ABOITIZ InfraCapital (AIC), Inc., the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz group, said on Monday that it intends to transform its 794-hectare LIMA Estate in Batangas into a “smart” economic center to attract more investments.
“The move towards sustainable, smart, and future-ready estates should draw more investments into manufacturing and industries that would create tens of thousands of jobs,” the company said in an e-mailed statement.
“An additional 22,000 jobs are expected to be generated for the surrounding communities in the Lipa-Malvar, Batangas, following another 57-hectare industrial expansion to accommodate more locators in the LIMA Estate,” it added.
The company noted that early this year, it participated in a pilot program in partnership with the Philippine Green Building Council (PhilGBC) to secure BERDE (building for ecologically responsive design excellence) district certification for the LIMA Estate. Developed in 2009, the BERDE program hopes to address the adverse impacts of climate change.
The program, the company also said, established the country’s own national voluntary green building rating system to facilitate sustainable projects.
AIC Economic Estates Head Rafael Fernandez de Mesa noted that the company is putting environmental, social, and governance goals at the center of its operations, as it aims to create resilient spaces “where we can also ensure the overall health and wellness of our community and the environment.”
The company is currently working with PhilGBC to obtain BERDE building certification for the LIMA Tower One, the first of seven multi-storey office buildings planned for LIMA’s Central Business District.
The LIMA Estate is host to the country’s first EDGE Advanced-certified factory building, built and developed by Springhill Holdings. This certification is an initiative of the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corp. in response to the need for a measurable and credible solution to prove the business case for building green and unlocking financial investment.
“The Springhill LIMA Standard Factory Building (SFB) received a preliminary EDGE Advanced certification from the Philippine Green Building Initiative and was built to serve any industry’s manufacturing processes or warehousing with high vertical racking systems,” AIC said. — Arjay L. Balinbin
