Jorge L. Araneta, Chairman and CEO of the Araneta Group, has been awarded the prestigious Life Achievement Award during the 14th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards at Shangri-La The Fort on August 20.

The award, considered one of the highest individual honors in Asian real estate, recognizes Araneta’s “extraordinary contributions and lifelong dedication to the Philippine real estate industry through his visionary leadership of Araneta Group and the continued evolution of Araneta City as one of the country’s most iconic and transformative urban developments.

Rowell Recinto, Senior Management Consultant of Araneta City, received the award on Araneta’s behalf. “Mr. Araneta pioneered the integration of entertainment and retail and incorporated mass transit (even before MRT and LRT) into a mixed-use estate — two concepts that are now planning musts in all developments. Moreover, he had the foresight to introduce land uses in Cubao that would have been unthinkable before that time but now constitutes part of the identity of Araneta City,” he said after accepting the award.

Araneta is one of the Philippines’ foremost business leaders and the current head of one of the country’s most enduring and diversified family-owned enterprises – the Araneta Group. His leadership has played a defining role in evolving Araneta City into one of the first modern commercial and mixed-use development in the country, combining retail, entertainment, hospitality, office, transport, and residential components, resulting in a thriving and dynamic destination that shaped generations of urban living in Metro Manila.

“Today, his pioneering mindset continues to drive innovation as Araneta City continues to transform itself to adapt to address future needs,” Recinto added.

This year’s PropertyGuru Philippines Life Achievement Award was given to Araneta just days after he received the 2026 Most Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA). Other recognitions in the past include the Most Distinguished Alumnus Award from the UP College of Business Administration in 2005, the Philippine Retailers Association’s “Pioneer of Retail Entertainment” recognition in 2018, and the Upsilon Noble and Outstanding Award in 2020.