Nestor “Tong” Padilla: Solid as a Rock

By Maan D’Asis Pamaran

The Rockwell Land president talks about changing lifestyles and skylines, from Makati to Cebu.

Nestor “Tong” J. Padilla builds things. While other developers are building empires, the Rockwell Land Corp.president, who is responsible for changing the Makati City skyline, builds strong relationships. The soft-spoken industry leader does not just focus on his personal and working relationships either — he empowers his residents to be able to strengthen their ties with their own families and their community.

“If at night, you see the lights of Rockwell, it really is a stunning sight,” he muses. “A few years back, when my kids were already in college in the US, one of their friends told my son Nick, ‘You know, when I look out the plane window and I see the lights of Rockwell, I know that I am home.’” Hearing things like these are music to his ears. “If there’s anything I love about my work, it’s that anyone can relate to what I do. I used to be a bloody banker — how can kids relate to that?”

Another time, in the early days of development when there was not much in the area, he hosted a group of International School kids from other countries. As their car turned from Kalayaan Avenue and into Rockwell Drive, the kids remarked about how different the place was.

His own children loved their Rockwell home so much that when he was planning to move back to their Bel-Air property, they told him to go back, but to leave them there. “These compliments, especially from people who are not my buyers, are the nicest for me because they are genuine. As a developer, when you hear these things, it just makes you want to do something more, and this is what drives us as a company.”

They really are geared to do more in the coming years. He details his latest projects with much enthusiasm. Most impressive in the lineup is the Proscenium, which he says will change the Makati City skyline yet again. The chief architect is Carlos Ott, the same man who designed the Burj in Dubai.

That said, the influences of his world-renowned monument are in the five buildings, and they are set to be glittering gems against the backdrop of the night sky. The complex will have an amphitheater too, as it is Tong’s advocacy to make art more accessible to more people.

He is likewise excited about a new hotel concept that will rise within Rockwell. “It is an Aruga hotel, and it will be part of the Marriott Signature Collection. One of the nicest elements in it for me is that it will have a chapel beside the ballroom. We are the only one who has that. So the (newly-married) couple and their guests do not have to travel from church to reception venue. You will park only once, and that’s it.”

Rockwell, which also has The Grove, will also bring its lifestyle concept to Cebu via two projects — 32 Sanson, which is a low-rise condo development, and a Rockwell resort in Mactan Island. “I am actually telling everybody, ‘Sige, lahat kayo dito sa Makati, doon ako sa Mactan Island (Fine! You take care of Makati, I’ll take care of Mactan Island). Imagine going to work in shorts everyday!” he laughs.

In all their developments, the main selling point is that they offer the Rockwell lifestyle. “It’s about not having to worry if the driver calls in sick because you can easily walk out to have your breakfast. It’s about not worrying about getting stuck in traffic to go to your hairdresser.”

It’s also about not missing your old house and backyard in Alabang because the property is surrounded by greenery, he adds. “I usually travel for two weeks on vacation, and every time I come home, I ask myself why I even bothered to leave. There is no place like Rockwell where the guards and gardeners say ‘Hi!’ to you, or when the maintenance staff see you carrying groceries, they will offer to carry them for you. That is the lifestyle we want to bring to whatever we do. Our mission is to create quality living.”
To further illustrate this point, he says he is currently arguing with his staff over giving their low-cost housing in Sto. Tomas, Batangas a better clubhouse and planting taller trees. “We won’t make Rockwell poorer if we do these,” he counters.

The Rockwell experience is for anyone. Tong explains what that means via a story. “One time, my wife and I decided to check in at a luxury hotel in the US. She was already in San Francisco; I was coming from Manila. We booked a limousine to come and pick her up from the airport. The driver greets her with ‘Good to see you again, Mrs. Padilla.’ As she arrives at the hotel, he tells her, ‘Welcome back, Mrs. Padilla.’

Even at the lobby, she is greeted the same way. I did not book a limousine and took a cab from the airport. When I arrived, there was no, ‘Welcome back, Mr. Padilla’.”

His point, he says, is that the treatment was different because he came in a cab. That is something where he wants Rockwell developments to differ. “It shouldn’t matter if you are in an off-the-rack sweater and I am in a suit. The experience should be the same for the two of us.”

He dreamt of building bridges and roads when he was younger, but was waylaid for a bit by working as an investment banker. “A bloody investment banker would get a tombstone someday, listing his accomplishments in acrylic, maybe. Me? I have all this,” he smiles and gestures at the expanse of the prime property.

As he discusses the value of the market, its boom and current slowdown, it is evident that Tong Padilla really knows his real estate. He also knows the value of living in the comfort and security of your own home, a dream that most Filipinos share. Today, he is building bridges and roads, figuratively, within the Rockwell properties by giving his residents good homes to share wonderful moments and lasting legacies with their families.

Photography by CHOLO DELA VEGA
Art direction by Ramon Joseph Ruiz / Grooming by ERWIN ONING

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