Day: February 25, 2015

ALVEO: Energizing the live-work-play nexus

PRNEWS Leave a comment

Artist’s Perspective of Circuit Makati

On top of a continuously strong Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, growth in manufacturing, exports, and tourism have been driving the Philippine business scene. Moody’s has cited the Philippines as a top performer and one of the world’s fastest growing economies in 2014. With investor confidence at a high and the central bank working to keep key interest rates low, both public and private investments are driving the economy forward. Real estate values are also relatively lower in the Philippines compared to neighboring countries, thus yielding better return on investments and fueling a huge influx of investors.

As the business economy improves, further propelled by higher consumer spending and the influx of foreign investments boosted by a triple upgrade in credit rating, the speed, range and growth of economic activities have significantly increased. The Philippines remains the preferred destination for the estimated $18-billion BPO industry, currently the major driver of demand for office space, but various other local or regional enterprises have also been expanding.

Riding this swell of economic optimism, acclaimed developer Ayala Land continues to redefine the real estate industry in the country, with a solid track record for building and maintaining thoughtfully-planned, sustainable, and self-contained large-scale communities and districts. Having already established its leadership in the residential market, Ayala Land is now tapping the innovative ideas of its upmarket brand Alveo Land to blaze a trail in the even more dynamic office sector. The rising demand and continuing dearth of deliberate office-for-sale products in the Philippines, presented an opportunity for Alveo Land to address a need.

Artist’s Perspective of The Stiles Enterprise Plaza

“Alveo Land saw the high potential of developing and selling office condominium spaces,” says Robert S. Lao, president of Alveo Land. “Everyone else was mostly leasing office spaces out to the market. As innovators, we filled in that gap and it changed the game for the industry.” While office space leasing contributed P3.5 billion (or US$80 million) to Ayala Land’s 2013 revenues, the take-up value for Alveo office projects was P7.2 billion in the same year.

Anchored on Ayala Land’s expertise in building communities and inspired by its commitment to innovation, Alveo Land ventured into the planning and development of its own large-scale, mixed-use districts. Alveo caters to the market of investors and business owners in the country’s key central business districts where economic activity is on the rise. They first tested the market in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) with High Street South Corporate Plaza, proving the high demand and potential in the development of innovative office products. Beyond BGC, Alveo also has developments rising in Cebu, and soon in Makati City―the country’s unrivaled financial district, cornering the market on “headquarters-type” office products to address the unique needs of expanding small and medium enterprises, as well as, foreign businesses.

Integration Safeguards Investments

Alveo prides itself on offering workspaces with experienced and reliable facilities management teams, and a dynamic environment that promotes efficiency and productivity and enhances employee satisfaction. Locating these offices in integrated, mixed-use economic centers provides leading local and multinational companies with world-class facilities in strategic and accessible locations.

Since Alveo Land’s products are all located within Ayala Land’s mixed-use masterplanned estates, this allows them to guarantee the overall quality of the experience for their customers. “Our developments have more value given that we control how the development grows, the maintenance and upkeep of the estate and how all our projects are seamlessly integrated into the bigger concept because we are strategically connected to the main district,” explains Lao. “The potential in value appreciation is higher because we ensure that the investment is protected, being located within a well-planned and controlled environment.”

Artist’s Perspective of The Stiles Enterprise Plaza Corner Unit

Fresh Energy For A Future City

Alveo Land plays a central role in one of Ayala Land’s most exciting flagship projects, the redevelopment of the old Sta. Ana Racetrack into Circuit Makati. This cutting-edge lifestyle and entertainment district is envisioned to serve as a catalyst for next wave urban renewal in the Philippines’ leading business and lifestyle capital of Makati City. Representing P20B of Ayala Land’s ambitious P60B investment in the city’s redevelopment, Circuit Makati is set to be the future premier location for celebrating cultural and civic gatherings, world-class entertainment and events, and stylish retail experiences. It will bring together Ayala Land’s various product lines for commercial spaces, leasable offices, leisure accommodations, with its upscale residential addresses and saleable office products spearheaded by Alveo Land. All of this will be integrated within a 21-hectare property that will soon be characterized by a truly large-scale, mixed-use community that will allow live-work-play in equal measures and that will be uniquely highlighted by Ayala Land’s high standards for quality and excellent customer service.

The Globe Circuit Event Grounds, a 2,000-square-meter canopied outdoor venue for large-scale social events, festivals, and international-scale concerts currently serves as the anchor destination. Soon, the Circuit Mall, a regional-scale Ayala Mall will provide unparalleled shopping, cinema, and dining options for denizens of the district. Right on top of this new lifestyle center will rise the Circuit Performing Arts Theater, a world-class 1,500-seater indoor events hall that will soon be home to various prestigious shows, acts, and productions. Nearby, the Black Box, a compact 300-seater versatile space will deliver a flexible atmosphere for a variety of corporate and independent creative functions. Capitalizing on the district’s one-of-a-kind riverside location, Circuit Lane will be a spectacular new interactive retail riverwalk that will run through the vibrant center of Circuit Makati. Just above this eclectic retail row, the district’s landmark residential development, Solstice–also by Alveo Land–will provide multi-faceted fun living for future residents of Circuit Makati.

Artist’s Perspective of The Stiles Enterprise Plaza Landscaped Deck

As Ayala Land’s standard-bearer for innovation, Alveo plans to capitalize on its market leadership by continuing expanding its presence in Circuit Makati with more groundbreaking living solutions, a more diverse portfolio of real estate products, as well as exploring exciting new product concepts in the upcoming months. Coming from the successful Philippine and Southeast Asian launches of the Solstice residential towers in 2013, Alveo’s soon-to-be-launched office development will serve as a prominent gateway to Circuit Makati, conveniently and strategically located next to the lifestyle and commercial hubs of the district. Dubbed The Stiles Enterprise Plaza, it will be the first Grade-A office condominium in Circuit Makati, masterplanned to offer inspired units for purchase. When completed, this new office address particularly aims to attract investors and small to medium enterprises who are looking for highly energized workspaces. The modern, progressive environments it will offer are designed to be less structured and constricting, thus encouraging the creativity and innovative thinking of business ventures and organizations on the rise.

“Circuit Makati is special in the sense that it provides the last opportunity to expand and further enhance the country’s already well-established and thriving premier business district that is Makati,” states Lao. However, building on the legacy of their past successes, and the inspiration provided by the unique setting and strategy, Alveo’s latest projects are poised to raise the bar even higher.

Megaworld breaks ground for Salcedo SkySuites

PRNEWS Leave a comment

Megaworld, the country’s leading real estate developer, formally breaks ground for Salcedo SkySuites, a 32-storey residential condominium featuring the country’s first roofdeck heated outdoor infinity pool. Located along H.V. dela Costa in Salcedo Village, Makati, Salcedo SkySuites was sold out in just less than six months after its launch in February last year. Salcedo SkySuites offers units with balconies and garden patios. The tower is expected to be completed in 2018.

Present during the groundbreaking ceremony were (from L to R) Manny Condino of M.A. Condino Construction and Development; Melissa Jarvina, architecture and planning, Megaworld; Roemer Nograles, senior assistant vice-president for project management, Megaworld; Eugene Em Lozano, vice-president for sales and marketing, Megaworld; Rowena Espiritu, sales director, Megaworld; and Alvin Lim, senior sales director, Megaworld.

Mamasapano tragedy will be a factor in 2016 elections

Ellen Leave a comment

Aquino meeting with families of SAF44. Feb. 18, 2015.

Aquino meeting with families of SAF44. Feb. 18, 2015.

Don’t expect the truth about the Jan. 25 Mamasapano tragedy to come from President Aquino.

He had one whole month to tell the Filipino people about his role in the debacle that claimed the lives of 44 members of the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police, 18 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and six civilians including an eight-year old girl who was hit in the crossfire.

He had three televised address on the armed operation that turned into a massacre – Jan. 28, three days after the tragedy; Jan. 30 necrological service at Camp Bagong Diwa, and Feb. 6 to announce his acceptance of the resignation of suspended Police Chief Alan Purisima.

The people, grieving and angry, wanted an explanation to give sense into the senselessness of brutal deaths of 44 of the country’s elite police officers who were on a mission to arrest two terrorists wanted by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

But Aquino’s monologue didn’t enlighten because he instead talked about the assassination of his father in 1983 and the 1989 coup against his mother.

Press Secretary Herminio Coloma said Aquino will decide to reveal what he knows about the police operation at the appropriate time: “Pagpapasyahan po niya ‘yan sa takdang panahon.”

Aquino can take his own sweet time about his version of the truth but the people will know what really happened in Mamasapano in one way or another because borrowing a quote from Chinese writer Lu Xun about the March 1926 massacre in China, “Lies written in ink can never disguise facts written in blood.”

Aquino’s problem with telling the truth about the Mamasapano debacle is because he would be implicating himself.

The line that the administration is trying lead the public to take is that the President was misled by Purisima of the real situation on the ground. They cite the text exchanges between Aquino and his trusted police officer, where the latter was the telling the President at 8:17 in the morning that the military has already sent reinforcement to the SAF: “They are presently in contact with reinforcing elements from BIFF. The containment forces are the ones in contact right now. They are supported by mechanized and artillery support sir.”

But the same text exchanges showed Aquino knew that Oplan Exodus had been operationalized as early as 5:28 in the morning. The text messages also revealed that Aquino was very much involved in the planning of the operation including the physical terrain and the number of personnel involved.
.
Aquino can’t escape accountability for giving Purisima, a suspended government official authority, to be involved in a highly sensitive security operation.

And if Purisima is the culprit,how come Aquino was all praises to him when he accepted the former’s resignation?

The reason why Aquino can’t find the “takdang panahon” to tell the truth was articulated by his sister, Kris Aquino, who said last Sunday, ““Let’s be honest, maraming magiging kaso next year (na isasampa laban sa Presidente.)”

Kris said that in answer to the question by actress Nora Aunor if she will run for an elective position in the 2016 elections. The presidential sister said, anticipating the lawsuits, she has to support her brother.
The Mamasapano tragedy will surely be a factor, in more ways than one, in the 2016 elections.

Aquino will have to make sure that his successor will be an ally or someone who will not do to him what he did to Gloria Arroyo and what Arroyo did to her predecessor, Joseph Estrada.
***

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima

Speaking of lawsuits, Secretary Leila de Lima should not waste government resources on the National Transformation Council.

But she got it with her “Do not pervert a nation’s grief” statement issued last Sunday especially her description of the group: “religious and political has-beens.”

She said NTC’s call for people power is a “carefully formulated strategy in the false hope of propagating it legally in the mass media and among supporters without however accruing any criminal liability under the penal laws on rebellion, sedition, and coup d’ etat. This is a false hope, since certain actions already implemented by the group, from organizing foras and conferences of supporters and sympathizers, can already be contemplated as conspiracies relating to sedition, rebellion or coup d’ etat.”

Former Defense Secretary and NSA Adviser Norberto Gonzales had said in a TV interview that there is nothing wrong with people power, or a change in regime through people power which happened in EDSA 1 and 2.

De Lima said:“This is Gonzales’ doublespeak. The NTC has publicly declared in its meetings and so-called consultations that a people power strategy for regime change can only be successful if backed by military support for the installation of the National Transformation Council as a ‘transition government’, and the suspension of elections or any other democratic process sanctioned under a constitutional government, until the enactment of reforms to be dictated by the NTC as the de facto government of the Republic.

“Everything in this strategy is illegal and unconstitutional, except probably for the people power part if executed merely as a form of mass mobilization in the exercise of the people’s freedom of assembly. The installation of the NTC as the governing body of the Republic is nothing but the installation of a civilian-military junta, and the call for the military’s support for its defense and installation is nothing less than a proposal or conspiracy to commit the crime of coup d’etat. The NTC’s pronouncements and publicly declared strategy for the capture of state power through active military support to the NTC are therefore acts which already constitute conspiracy or proposal to commit rebellion and coup d’ etat (Art. 136 in relation to Arts. 134 and 134-A, Revised Penal Code), conspiracy to commit sedition (Art. 141 in relation to Art. 139, RPC) or, at the very least, inciting to sedition (Art. 142, RPC), as well as illegal assemblies (Art. 146, RPC).

“A junta by any other sanitized name is still illegal and unconstitutional. By calling for people power and military support to force the President’s ‘resignation’ in order to pave the way for a junta, the NTC and its mushrooming allied alphabet soup organizations of discredited government officials consisting of charged plunderers, grafters, and tax evaders, or of those under investigation for such crimes, may have just crossed the line of legitimate dissent. The government will not relent in applying the full force of the law against them in order to protect the people and the State from an unconstitutional and illegal power grab.

“In the end, any civilian or religious-led putsch will not succeed, because the military will never support the extra-constitutional installation of a junta led by GMA bishops and ex-officials. The AFP and the PNP stand behind the President, no matter how the Mamasapano incident is exploited by opportunists, such as NTC, to sow discord and division among their ranks. It is the height of pathetic gutter politics, when the tragic loss of 44 police officers killed in the line of duty is used by disgraced pathological personalities to crawl their way back to national relevance, at the expense of the people’s effort to come to terms with the complex issue of peace in Mindanao in their search for justice for the SAF44. The nation is still grieving, and without any sense of shame, these personalities would use the people’s grief to pervert a national catharsis, serving only their own thirst and craving for absolute power by imposing upon this nation a tyranny of religious and political has-beens.”