Written by : KIM BERNARDO-LOKIN SPECIAL
CONTRIBUTOR
What is the
importance of being unique?
For Mario
“Babes” Oreta, president of Alphaland Corp., it means everything to the
property development company. The firm, he said, is very selective in the
property developments it undertakes—all of which are considered top-of-the-line
pieces of property.
Alphaland is
the brainchild of no ordinary entrepreneurs, Oreta said. Established in 2007,
Alphaland is a joint venture between the Ashmore Group of London, a private
equity fund which manages about $65 billion, and the RVO Capital Ventures Group
headed by the legendary business tycoon Roberto “Bobby” V. Ongpin.
Oreta said he
was asked by Ongpin, his long-time friend and mentor, to head Alphaland.
“He told me
we would do a lot of deals and high-end projects, similar to our past real
estate projects like the grandiose Tagaytay Highlands and Marbella in Cavite,
which is now Caylabne Bay,” he recalled.
Right after
its incorporation, Alphaland acquired 10.25 hectares in Aseana Business Park,
Parañaque City, for a joint venture with DM Wenceslao & Associates Inc. for
the development of Alphaland Bay City.
This planned
development is a premium, self-contained seaside community with a world class
Marina Club as its centerpiece. Rising within the city will be various high-end
residential, hotel, office, commercial and retail developments. The Marina
Club, on one hand, is envisioned to provide facilities for about 200 yachts,
including several “mega yachts.”
Oreta said it
is the only marina where members may use any of several yachts belonging to the
club. Two months later, the company acquired another 30 hectares in Silang,
Cavite.
In 2008, the
company acquired the unfinished building structure at the corner of EDSA and
Chino Roces Avenue in Makati City from South China Resources and the Puyat
family. This property became their first flagship project and is now known as
the Alphaland Southgate Tower and Mall.
In the same
year, the company also invested 20 percent for Shang Global City Properties
Inc. and Fort Bonifacio Shangrila Hotel, Inc. for the construction of a
five-star hotel and high-end residences dubbed “Shangrila at the Fort” in
Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
Then the
group acquired Sime Darby’s 100 percent stake in Silvertown Property
Development Corporation (SPDC) for a 1-hectare property along Ayala Avenue
Extension corner Malugay Street, under the name of Boy Scouts of the
Philippines (BSP).
SPDC entered
into a joint venture agreement with the BSP to develop the property into
Alphaland Makati Place. This development boasts of “The City Club”, which Oreta
described as a world-class sports and leisure club in the heart of Makati. It
is located at the top three floors of the six-storey podium of the Alphaland
Makati Place.
The group is
also building the Alphaland Tower at the highly desirable address at 6789 Ayala
Avenue. The tower is touted as a premier 34-storey high-end corporate facility
and is expected to become one of the best buildings in Ayala.
Oreta said he
and his partners are also excited over their newest resort: the Balesin Island
Club, which is nearing completion.
With more
than seven kilometers of white sand beaches, the Balesin Island Club in
Polillo, Quezon Province is, by plane, 25 minutes away from Manila.
The club is a
500-hectare island resort covered in lush, tropical rainforest. Oreta said it
will offer villas and amenities patterned after some of the most luxurious
beachside destinations around the world. The island resort will be divided into
six themed villages, with villas inspired by Mykonos, St. Tropez, the Costa
Smeralda, Phuket, Bali and Balesin. It also features a modern airfield that can
accommodate regional aircrafts as well as private jets to make it more
accessible to members.
Another
luxurious resort in the pipeline is the Boracay Gateway Country Club, a
500-hectare estate on the northern tip of Nabas, Aklan on Panay Island, which
is directly adjacent to Boracay Island. The club’s 1.7 kilometers of powdery
white sand beaches is, Oreta said, identical to those on Boracay Island.
Explaining
their company’s simultaneous high-end developments, Oreta said that Ashmore is
quite bullish about the prospects of property in the Philippines.
“We cannot be
everything for everyone, because we don’t see ourselves as just another resort
or condominium builder,” Oreta said. “We build destination projects for people
to enjoy and talk about for a long time.”
For Oreta,
this also means having busy schedules until the completion of their projects.
It is no easy task, he admits, but it is something he had always enjoyed doing.
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