PRESTIGIOUS excellence awards are up for grabs in this year’s biggest international property and real estate event being organized by the national chapter of the Paris-based International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI), with around 2,300 regular and a million associate members in 65 countries, including the Philippines.

Being contested, according to former FIABCI-Philippines chairman and now president Dr. Reghis M. Romero II, are a total of 16 award categories highlighting best practices, and economic and environmental impact.

“We are now meticulously evaluating the projects of the nominated firms to each of the 16 categories of real estate and property development excellence,” Dr. Romero II revealed.

The 16 project categories are environmental (rehabilitation/conservation), heritage (restoration), master plan, hotel, convention, industrial, office, public infrastructure/amenities, high-rise and low-rise residential, resort, retail, rural, specialized, and sustainable development.

“Winning an award in any of the 16 categories provide an indisputable proof of excellence based on peer review, or judgment of peers with vast international exposure to know which project or projects make a world of difference,” said Architect Nestor S. Mangio, former president and now chairman of FIABCI-Philippines.

FIABCI was founded in Paris, France in 1951 and has since become a worldwide organization of the real estate, property and construction industry spanning 44 national and multinational chapters, 87 professional associations, and 13 public and 79 academic institutions.

“Thus, expected to join FIABCI-Philippines’ Property and Real Estate Excellence Awards Night on October 15 are current and former FIABCI World officers, including our very own chairman emeritus Florentino Dulalia Jr., among many others,” Dr. Romero II said.

Dulalia was FIABCI World president from June 2020 to May 2021. It was during his term that the FIABCI World Real Estate Congress was scheduled to be held in the Philippines for the first time on May 26 to 30 last year when the staging of the event itself was aborted altogether because of the breakout of the covid pandemic.

“Nonetheless, Dulalia competently served his term despite the pandemic and went on to help lead in organizing this year’s Property and Real Estate Excellence Awards,” Dr. Romero II narrated.

Dulalia cited the significance of the event in reinforcing unity in the national and global industry amid the ongoing covid crisis.

The event, according to Dr. Romero II, is an opportunity for the industry to regroup and bounce back from this year’s first quarter decline of negative 24.2 percent in the construction sector, and negative 13.2 percent in real estate and ownership of dwellings.

“The decline in our sector contributed to the negative 4.2 percent drop in the GDP in that period as reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority,” Dr. Romero II said.

“As such, we hope that the event (excellence awards) can help bring about a unified response from the property and real estate sector to the challenges posed by the pandemic and its impact on the economy. As you know, this business sector provides all the physical structures for both the national economy and the Filipino society,” Dr. Romero II stressed.