Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC), the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz Group, was presented with the BERDE-5-Stars district certification for its LIMA Estate in Batangas— the very 1st industrial estate and the largest project in the country to achieve this certification. 

In the awarding ceremony held last August 3, Philippine Green Building Council’s (PhilGBC) Chief Executive Officer Architect Christopher Dela Cruz formally awarded the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) 5-Stars to AIC. 

The certification recognizes AIC’s LIMA Estate for going above and beyond existing building and environmental laws, regulations, and mandatory standards—recognized as a benchmark by the Philippine Government and various national agencies, and guided by internationally-recognized methodologies for developing standards by the Quality Assurance Guide for Green Building Rating Tools of the World Green Building Council. 

LIMA Estate also won PhilGBC’s Leadership in Sustainable Design and Performance Award —making it the Philippines’ official entry to the WorldGBC Asia Pacific Leadership in Green Building Awards. 

Ar. dela Cruz lauded Aboitiz InfraCapital’s initiative to participate in BERDE’s certification process, following PHILGBC’s call for participants for the pilot program.  

“When nobody wanted to take a risk, they (AIC) did it. At a time when people are not sure, they complied. At a time when people would say that the requirements won’t work, Aboitiz InfraCapital showed 9 out of 10 times that it would work.”

The BERDE 5-Stars district certification was received by LIMA Land, Inc. (LLI) President and AIC Economic Estates Head Rafael Fernandez de Mesa alongside other LLI and AIC’s leadership members.  

Fernandez de Mesa said that the certification of LIMA as a BERDE district demonstrates AIC’s leadership in creating smart and sustainable industrial estates in the Philippines. 

Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates bared plans to ensure the adherence of its estates to the requirements of an increasingly sophisticated and discerning market, to help establish the Philippines as a preferred investment destination in the region and create high-value-added jobs.

“We look forward to strengthening the partnership with the Philippine Green Building Council, by certifying the buildings within LIMA’s Central Business District, including LIMA Tower One, the first of a seven building office park currently under construction, as well as our Economic Estates in Cebu, West Cebu Estate in Balamban, and MEZ2 Estate in Lapu-Lapu City, where we are also expanding, elevating, and transforming,” Fernandez de Mesa added.

The LIMA Estate is currently home to commercial outlets such as The Outlets at Lipa, LIMA Exchange, LIMA Park Hotel, LIMA Transport Hub, and for completion by 2024, the LIMA Tower One, a PEZA-certified and BERDE-accredited green building which is the first of a planned seven-tower office park. AIC has also previously broken ground for the third phase of its Commercial Lots within the 30-hectare LIMA Central Business District (CBD), open to investors and other parties aiming to capitalize on the anticipated economic expansion outside Metro Manila.