A Crowning Achievement
Forty-eight years ago, in August, the “ghost month,” I founded C&P Homes after taking out a seven-year loan from a rural bank. I built Camella Homes Phase 1 and 2 with an initial 160 units that sold out to Filipino families, most of whom were families of overseas workers who have saved enough money to build their loved ones the house they have dreamed of for years.
From the very beginning of my career as a house builder, I knew that what I was about to embark on was more than building houses. I knew that building properties play an important role in helping Filipinos realize their dream of affordable, comfortable, and quality homes. As a home builder, I have this belief that the Filipinos do not just deserve affordable housing they can call their own. They deserve a home that is beautiful and world class, something that they can be truly proud of.
This same philosophy was behind the establishment of Crown Asia in 1995. From the very beginning, Crown Asia was built on this belief—the belief in the Filipino, belief in progress, and belief in creating homes that reflect not just where people build, but who they have become. It was this principle that we commemorated during the 30th year celebration of Crown Asia. For three decades, we have brought the beauty of the world to every doorstep, and we will continue to rise to something grander, greater, and groundbreaking.”
I also remember our first development under Crown Asia. I was inspired by the ranch-style residential enclaves of the American South. The first ranch-style homes started popping up around Southern California and other suburbs in the 1930s. They really took hold for returning GIs and their young families after WWII. This was the inspiration behind the 46-hectare La Marea which we built in 1995 that set a precedent for themed development long before it became fashionable.
After the huge success of La Marea, we decided to spread this vision across the country. Cottonwoods and Maia Alta in Antipolo City brought hillside living to life, embracing sunlit skies, scenic ridgelines, and suburban ascent. This philosophy continues with Mia Vita and Woodberry, embodying the harmony between distance and destination. Culminating in Mille Luce, Italian for “a thousand lights,” Crown Asia illuminated the reputation of the city for beauty and brilliance.
Most of the inspiration for these developments came from my travels abroad—in Europe and the US. Citta Italia, for instance, was inspired by Italian neighborhoods. It is an 80-hectare Italian-themed subdivision located along Molino Boulevard that gives you a glimpse of the beauty of Italian architecture, with its captivating house designs and amenities. We also ventured outside Luzon with the Riverscapes in Cebu that embodies the essence of a seaside sanctuary, while Iloilo features Savannah at Georgia, a master planned sanctuary of green landscapes and tree-lined streets, offering a natural and serene living experience. Gran Europa in Cagayan de Oro establishes a blueprint for themed developments marked by depth, detail, and distinction.
Aside from building beautiful houses, property developers have also built houses within integrated communities that provide amenities like parks, playgrounds, and community centers which foster family-oriented lifestyles, and social relationships thereby bridging that tension between the values of close-knit families and modern society.
A principle that I applied in building houses is the need for equitable regional development. We all know that Metro Manila is critically congested. Its high density population has resulted in urban problems that our people have to deal with on a daily basis—traffic, pollution, lack of parking, and the like. We have built many communities outside Metro Manila—in the Visayas and in Mindanao in the hope that we can help—in our small way—in the decongestion of metropolitan areas. The idea is simple: building these communities will hopefully lead to the development of regional hubs that will in turn ease these urban problems and decentralize development.
Crown Asia has been doing it for three decades. Thirty years. This is a testament to its lofty goals when it started in 1995. This is a testament to all the officers and employees, past and present, who have worked hard and persevered in order to achieve those goals. It is the same ideals that will guide us for decades to come.
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