By Madelaine Miraflor
Yuchengco-led ,Landev Corporation is on an expansion mode, and as it builds more properties in the country, it is making sure that the buildings it is constructing are energy efficient and eco-friendly.
And the company’s efforts to incorporate environmentally sound designs and initiatives in its operations were highlighted when it was awarded as a Meralco Luminary Awardee in 2019.
The Meralco Luminaries is a prestigious customer appreciation program that recognizes the collaboration of large corporations, small and medium enterprises and local government units with Meralco, in enabling the growth of the country.
“Our partnership and close consultation with Meralco guided us in developing best practice templates made up of power-quality audits, combined with energy efficiency and eco- friendly policies, which we are looking to implement in all the properties of the Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC),” Landev President and General Manager Mario Paguio said.
Such measures, he said, are crucial to the continued success of his company's current and future projects.
To be specific, Landev is the asset and management property arm of the Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC), a conglomerate that has a stake in banking, education, investments, transportation, communication, construction, and manufacturing.
In 2018, the company’s net income increased by 25 percent, following the turnover of Malayan Colleges Mindanao in Davao and the almost 100 percent occupancy of Malayan Insurance Company-ETY Building in Binondo, Manila. Landev was also in charge of the refurbishment of as much as 500 RCBC branches nationwide.
Moving forward, Landev is eyeing more real estate projects and higher income. A key strategy to achieving higher profitability is by incorporating green technology and other sustainable practices in its new developments. In 2014, Landev tapped wholly owned Meralco beyond-the-meter subsidiary, MSERV, to manage the preventive maintenance of RSB Corporate Center (RSBCC).
“We partnered with MSERV because they are the energy experts. They closely monitor our power usage and immediately address any issues,” Paguio said.
MSERV also provides regular advice on improving energy efficiency practices, along with seminars on new energy-saving systems and technologies.
“In the operations and maintenance of the building, there are energy efficiencies and savings that we have to realize and be able to pass it on to our tenants and clients. That is, I think, a form of customer satisfaction that we have to continuously evaluate and to be able to deliver to them, and to the energy audits,” Paguio said.
“The other thing, Meralco helps us in making sure that there are less downtimes, less brownouts, less power interruptions; because a power interruption is somehow a revenue loss in so far as offices are concerned, especially those that have a 24x7 operations. In terms of power quality, we should have reliable and quality electricity so that there will be less damages in equipment due to those electrical fluctuations,” he added.
In terms of expansion, Paguio said the company intends to ride with the country’s construction boom which is backed by the Administration’s ‘build, build, build’ program.
“We see opportunities in the north,” he said. “That’s mainly because of the SCTEx (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway) and TPLEx (Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway), as well as developments in Clark and Subic. On-going infrastructure projects include MRT-7 and Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, and the planned Metro Manila Subway System.”
Aside from that, he said there are other opportunities in Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and General Santos because of new and recently renovated airports and facilities.
There are also on-going redevelopments of existing YGC properties in these cities.
“YGC and Landev can set down roots and grow just about anywhere,” Paguio said. “So long as we remain focused on our customers, and trust in the strength of our partners.”
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