019.
As FDC president and CEO, Mrs. Gotianun-Yap landed a spot in Forbes Asia magazine’s 2013 list of Asia’s 50 Businesswomen in The Mix, highlighting a select group of women who lead profitable companies.
Under her leadership, Filinvest was included among the top 10 companies in the world led by women CEOs and with the highest percentage of women executives, reported the Corporate Women Directors International, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.
Much earlier, in year 2000, she spearheaded the group that started the first IT campus in the country and Northgate Cyberzone was among the pioneers in the Philippine Economic Zone Authority that fueled the growth of the BPO industry.
Her sustainability efforts in partnership with Engie, a global energy and service company, established the country’s largest district cooling plant in Filinvest City which reduces carbon emission by up to 40%.
At the time of the pandemic in 2020, Mrs. Gotianun-Yap was recognized as one of the early movers from the private sector. She directed the contribution of the data warehouse by Filinvest to provide the dashboard tracking Covid numbers and locations. She served as a member of the IATF and contributed to the T3 (Trace, Test, and Treat) Program.
In 2021, Mrs. Gotianun-Yap made a bold call to go ahead with a listing of a REIT (real estate investment trust). As a result, at $236 million, Filinvest REIT Corp.’s IPO became one of the largest ever attempted on the Philippine stock exchange. “I really had confidence in the portfolio, and it has proven to be most resilient, and it survived the pandemic,” she noted.
In 2022, property guru Philippines Property Awards hailed Mrs. Gotianun-Yap as the Philippines Real Estate Personality of the Year, the first female to be accorded the recognition.
“This is a testament to the decades of hard work and passion that Filinvest dream builders have poured into the growth of our businesses,” she said of the accolade.
“It inspires us to double our efforts because we value the trust of every Filipino family who chose to build their dream with us.”
Indeed, Clark could not have chosen a better builder. And the greater Central and Northern Luzon area could not have been any happier.
Notes from JGY
Sustainability is at the forefront of our developments, and we are grateful that Filinvest excelled in the Sustainable Development category…
Being the first Property Woman of the Year is also an honor, and highlights the importance of inclusivity, another hallmark of our company mission. In the property industry, a large portion of both the development and the sales workforce are women. I believe that having a woman in the team can help understand individual needs and issues related to being working mothers and wives. [On being the first female Philippines Real Estate Personality of the Year].
He believes in surrounding himself with people who are smarter than him. And whether that person is male or female, it doesn’t matter, as long as they can deliver. [On her father espousing a culture of equality that she credited for her election as FDC president and CEO in 2003].
In a crisis where the enemy is not only invincible but unfamiliar, you need to be one step ahead. [On the pandemic].
The goal of the Filinvest Group is to build sustainable businesses anchored on our vision of empowering Filipinos to attain their dreams…
We will maintain our strategic direction towards establishing synergies across our different business units and explore new but allied to the segments where we are currently invested in…
We are privileged to witness effective leadership in action, and we are encouraged to provide more recommendations being confident that they will not fall on deaf ears. [On private-public partnership].
We look upon the next decade as one of transformation and change – led by younger leadership, formed by new mindsets, inspired by ESG (environmental, social, and governance factors) goals, and facilitated by the new digital world…
