The biggest and brightest names in real estate recently converged at the ballroom of the Makati Shangri-La Manila for the annual convention of the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA).
With the theme of “Building a Million Dreams: Stronger Synergy Towards a Green and Sheltered Nation”, the convention covered a variety of subjects like potential industry growth, the market, green initiatives, government programs, and the like.
Among the many relevant topics in the convention were “Prospects of the Development of Tourism Areas in the Philippines”, “Understanding the Growing Market (New Needs, New Buyers)”, “Greening the Housing Industry (Disaster Preparedness, Climate Change, Global Green Building Technologies and Practices)”, and “Urban Planning (Planning a City, Township Development, International Potential).”
For 45 years, the SHDA has been active in the real estate industry. Originally named the Subdivision Owners Association of the Philippines, Inc. (SOAP), the company was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in May 1970.
SOAP’s goal was to unite all subdivision owners and developers under one organization and to influence government policies, laws, and regulations to enhance the viability of the real estate sector. When house and lot packages became available in 1981 and the National Shelter Program was signed into law by the administration of the late former President Corazon Aquino, SOAP became SHDA and this was followed by a boom in large scale mass housing developments for low and middle income members of HDMF, SSS and GSIS.
SHDA currently has chapters in Davao for Southern Mindanao, Cagayan de Oro for Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga for Western Mindanao, Bacolod, Cebu, Iloilo, Leyte, Lucena, and Pampanga for Central Luzon.