Cebu honors Joseph M. Yap of Filinvest with Garbo sa Sugbo award

MANILA, Philippines - The provincial government of Cebu has recently marked its 443rd founding anniversary in celebrations held at the Cebu International Convention Center .   Among the significant events lined-up to commemorate this milestone was the Governor’s Ball which was highlighted by the Garbo sa Sugbo (Pride of Cebu) Awards.  These awards are given to Cebuano individuals or institutions for excellence in their fields of endeavour, and for their outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Cebu as a Province.

One distinguished award is the Corporate Leadership Award, an award for outstanding leadership in a business endeavour and for substantial development projects in Cebu .  This year, the Garbo sa Sugbo Award for Corporate Leadership was awarded to Filinvest Land Inc. CEO and President Joseph M. Yap, a distinguished Cebuano who exemplifies excellence in leadership and whose company contributes to shaping Cebu ‘s economic landscape through its various property developments.

Yap accepted the award from Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Cebu 3rd District Representative Pablo John Garcia during the ball.  

“I thank the Cebu Provincial Government for this honor.  The award recognizes the contribution that Filinvest Land and the Filinvest Group have accomplished here in Cebu. Today, we are proud to report that we already have 10 projects in Cebu and we will be investing at least P25 billion more in the Province in the next 10 years to develop our various projects,” Yap said in a speech during the awarding ceremony.

 Filinvest was one of the earliest Metro Manila-based groups to invest in Cebu for its business-friendly environment.  One of its major projects is the P6-billion business process outsourcing (BPO) complex that will soon rise in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City as a joint venture between the Province of Cebu and Filinvest Land Inc. Filinvest won the bid under a Build-Transfer-Operate scheme with the province of Cebu for its 1.2 hectare property along Salinas Drive near the Asiatown IT Park.  The first P1.7-billion building will stand on a 15,000-sq. meter lot, which the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC) and the Cebu Center for the ultimate rehabilitation of drug dependents once stood.  The entire project will be developed over five years and is expected to generate 15,000 to 20,000 jobs.

 Aside from the BPO project, Filinvest Land is developing a hefty portion of Cebu ’s 300-hectare south road properties. Known as Citta di Mare, a 40-hectare joint venture residential project with Cebu City that features Il Corso, a 10-hectare lifestyle mixed use development.  Also in the SRP, the projects will provide thousands of new jobs for Cebuanos as well as generate millions of pesos worth of revenues for the city and the Province of Cebu .

 These projects represent the company’s bullishness in Cebu‘s economy and confidence in the provincial government. 

 Filinvest has been in the property development business for almost 50 years. Its diverse property portfolio all over the country caters to more than 135,000 Filipino families.