A NEW CITY Is On the Horizon
Get to know the man behind the reclamation of Manila
Manila is home to millions of Filipinos, and for decades, it has served as the nation’s capital. But behind the grandeur of the once dubbed “Paris of Asia” lies a city left to ruins. One man has set a mission to bring back the splendor of Manila, reclaiming its former glory into the current century.
Hailing from a family with no political background nor old money lineage, 29-year-old Jesusito B. Legaspi, Jr. took on the Horizon Manila Reclamation Project with nothing but grit, guts, and generations’ worth of construction expertise. The UP Diliman-graduate civil engineer is the president of the JBros Construction Corporation. He learned the ins and outs of the construction business from his parents as early as high school. His parents’ tips proved to be most useful as he began to run his own company, which holds an “AAA” license that could stand toe-to-toe with industry giants, soon after he passed the Civil Engineering Board Exam.
The inspiration behind Horizon Manila roots back to JR’s grandmother, “God creates new people, but not new land.” This is what his grandmother used to say whenever she bought real estate back in the day. JR, himself, considered investing in real estate, but prices within Metro Manila were worth a king’s ransom. With his grandmother’s statement in mind, he thought, “What if we create new land?” From this concept, the backbone of Horizon Manila came to life.
With neither ties to politics nor connections within social circles, JR knew that the project would be challenging to handle, especially when it came to securing permits, licenses, authorizations and clearances from various government agencies. Nevertheless, he persevered by doing things the old fashioned way and reaped the benefits when the project was issued Notices to Proceed by the Philippine Reclamation Authority and the City of Manila as early as 2019. Horizon Manila is also the first reclamation project endorsed by the city’s mayor, Isko Moreno.
The project is still upcoming and a world of possibilities await us behind the curtains of construction. With a fondness for the unique character of Manila and a penchant for modern architecture and construction, we can expect great things from Horizon Manila, JR, and the JBros Construction Corporation as they put the city back on the map.