DoubleDragon Promotes Sia, Appoints Ponferrada as President

DoubleDragon Corporation has announced key leadership changes as part of its strategic growth plans for 2025 and beyond.

Ferdinand J. Sia has been promoted to Vice Chairman, while Atty. Rodolfo Ma. Ponferrada has been appointed as the new President of DoubleDragon.

Both appointments took effect on March 1, 2025.

The company’s leadership remains anchored by its founders, with Edgar “Injap” Sia II retaining his role as Chairman and CEO, and Tony Tan Caktiong serving as Co-Chairman.

The leadership reshuffle is part of DoubleDragon’s vision to transition into a Tier 1 company by the end of 2025 and expand its presence across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, as well as globally.

“These preparations are all towards establishing a larger and stronger DoubleDragon Corporation from 2025 to 2035,” said Chairman Edgar Sia II. “This year is the defining moment in DoubleDragon’s 13-year history, as we elevate from a Tier 2 company to a Tier 1 company.”

Atty. Ponferrada brings extensive experience to his new role, having served as President of Alphaland and General Counsel of the Roberto V. Ongpin Group of Companies. A cum laude graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Law and the topnotcher of the 2001 Philippine Bar Examinations, Ponferrada is expected to contribute significantly to DoubleDragon’s continued success.

DoubleDragon’s total equity is projected to exceed PHP 100 billion for the first time in 2024, positioning it as one of the few Philippine companies to achieve a 12-digit equity level. This milestone reflects the company’s robust foundation, which includes a diversified portfolio of investment properties across the Philippines and its innovative Hotel101 brand.

Hotel101, described as an asset-light and highly portable business model, is poised for global expansion, with plans to operate in 100 countries. The export of Hotel101 is expected to become a major source of U.S. dollar inflows for the Philippine economy.

“DoubleDragon has positioned itself as a company with significant investments across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, bringing impactful economic progress to the countryside,” Sia said. “It is my life dream to see DoubleDragon become one of the major pillars of the Philippine economy by 2035, with operations globally while carrying the Filipino flag in all the countries it operates in.”

The company’s leadership changes are part of its broader vision to strengthen its position as a key player in the Philippine economy and a global ambassador for Filipino innovation and entrepreneurship.

DoubleDragon’s leadership team, led by Sia and Caktiong, continues to drive the company’s growth, leveraging its diversified hard asset portfolio and the unique Hotel101 business model to achieve long-term success.