EMMA Imperial has always believed that with passion and determination, anything is possible.

The president and CEO of Imperial Homes Corp. (IHC) never lost sight of this guiding principle. It is what made Imperial the poster girl for sustainable and low-cost housing in the country.

IHC launched the first solar-powered mass housing community, Via Verde in Santo Tomas, Batangas, in 2015, and followed it up with the first solar net-metered community, Via Verde in Trece Martires, Cavite, in 2022.

The two groundbreaking ventures have earned international recognition for IHC, notably from the World Bank.

BEING DIFFERENT IHC President and CEO Emma Imperial recounts her journey in real estate in an interview with The Manila Times’ Chairman and CEO Dante ‘Klink’ Ang 2nd for SMNI’s television show ‘Business and Politics’ on Saturday, July 30, 2022. PHOTO BY JOHN RYAN BALDEMOR

Interviewed by The Manila Times Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd on SMNI's television program "Business and Politics," she described her journey as hard but very rewarding.

"We did normal and luxury real estate before, but we were very big on mass housing. I tried to do everything that was different for the low-income group at the time, so anything that could help them, I would do it," Imperial said.

With over 37 years of experience in real estate, she gravitated toward affordable housing communities.

"So, the company started this around 2014 and launched it in 2015," Imperial said. "To date we have committed about 8,000 housing units to the IFC-World Bank that we are on track to become a solar-powered community with an EDGE certification."

The Via Verde: Santo Tomas, Batangas project was recognized by the World Bank Group, the Financial Times, and International Finance Corp. (IFC), World Bank Group's Sister company, as its housing model worthy of an EDGE certificate for Green Building — a first for a mass housing developer in the country.

"I kept trying to break the myth that solar is only for the rich and no one really believed me," Imperial said. "I was very lucky early on, as I was able to convince Pag-IBIG Fund through Acmad Moti, who is now its president. He was the deputy COO back then, and I convinced him about making solar available to the Pag-IBIG members."

It took Pag-IBIG two years to green-light the project. But for Imperial it was worth the wait.

Via Verde: Trece Martires' solar power metering is the first of its kind in the country. It also exports excess electricity back to the power grid in exchange for net-metering credits.

The net-metering community in Trece Martires "doubles the savings of a typical solar powered community. I looked at some numbers and if an ordinary solar powered community saves P500 million for 25 years for the buyers, with net-metering it goes to around P1.2 billion," Imperial said.

In Via Verde: Trece Martires, a house owner generates more than enough solar electricity for home use. The excess is sold to electric companies, providing additional income for the owner and more energy for the power grid.

Imperial said it costs nothing for the owners since they can also benefit from the Pag-IBIG Fund's related programs or the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp.'s (NHMFC) "Balai Berde" program for excess solar energy amortization transactions.

Launched in March, Balai Berde offers a liquidity facility to developers and banks that purchase mortgage receivables on eligible green housing projects. The purchases are backed by proceeds from green bonds issued by the NHMFC.

Imperial is also making waves in the construction scene as well through a company that uses Connovate technology for its projects.

Connovate, which was developed in Denmark, is a high-performance concrete panel used for construction that is resilient, healthy and can last for about 100 years.

IHC has successfully integrated Connovate into its low-cost solar housing initiatives.

"We innovated on Denmark's product because originally, this was not meant for low-cost housing. Our team was really great as they changed some of the panels' materials and made them affordable," Imperial said.

With IHC's partnership with Connovate Philippines Inc. which has an exclusive licensing agreement from Connovate Denmark, the Danish firm has put up a factory in Silang, Cavite, that turns out two houses a day.

It now holds the distinction of being the country's fastest developer, capable of installing six ground-floor units a day.

This venture was so successful that last April 27 IFC again awarded EDGE and Building Resilience Index certificates to the company for integrating sustainability and resiliency into its Via Verde: Trece Martires housing project. Several local developers are now interested in using the panels for their projects as well.

"On how I got the financing in 2014, even the IFC did not know how I did it," Imperial recalled. "They all asked me to make a speech in Washington DC in front of 250 delegates and after we did that, we were able to prove to people that solar can be accessible for the low-income group."

"I always tell others, if you have something great to contribute to the country, to the company, please don't hesitate to step up," she said.