TRUE to its commitment and leadership in developing and operating smart and sustainable industrial-anchored estates, Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC), recently signed a deal with Global Electric Transportation (GET) to further decarbonize LIMA Estate, AIC’s 800-hectare industrial estate development in Batangas.
“We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with Global Electric Transportation to supply a fleet of electric minibuses to operate the inter-LIMA shuttle system by the second quarter of 2023,” said Rafael Fernandez de Mesa, head of AIC Economic Estates and president of LIMA Land at the signing of the agreement with GET Philippines in December.
“As part of the Aboitiz Group’s Great Transformation into becoming the country’s first Techglomerate, Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates is committed to continuously introducing smart and sustainable features into our Estates. One of our priorities is decarbonizing LIMA Estate’s transport system through the introduction of electric vehicles and improving public spaces and greenscapes to enhance walkability and bikeability, among others. These initiatives lay the foundation for next-generation smart cities and are key to future-proof our estates and the communities we serve,” Fernandez de Mesa added.
The contract signing, held on December 19 at the LIMA Experience Center, was attended by Fernandez de Mesa, LIMA Estate’s Vice President for Operations Clifford Academia, LIMA Estate Operations Manager Nido Villaflores, and GET Philippines executives led by its President Sigfrido Tinga and Director Anthony Dy. The agreement will initially oversee seven COMET buses operating within the LIMA Estate’s transport system, which spans parts of Lipa City and Malvar town. The vehicles will service around 65,000 workers within the Estate and residents of communities surrounding the industrial complex.
In June 2022, AIC also partnered with the electric vehicle manufacturer for new routes of GET Cebu, a fleet of low-emission, air-conditioned, and pollution-free COMET buses. The route includes AIC’s Mactan Economic Zone 2, a 63-hectare economic zone registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and hosts 14,000 workers.
Fernandez de Mesa said the agreement signed in December for LIMA Estate is only the latest in the Aboitiz Group’s effort to push sustainable and environment-friendly industrial estate developments around the country.
The company remains committed to its goal of developing smart and next-generation economic estates anchored on sustainable development, having secured a BERDE-district 5-star certification of its LIMA Estate in Batangas from the Philippine Green Building Council (PhilGBC)—the 1st industrial estate in the country to receive the accreditation. Fernandez de Mesa shared that the company also has plans of securing a BERDE certification for LIMA Tower One, the first of seven multi-storey office buildings to be built at LIMA’s Central Business District, slated for completion in 2024.
Last December 2022, LIMA Estate was awarded the Best Industrial Development and Best Green Development in Asia from PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards, the most prestigious and most sought-after real estate awards program in the region. The 2-year streak for both awards validates AIC’s commitment to leading sustainable industrial development in the region that not only protects the environment but also positively impacts the local and national economies by driving investors to its world-class industrial estates.
As Aboitiz InfraCapital continuously elevates and transforms its Economic Estates to become a smart, next-generation, and sustainable economic center, the company will optimize the use of technology, data science, and artificial intelligence to accelerate the delivery of solutions, improve processes, and further drive economic, social, and environmental progress in the country. This will ensure that AIC Economic Estates remains at the forefront of smart and sustainable industrial estate development in the Philippines and at a level at par with industrial powerhouses in the ASEAN region.| – BNN
