Vista Land bullish on growth

By Zinnia B. Dela Peña (The Philippine Star) Updated June 26, 2012 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Top homebuilder Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. said it is confident of delivering profit growth of at least 20 percent this year on the back of strong sales.

“I’m optimistic that we will comfortably meet our targets for the year — P16 billion in revenues and P4.2 billion in profit,” Vista Land chief executive officer Manuel Paolo A. Villar told reporters following ceremonies marking the company’s fifth anniversary as a listed company yesterday.

Villar said the company has witnessed steady growth in its residential projects and sees this trend continuing due to increasing population and income.

With the property market showing no signs of slowing down, Vista Land is aggressively expanding its geographic footprint to reach new areas and provide affordable housing to every Filipino.

In the first quarter, Vista Land reported a 22-percent growth in net income to P1.06 billion, driven by the robust performance of its Camella brand, which caters to the middle-income segment.

“Our second quarter has also been good,” Villar said.

Villar said he is proud of what Vista Land has achieved during the past five years, as revenues rose 62 percent to P13.5 billion in 2011 from only P8 billion in 2007.

“We have built more houses — over 250,000 - than any other property developer in the country, and have the widest geographic presence — in 27 provinces 57 cities and municipalities — and counting — in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao,” he pointed out.

For this year, Vista Land is rolling out 32 new residential subdivision projects across the country, with an estimated total project value of P32 billion. This is significantly higher than the 23 projects launched in 2011 with an estimated value of about P21 billion.

Vista Land was recently named one of the best managed companies in the Philippines by FinanceAsia, one of Asia’s leading financial publications.

It ranked among the top five in the “Best Mid-Cap” category and among the top Vista Land’s chief financial Officer Ricardo B. Tan Jr. likewise bagged the best CFO award.


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Vista Land allots P2B for 3 housing projects

By Zinnia B. Dela Peña (The Philippine Star) Updated July 25, 2012 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. is setting aside more than P2 billion for three projects along the country’s so-called tourism highway, which should translate to a total of 2,400 housing units.

In a statement, Vista Land said the residential projects will cover a total of 34 hectares of land located in prime tourist destinations –-Vigan, Tagbilaran and Puerto Princesa. The company expects to generate around P5 billion in sales from the units.

All three projects are under the Camella brand, the flagship of the Vista Land group and among the 32 residential subdivisions to be launched by the company this year.

The project in Vigan sits on a 15-hectare property in Bgy. Cabaroan in Bantay town at the heart of the city, where Plazas Salcedo and Burgos, the St. Paul’s Cathedral and the nearby Calle Crisologo and Plaridel Street are the favorite tourist spots.

Camella Homes Tagbilaran, on the other hand, will rise in Bgy. Bool with a rolling terrain that rises gently to the foot of Banat-i Hill, the city’s highest point at about 150 meters above sea level, providing a priceless view of the Mindanao Sea.

Camella Puerto Princesa, meanwhile, makes for an idyllic living space for those who put great premium on vacationing or retiring in clean and green surroundings, with the beaches and resorts just two kilometers away.

Vista Land president and chief executive officer Manuel Paolo Villar said the company is now the number one property developer in terms of geographical reach, spanning 28 provinces and 58 cities and municipalities throughout the country.

“We have by far the broadest geographic reach of any developer with a land bank of 1,830 hectares,” Villar said.

Vista Land’s land bank includes properties in key tourist areas that are now being developed in line with the government’s tourism drive.

Vista Land, the holding firm for most of the property firms owned by the family of Sen. Manuel Villar, is confident of delivering profit growth of at least 20 percent this year to reach P4.2 billion. Sales are likewise forecast to rise to P16 billion by year end.

Rise In Employment Rate Reported

A survey reported by the National Statistics Office showed that the country's employment rate improved in April this year compared the same period in 2011.

The NSO said the April 2012 Labor Force Survey (LFS) reported a 93.1 percent employment rate compared to 92.8 percent recorded in the same period last year.

The 2012 LFS also showed that, except for the National Capital Region, all regions in the country recorded employment rates of over 90 percent.

The NSO said that out of an estimated 62.8 million people 15 years and older, 40.6 million belong to the labor force as of April 2012, compared to 39.7 million recorded last year.

It added that the labor force participation rate (LFPR) in April 2012 was 64.7 percent, compared to 64.2 percent in April 2011.

Among the regions, only the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) recorded an LFPR lower than 60 percent.

Those employed in the services sector comprised the largest group of the labor force, making up more than half (51.4 percent) of the total employed.

Workers in the agriculture sector comprised the second largest group, consisting of one-third (33 percent) of the total employed.

Only 15.6 percent of the total employed were in the industry sector, with the manufacturing sub-sector contributing the largest share (8.4 percent of the total employed).

Among the various occupation groups, the laborers and unskilled workers comprised the largest group making up 33.2 percent of the total employed persons in April 2012. Farmers, forestry workers and fishermen were the second largest group with 14.7 percent share.

According to the NSO, employed persons fall into any of these categories: wage and salary workers, self-employed workers without any paid employee, employers in own family-operated farm or business, and unpaid family workers.

Wage and salary workers are those who work for private households, private establishments, government or government-controlled corporations, and those who work with pay in own family-operated farm or business.

"The majority (55.5 percent) of the total employed population in April 2012 were wage and salary workers, with the largest percentage (42.9 percent of total employed) working for private establishments. Those working for the government or government-controlled corporations accounted for only 8 percent and those working for private households, 4.3 percent. In April 2011, wage and salary workers accounted for 55.0 percent of the total employed," the NSO said.

"Self-employed workers without paid employees comprised 29.3 percent of the total employed in April 2012. The unpaid family workers accounted for 11.9 percent of the total employed. Employers in own family-operated farm or business made up 3.3 percent," it said.

Source: Manila Bulletin – Thu, Jun 21, 2012