Philippine real estate giant Robinsons Land Corp. will build its first shopping mall in Ilocos Norte, one of the 15 that it seeks to set up in the next five years at a cost of about P12 billion.

The listed firm said it had signed a joint venture deal with Venvi Development Corp., a property developer in the northern province.

Under the agreement, RLC will develop a two-level shopping mall along the National Highway, in the village of San Francisco in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte.

The shopping mall will be an integral component of a 20-hectare mixed-use development called The Center that will include residential and office buildings, hotels and call centers.

Robinsons Ilocos Norte is expected to be completed by 2009. It will be RLC’s fourth mall in Northern Luzon aside from Robinsons Starmills and Robinsons Place Angeles in Pampanga, and Luisita Mall in Tarlac.

RLC is opening five malls this year consisting of two in Manila, one in Tagaytay, one in Cabanatuan and one in Pulilan, Bulacan. Other malls in the pipeline—Robinsons Tacloban, Cybergate Davao and Robinsons Dumaguete—are expected to be completed soon.

In addition to the malls, RLC president Frederick Go said they are also putting up four residential condominiums, six residential subdivisions, one hotel and two office buildings.

RLC has a portfolio of 23 shopping malls, 26 residential condominiums, six office buildings, 31 residential subdivisions and four hotels.