NEW YORK - When Ambassador Jose “Joey” E.B. Antonio, chairman of Century Properties Group talks, everybody listens. In a span of 25 years, Antonio was able to transform his once fledgling company into one of the largest realty developers in the Philippines today, proving to naysayers that he is a master thinker in the industry.
Antonio’s company boasts of 25 years of experience in real estate marketing, real estate development and property management, with more than 60 projects in its portfolio.
Its major projects include the Essensa East Forbes in Fort Bonifacio, Global City in Manila, and among the more current ones, the Azure Urban Resort Residences which intends to cater to the affordable market segment to focus on housing for young couples and families, Filipino expatriates, and end-users wanting to live in Paranaque. The company has almost $1.45 billion of properties under management and development, mostly in the Philippines.
Last month, in the middle of a series of meetings in Manhattan, Antonio sat down with the Asian Journal for an exclusive interview to discuss a gamut of things—from his business acumen to his favorite New York hotspots, from lessons his parents taught him to ways that Filipinos around the world can do for the motherland.
The following are excerpts from the interview.
AJ: Century Properties is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary this year. What are the biggest lessons you learned in the past 25 years and how did you make the company grow into one of the largest privately-owned and fully serviced real estate firms in the country?
JA: The first 25 years passed so swiftly and there were so many events and projects. We have created a platform that involves a lot of disciplines and people. We believe that we have served our market well. What we want to do is to give our country a legacy which we can all be proud of.
The Philippines is a dream for any economic statistician. Why? Our biggest asset is not the export of cheap clothes or appliances. We do not have oil nor natural gas to import. What do we have? We have people. That’s our biggest resource.
We are 95 million people as we speak today and by the year 2015, we’ll be 100 million people. That’s a hundred million people that you have to feed, educate and put a roof over their heads. This is a fantastic market and a fantastic opportunity not only as a business but also to be able to help people.
AJ: What is keeping the Philippines from attaining its goals?
JA: We are a pyramid society, a lot of poor people, very few rich. I’d like to see within my lifetime hopefully that we start transforming our society like America, where we’ll have a bigger middle class. This is slowly happening now. That is basically our vision.
AJ: How was your experience with The Centurion, your company’s project here in New York and the first ground up residential condominium in the city to be designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei.?
JA: We finished the project in 2009. People have moved in. It’s a small project compared to many other projects in New York but it enabled us to compete against the best in the world. As the song says, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
What is interesting is that we competed against the giants not only of America but of the world. Our market is the world.
It was convenient because my third son, Robbie was working in New York. He’s been here for about twelve years now. Development in New York is difficult. We assembled four townhouses and we had to go to the Landmark Committee to meet with them. It was very challenging.
AJ: New York City is one of your favorite cities. What makes it special?
It’s a melting pot of ideas and it is a center of influence not only financially but also culturally. It is one place that you have fantastic things to see that you can never see anywhere in the world.
More than that, it’s the people. The people of various nationalities and culture that make it happen. It is a melting pot. Because of this interaction and competition among the people, there is prosperity. Competition breeds prosperity because you are forced to do well. New York enables me to see that the world is a boxing ring, you have to compete and show your best side. Find your own niche so you can excel.
The best minds are here, in this very small island.
AJ: Name three of your favorite spots in the city.
JA: The MoMA [Museum of Modern Art]. I like Chelsea and Meatpacking District because it tells me that old places can be transformed.
AJ: What are your thoughts on Filipinos working abroad?
JA: It’s a source of pride. A lot of our countrymen are serving the world in various capacities. It’s about time that we put our act together and instill in all of us that national pride. Other countries have succeeded because of that pride. We are individually talented, individually industrious but as a country we have not jelled together. We have so many things to be proud of.
We can succeed against the best of the world.
AJ: And their remittances help the Philippines in a lot of ways.
JA: Yes! Our Filipino expats—I don’t call them OFWs, let’s raise the consciousness—are helping the country in big ways. They are 11 million strong, and that is what’s creating the bigger middle class, alongside the growing BPO and call center industry back home.
AJ: If you were not in this business, what would you have been doing?
JA: I’d probably be a photographer. I’m a hobbyist. I like it because it makes my creative juices flow. I like taking photos of people, street scenes, landscapes.
AJ: What are the other things that you are most passionate about?
JA: I also love to travel. I love meeting people. I like to meet great minds. I just finished meeting today a very accomplished person who is a consultant to many companies around the world. You may be skillful, that’s knowledge, but more importantly, what have you learned from that knowledge.
AJ: On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your being a risk-taker?
JA: I calculate my risks. I don’t take unnecessary risks. I also look at the worst, and if I can say that I can survive it, then I would take that risk. I am a moderate risk-taker.
AJ: Who would you consider as your role models?
JA: I don’t have one particular role model. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. I am a firm believer of best practice so I look at people who do well in certain aspects of business and I’ll go from there.
AJ: What was the best advice you ever received from your parents?
JA: Be humble. Be frugal. Always work hard. Always value your roots and learn from the values your parents taught you. Work hard.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(NYNJ July 22-28, 2011 LifeEASTyle pg. 2)
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