Through nearly half a decade of its history, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), led by Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP), has grown its influence across various industries — from telecommunications, energy, water, to roads and healthcare — to be one of the Philippines’ most important companies.
Real estate is next
Since 2021, when MPIC acquired full ownership of Landco Pacific Corp., the property company has slowly grown its portfolio to include some of the country’s most prominent luxury developments. Historically established in 1990 as a pioneer of niche, upscale master-planned residential properties, notably defining the upper-tier recreational market with the Peninsula de Punta Fuego in the late 1990s, Landco under Mr. Pangilinan’s banner had embedded itself in national tourism infrastructure and is now attracting attention from all over the world.
As recently as this May, one of Landco’s crown jewels, the Nautilus at CaSoBe (Calatagan South Beach, Batangas), has swept the 2026–2027 Asia-Pacific Property Awards, claiming four top honors: Five Stars in Architecture for Multiple Residences, Five Stars in Leisure Architecture, Five Stars in Sustainable Residential Development, and Five Stars in Leisure Development.
Moreover, The Nautilus will be the only Philippine property advancing to the International Property Awards to be held in London later this year, representing the country’s real estate market in two categories: Architecture for Multiple Residences and Leisure Architecture.
“When the world takes notice of The Nautilus, it validates something we have long stood by — that when you build with genuine care for design, for people, and for the environment, the results speak for themselves,” Landco’s President and CEO Erickson Y. Manzano had said.
“Four Asia-Pacific Property Awards and two international nominations are humbling. But what matters most to us is that The Nautilus delivers a real ‘life on vacation,’ not just for today’s investors and residents, but for the generations who will call CaSoBe home long after us.”
The ten-storey Nautilus condotel is at the heart of CaSoBe, just two to three hours from Metro Manila and powered entirely by 100% renewable energy. Spanning 15 hectares along a 525-meter white-sand coastline, CaSoBe has been structured as a premium lifestyle, tourism, and business hub. The development serves as a live-work-play environment complete with robust utility infrastructure, a majestic lighthouse center, and open commercial parcels designed to allow local entrepreneurs to participate directly in the coastal tourism economy.
Notably, the development features the “Chairman’s Cabin,” an elegantly customized 300-square-meter private villa custom-built specifically for Mr. Pangilinan, allowing guests to catch a glimpse of the chairman’s lifestyle. With four bedrooms and modern amenities, the villa is also designed for versatility, capable of relaxation, social gatherings, and business meetings. It also serves as the weekend beachfront home of Mr. Pangilinan.
The Nautilus follows another of Landco’s flagships, The Spinnaker at Club Laiya, to make history, when the latter became the first Philippine property to win Best International Sustainable Residential Development at the 2024–2025 International Property Awards in London’s Savoy Hotel.
Club Laiya itself, located at San Juan, Batangas, is a 23-hectare coastal development designed with two specialized zones for the tourism market: the Seaside District, which serves as a high-density commercial and hospitality center for transient tourists, and the Premier District, a nature-integrated, eco-trail-bounded forest community designed for long-term residential units.
Through both these flagship properties, Landco demonstrates MPIC’s strategy to grow beyond core infrastructure and utility services. Through developments in leisure and upscale communities, the company aims to meet rising demand for premium and sustainable living spaces across the country.
Sustainable synergy
One of the most significant drivers of Landco’s growing influence over Philippine real estate is its alignment and positioning within the MVP Group of Companies. Real estate, in MVP’s governance framework, must act as a protective shield for local ecosystems rather than an agent of environmental degradation.
This goal achieved a major milestone when Landco Lifestyle Ventures became the first resort hospitality project in the Philippines to secure the prestigious Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) Certification from the International Finance Corp., a member of the World Bank Group.
Both CaSoBe and Club Laiya are registered under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Neighborhood Development program, which promotes resource efficiency and greener urban planning. True to Mr. Pangilinan’s environmental commitments, these communities feature water recycling systems, energy-saving LED lighting, permeable walkways that reduce flooding, and tree-lined bike lanes that encourage people to leave their cars behind.
Aside from the developer’s flagship properties, Landco’s Beachtowns also received an EDGE certification, another first in the Philippines for resort hospitality. The Crusoe Cabins, constructed from refurbished cargo containers, reduce energy use by 34%, water use by 57%, and material energy consumption by 65%, compared with the local base case.
Landco passes this sustainable mindset on to its buyers. Lot owners and commercial investors are given practical guidelines to help them build responsibly. They are encouraged to use solar panels, design buildings that maximize natural light, and install water-saving setups like dual piping, which separates drinking water from the recycled water used for toilet flushing and landscaping. By keeping properties aligned with these energy standards, Landco reduces overall pollution and resource consumption across the entire estate.
Beyond construction, Landco also actively invests in the surrounding communities, mirroring MPIC’s focus on environmental conservation and social responsibility. In Laiya, Landco teamed up with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and local volunteers to plant 3,000 mangrove saplings to protect the coastline and boost biodiversity. Meanwhile, at CaSoBe, the developer made sure the project does not disrupt local livelihoods by building a dedicated road that gives neighborhood fisherfolk uninterrupted, 24/7 access from the highway straight to the shore.
Through its efforts integrating green design, coastal conservation, and community support into its daily operations, Landco directly supports MPIC’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, proving that sustainable growth is the most reliable way forward. — Bjorn Biel M. Beltran
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