BusinessWeek Mindanao
By RUEL V. PELONE
November 08, 2010

IN order to attract big businesses and customers in progressive areas outside Metro Manila, Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) is now aggressively expanding its development planning for fully-integrated and sustainable mixed-use communities in the Visayas and Mindanao (Vis-Min) region, focusing on growth center cities for long-term value creation, a company statement said on Friday.

To date, ALI has 3,930 hectares of land allotted for growth center developments all over the country and 19% of this or 747 hectares is dedicated in the Visayas and Mindanao (Vis-Min) regions.

The Vis-Min growth centers are strategically distributed in five major areas, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, and Iloilo, following the geographic and demographic expansion plans of ALI. Mr. Emilio Tumbocon, Head of the Vis-Min Group and Superblock projects of Ayala Land enumerates the developments in each area:

In Cebu, development by Ayala Land started in the early 90’s with the establishment of the Cebu Business Park and followed by Asiatown IT Park. “Cebu is the biggest trading center within the Vis-Min area. It’s the second largest center for commerce and also second in terms of population after Mega Manila. Further expansion of ALI in Cebu is inevitable,” he said. Today, Cebu has lived up to its potentials and transformed itself into the business district of choice for companies in the region.

“Due to the lack of business and BPO facilities in Cebu, we have focused on developing office spaces in the last three to four years to make it more attractive for locators. And now that we have achieved this goal, we are now expanding by catering to the increasing residential and commercial needs of our customers.”

“Creating integrated mixed-use communities is essential to our expansion plans. We bring together various components of our business – residential, commercial/business, hotel and retail – because put together these make up a robust business district and growth center. That way, each project complements the other and the community is able to thrive making it more beneficial for the various stakeholders of the community,” explains Tumbocon.

An example is the Asiatown IT Park in Cebu City which is a business district spanning 24 hectares. As a special economic zone and modern business center, Asiatown houses different BPO companies such as NCR, Convergys, People Support, Microsoft, IBM, JP Morgan and Epson to name a few. Asiatown has also integrated commercial and retail establishments for dining, recreation, and leisure purposes.

Now it is primed to expand to add more projects, such as Avida Towers Cebu and additional e-offices, as the demand for more residential units & office spaces are growing. We are also planning for the expansion and redevelopment of the Ayala Center Cebu in Cebu Business Park as demand for retail, office and residential products are growing.

Positioned as the growth center of Southern Mindanao, Ayala Land has announced early this year the opening of Abreeza Mall in Davao City by 2011. This 2.9-hectare mall is part of a 10-hectare multi-development that will feature a hotel, residential buildings, and office facilities. Mall construction is in full swing and is projected to be completed by second quarter of next year.

Ayala Land Premier’s Ayala North Point has long offered an upscale residential community at the heart of Bacolod City. Soon, ALI plans to include upper-middle and lower-middle income residences, along with retail and business districts, for more client options.

In 2006, ALI offered its first housing development in Cagayan de Oro, the high-end subdivision Alegria Hills. Now, the city in blossom will also witness the conception of a big lifestyle mall in CDO, covering about 3.2 hectares.

The latest of the Vis-Min group projects is the Iloilo TechnoHub. The 2-hectare property along the Diversion Road, Mandurriao, Iloilo City envisions a business hub composed of three buildings and support facilities that can serve different BPO locators. It will be fully functional by end of 2011. Likewise, we are also developing a residential community in Pavia and in other areas.