The destruction wrought by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng was widespread and costly – more than 700 lives were lost, millions more left homeless or displaced, and damage to infrastructure and agriculture totaled P18 billion.

Projections of non-life industry group Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association pegs its estimate of claims for property damage at P11 billion – P1 billion of which is expected to go towards motor vehicle repair alone. The balance accounts for other property losses such as homes, appliances, and furniture.

“Our hearts go out to all the people who lost their loved ones and friends. Many more quite literally lost the roof over their heads. We’ve received an increased number of inquiries about our projects from prospective buyers – a big percentage of whom have existing property in heavily flooded areas that are now unlivable. They have been so traumatized,” said Vista Land & Lifescapes president and CEO Jing Serrano.

“The first thing they ask is if we’ve had flooding problems in our subdvisions or projects. It’s clear that this has become a very legitimate concern.”

“Thankfully, we’ve had no reports of flooding of living areas. We’d like to think that testifies to the care put by each Vista Land brand in choosing locations, as well as the masterplanning that goes into each project way before we ever break ground,” she said.

Serrano said that aside from choosing a good location, people should buy from reputable, established developers who have a good track record.

“A home is the most important investment that we can make,” she said. “We need to be careful about our choice. Not all homebuilders are created equal. Take a look at their portfolio of projects to see if they deliver on their promises, and if they’re concerned about their carbon footprint.”

Vista Land, continued Serrano, has been very conscious about its impact on its host communities and surroundings.

“For more than 30 years, before it ever caught on, we had been the first to initiate the greening of the land we develop,” said Serrano.

“We had realized even back then that as a real estate company, we have a profound impact on the land that we develop. Therefore, we have seriously worked on the reforestation of our areas.”

She said that mitigating adverse impact to the environment is one way the company is taking a hard look at its carbon footprint.

“We should never look at it as a choice between preserving nature and giving people their dwelling spaces. It can be, it should be, a healthy balance.”

Through Brittany (high-end), Crown Asia (middle-market), and Camella (low cost and affordable) brands, Vista Land caters to most budgets and preferences in the home ownership spectrum.

It has also the distinction of being the largest homebuilder in the country, with more than 250,000 homes built.