At the 2025 CREBA National Convention, the Board of Directors was honored for their dedication and passion in championing CREBA’s mission. Their leadership goes beyond strategy; it’s a source of inspiration that motivates every member to work together toward a brighter future for the real estate industry and the Filipino community.
The recently concluded Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations (CREBA) 2025 National Convention, in partnership with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), successfully convened real estate developers, urban planners, builders, property investors, policymakers and industry stakeholders for three days of discussions, knowledge sharing, networking and exhibits while celebrating National Shelter Month and CREBA’s 52nd founding anniversary.
Themed “One voice, one mission: Housing for all,” the three-day convention from Oct. 15 to 17, 2025 filled the halls of Hotel Supreme Mall & Events Center in Baguio City with hope and amplified the call for affordable, safe and resilient homes for every Filipino.
This mission became more crucial in light of frequent earthquakes, the worsening impact of climate change and other threats that continue to put people’s homes and lives at risk.
CREBA President Noel “Toti” Cariño told The Manila Times that while there have been technologies that could address these climate-related issues, the bigger challenge would be making houses affordable and, at the same time, strong and resilient.
Cariño said the country should first address the affordability issue for the housing industry to move forward, explaining, “Make housing not only affordable but also with greater access. Our mantra is that every Filipino should have a roof over their head. A home for every Filipino is the target of CREBA, and we’re always working toward this goal.”
“As a developing country, we can really be attuned to the market this way. And who is our market? — people who want to leave their houses because they cannot afford the current housing anymore,” he added.
The convention’s first day kicked off with a CREBA–DHSUD Housing Regulations Forum, titled “Safe and resilient homes for Filipino families,” held in partnership with the DHSUD-Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
Among the topics covered by the event were emerging trends and policy updates in housing and real estate; zoning and enforcement overview under executive order (EO) 71 and EO 72; updated guidelines, standards and compliance requirements on subdivision development; sustainable urban development for Filipino communities; professionalizing real estate practice: Republic Act 9646 and the Code of Ethics; enforcement of real estate laws and policies in CAR; and updates on the new implementing rules and regulations for homeowners’ associations.
Meanwhile, the plenary sessions for Day 1 included the following: “Aligning government and private sector goals: Bridging bureaucracy and business for housing acceleration,” “Funding the vision innovative financing models for mass housing and local government unit (LGU) participation,” “Land use, planning and development land inventory for sustainable communities” and “Bridging the funding divide: Developers and buyers financing to accelerate 4PH (Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino) and other housing options.”
Among the highlights of Day 1 was the turnover of P300,000 financial assistance to members of the Tadiangan Resettlement HOA for home improvement support.
Meanwhile, the CREBA President’s Cup Golf Tournament took place at Pinewoods Golf & Country Club and swung the opening day on a high note through connection and friendly competition. The golf event was organized in support of visually impaired members of Vismar-Baguio City.
In the afternoon, alumni of the Executive Diploma Program in Real Estate Management — a continuing education program of the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde or DLS-CSB and CREBA — also came together to reconnect and congratulate the newest graduates at the CREBA-Certified Real Estate Professional Pinning Ceremonies.
As the evening fell, everyone showed up in rock and cowboy-inspired outfits for the welcome and appreciation night.
Pasig City Vice Mayor Robert Jaworski Jr. opened the second day of the convention with the theme “Laying the foundation for inclusive and sustainable housing.”
On the finance side, Finance Undersecretary Maria Edita Tan joined the plenary session on innovative financing models for mass housing and LGU participation. Afterwards, Joey Roi Bondoc of Colliers Philippines shared his insights about aligning government and private sector goals through bridging bureaucracy and business for housing acceleration.
Meanwhile, CREBA past president Nathaniel Von Einsiedel spoke during the “Urban planning and designing for sustainable communities” session.
Pag-IBIG Fund CEO Marilene Acosta and National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. President Renato Tobias graced the Day 2’s fourth session to discuss ways to bridge the funding divide by developers and buyers financing to accelerate 4PH and other housing options. The second day of the CREBA 2025 National Convention concluded beautifully with a CREBA Flower Festival and Chapters’ Night Dance Competition.
On the third day, DHSUD Senior Undersecretary Henry Yap presented the state of the housing sector and the Expanded 4PH.
Prasoon Kumar, co-founder and CEO of BillionBricks, along with Carlo Sagun, president and CEO of Bayan Family of Foundations, joined the panel on “Technology and Green Housing Innovations” session, where they talked about energy-efficient design, modular building, smart housing solutions and resilient construction.
To add a global perspective, Kent Emmons — an American entrepreneur, author and media executive — joined the dialogue on “Navigating international real estate amid US policy changes.”
Emmons was joined by Christopher Felix, NAR global ambassador for the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia, who also provided insights on strengthening and attracting global real estate partnerships.
Meanwhile, Social Housing Finance Corp. Vice President for North Luzon Branch Jones Tomas talked about inclusive solutions for informal settlements, rural housing and the rental market in one of the sessions, titled “Housing the underserved.”
Overall, the October 16 sessions, with the theme “Laying the foundation for inclusive and sustainable housing,” centered on how everyone could sustainably contribute to closing the housing gap.
Meanwhile, the sessions on the third day, framed under the theme “Realizing the vision: From policy to groundbreaking,” shifted the focus on concrete, actionable steps for the country to follow in order to turn the discussions and housing policies into actual developments and progress.
The three-day housing expo became a venue for partnerships, opportunities and discovering trends as the nation’s real estate and housing players set up booths at the expo.
The convention was capped off with CREBA’s 52nd anniversary gala night on October 17.
RECOGNIZING GOOD GOVERNANCE
At this year’s convention, CREBA honored the cities of Pasig and Baguio, naming them as the “Outstanding Model LGUs” for their leadership, firm stance against corruption, and efforts to build a business-friendly environment that encourages investments in real estate, housing and infrastructure development.
The award was bestowed upon Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto and the respective City Councils for setting a strong example for other LGUs to follow.
FIGHTING CORRUPTION
Pasig City Vice Mayor Jaworski received the recognition. In his speech, he credited and thanked Mayor Sotto for walking the talk and leading by example, sharing how the local government of Pasig under Mayor Sotto’s leadership challenged the norm in 2019 and has since been successfully fighting against corruption, patronage politics and inefficiency.
Amid persisting corruption in the country, Jaworski expressed a hard truth: “Mayor Vico and the city council of our beloved city are just doing what should be the norm. We are merely doing our sworn duty to protect the interest of the people and ensure that government funds are used to benefit the public good and not for the good of politicians. The true heroes that are more deserving of this recognition are the people of Pasig, who have shown the entire country that their votes are sacred and are not for sale. Sila ang dapat natin parangalan (They are the ones we should honor).”
“In Pasig, we realized that genuine reforms won’t just happen overnight. But we also knew that it had to begin somewhere,” he continued.
As the three-day CREBA 2025 National Convention closed, it served as a powerful reminder to all sectors — public and private alike — that sustainable, accessible and affordable housing was key to nation building and human development.
CREBA amplified that no Filipino family should have to live in a home vulnerable to climate change or beyond their means. Together, let’s work toward building resilient and inclusive communities.
