Saturday, October 11, 2008
2006 CBW RESTO STRIP - START OF CONSTRUCTION
First pics of the Resto Strip in the early stages of construction - January 2006
NO CONFUSION - IT IS NEW MANDAUE
Another Sun Star Article dated May 10th 2006:
"CEBU CITY -- Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano said there is actually no confusion on the names of the two reclamation areas in Mandaue and Cebu cities. Their reclamation project is called "New Mandaue City" since the term of his father, former mayor Alfredo “Pedong” Ouano. A huge sign says so at the entrance of the area.
Its address is "South Reclamation Area" as it is located south of the city.
Ouano also said there is no competition between Mandaue’s and Cebu City’s reclaimed properties, as all the lots in Mandaue are already sold to different private owners such as Ayala Corp. and Cebu Overseas Hardware.
The marketing arm of the South Reclamation Project (SRP) is also not at all disturbed by Mandaue's reclamation project that has a similar name and concept as Cebu City’s.
"There will be no competition of bids," said Joel Mari Yu, executive director of the Cebu Investment and Promotions Center (CIPC).
Sun.Star Cebu sought the comments of Yu, who was in Spain Tuesday.
But SRP project manager Nigel Paul Villarete wants to ask Mandaue officials why they came up with a name very close to Cebu City’s that has been there for the last 17 years.
"I'm speculating that they might want to ride on the promotion activities of the SRP. Why would anybody name a development zone very close to the SRP?" he said.
Yu said that if there is anyone who should be worried, it should be Mandaue itself.
He said Mandaue is not the only local government unit that is developing the foreshores but also Lapu-Lapu City, which is pushing for the P6.3-million feasibility study of a proposed 400-hectare reclamation project.
"All our local executives are too hot about reclaiming the foreshores, without realizing that they will have a hard time finding institutions to finance their project. If you are a financier and you are looking for a partner to invest in a reclaimed facility, you will face a problem of marketing it because there is already Cebu City's SRP. Kita man ang nag-una," Yu added.
While Villarete is wary about the possible confusion of names, he said it will only be an initial situation.
But when serious investors would dig deeper into the circumstances, they will see the difference between the two reclamation projects, he said.
"The SRP has been declared a special economic zone while I have not heard of any declaration for the South Reclamation Area. The SRP has been there for the last 15 years and we've never heard of the SRA until last week," Villarete told Sun.Star Cebu.
In a separate interview, Mayor Ouano said F.F. Cruz and Co. Inc., which owns majority of the New Mandaue City, is yet to issue a formal answer to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña's pronouncement that similar names will create confusion.
F.F. Cruz director for property management Yvonne Gomos said the 200-hectare New Mandaue City is purely a private initiative, wherein 30 percent or 60 hectares of the total reclaimed area were turned over to the host City Government.
F.F. Cruz already sold the remaining portion to private firms although Ouano said the developer retained a few areas for itself.
As for the whole area, Mandaue City negotiated with a private firm to do the zoning.
City Councilor Wenceslao Gakit said the private firm is yet to submit its proposed zoning ordinance, before owners can start vertical structures on their properties.
Gakit admitted that in some areas zoning was done on a piecemeal basis. This is why there are partial developments in the area.
Gakit failed to specify why there has been no approved zoning ordinance yet.
Mayor Ouano also admitted that the property originally leased to Uniwide is again vacant, as they are now looking for partners or investors to put up a hotel to complement the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), the venue of the Asean summit this December.
Uniwide and CICC, which is under construction, are within the area owned by the Mandaue City Government.
"We'd rather complement each other rather than compete," said Ouano, referring to mayors of Metro Cebu.
He said Cebu residents from Bogo to Santander will benefit from their economic success as their projects are geared towards generating more employment.
As for the other areas of the New Mandaue, it's F.F. Cruz that will take care of that.
Ouano's consultant Jonji Gonzales explained that part of the 50-hectare lot owned by F.F. Cruz is where Cebu Boardwalk will build its Marina and the Yacht Club.
F.F. Cruz hired Jun Palafox to do the urban planning of that particular area intended for the two facilities.
Gonzales said the City Government plans to turn the New Mandaue into a "central business district" to show that the city has developed from its former industrial city image to a commercial and tourism hub of the Visayas. (OCP/GAC of Sun.Star Cebu)"
"CEBU CITY -- Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano said there is actually no confusion on the names of the two reclamation areas in Mandaue and Cebu cities. Their reclamation project is called "New Mandaue City" since the term of his father, former mayor Alfredo “Pedong” Ouano. A huge sign says so at the entrance of the area.
Its address is "South Reclamation Area" as it is located south of the city.
Ouano also said there is no competition between Mandaue’s and Cebu City’s reclaimed properties, as all the lots in Mandaue are already sold to different private owners such as Ayala Corp. and Cebu Overseas Hardware.
The marketing arm of the South Reclamation Project (SRP) is also not at all disturbed by Mandaue's reclamation project that has a similar name and concept as Cebu City’s.
"There will be no competition of bids," said Joel Mari Yu, executive director of the Cebu Investment and Promotions Center (CIPC).
Sun.Star Cebu sought the comments of Yu, who was in Spain Tuesday.
But SRP project manager Nigel Paul Villarete wants to ask Mandaue officials why they came up with a name very close to Cebu City’s that has been there for the last 17 years.
"I'm speculating that they might want to ride on the promotion activities of the SRP. Why would anybody name a development zone very close to the SRP?" he said.
Yu said that if there is anyone who should be worried, it should be Mandaue itself.
He said Mandaue is not the only local government unit that is developing the foreshores but also Lapu-Lapu City, which is pushing for the P6.3-million feasibility study of a proposed 400-hectare reclamation project.
"All our local executives are too hot about reclaiming the foreshores, without realizing that they will have a hard time finding institutions to finance their project. If you are a financier and you are looking for a partner to invest in a reclaimed facility, you will face a problem of marketing it because there is already Cebu City's SRP. Kita man ang nag-una," Yu added.
While Villarete is wary about the possible confusion of names, he said it will only be an initial situation.
But when serious investors would dig deeper into the circumstances, they will see the difference between the two reclamation projects, he said.
"The SRP has been declared a special economic zone while I have not heard of any declaration for the South Reclamation Area. The SRP has been there for the last 15 years and we've never heard of the SRA until last week," Villarete told Sun.Star Cebu.
In a separate interview, Mayor Ouano said F.F. Cruz and Co. Inc., which owns majority of the New Mandaue City, is yet to issue a formal answer to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña's pronouncement that similar names will create confusion.
F.F. Cruz director for property management Yvonne Gomos said the 200-hectare New Mandaue City is purely a private initiative, wherein 30 percent or 60 hectares of the total reclaimed area were turned over to the host City Government.
F.F. Cruz already sold the remaining portion to private firms although Ouano said the developer retained a few areas for itself.
As for the whole area, Mandaue City negotiated with a private firm to do the zoning.
City Councilor Wenceslao Gakit said the private firm is yet to submit its proposed zoning ordinance, before owners can start vertical structures on their properties.
Gakit admitted that in some areas zoning was done on a piecemeal basis. This is why there are partial developments in the area.
Gakit failed to specify why there has been no approved zoning ordinance yet.
Mayor Ouano also admitted that the property originally leased to Uniwide is again vacant, as they are now looking for partners or investors to put up a hotel to complement the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), the venue of the Asean summit this December.
Uniwide and CICC, which is under construction, are within the area owned by the Mandaue City Government.
"We'd rather complement each other rather than compete," said Ouano, referring to mayors of Metro Cebu.
He said Cebu residents from Bogo to Santander will benefit from their economic success as their projects are geared towards generating more employment.
As for the other areas of the New Mandaue, it's F.F. Cruz that will take care of that.
Ouano's consultant Jonji Gonzales explained that part of the 50-hectare lot owned by F.F. Cruz is where Cebu Boardwalk will build its Marina and the Yacht Club.
F.F. Cruz hired Jun Palafox to do the urban planning of that particular area intended for the two facilities.
Gonzales said the City Government plans to turn the New Mandaue into a "central business district" to show that the city has developed from its former industrial city image to a commercial and tourism hub of the Visayas. (OCP/GAC of Sun.Star Cebu)"
MORE LOCATORS CHOOSE MANDAUE RECLA PROJECT
This is an old article published by the Sun Star in 2006 describing the new concept of Cebu Boardwalk, and its targeted completion date:
"SEVERAL multimillion-peso establishments will soon rise at the Mandaue North Reclamation Area (MNRA) and is expected to expedite the promotion of the city as an “emerging convention center in Asia,” Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano said.
“I am happy that these new developments will push through because these will make Mandaue City the next destination in the world of business, investments and tourism,” Ouano said.
Sun.Star Network Online's 12th Asean Summit watch
Apart from the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), the Cebu Boardwalk, other developments in the area will include a hotel, casino, recreational facility, a school and the relocation of a duty free outlet, Ouano told reporters in a press conference last Friday.
Although Ouano did not disclose the hotel’s name, he said a pool of Hong Kong investors will build and manage a 12-story five-star hotel which will begin construction in the next three years.
He said the hotel, which will include a casino, will be situated right across the CICC and will occupy some five hectares.
Likewise, Ouano said Manila-based developer FF Cruz and Co. Inc (FFCCI) and Duty Free Philippines have signed a memorandum of agreement for the latter’s new site.
He said Duty Free Philippines, which plans to construct its own building within the vicinity of the Cebu Boardwalk, will move to its new location by March next year.
Completion
The on-going construction of the multi-billion 50-hectare Cebu Boardwalk project is set for completion in the middle of next year, Ouano also revealed.
Aside from the retirement city and theme park, the Cebu Boardwalk will also have an 8,000-square-meter amphitheater park, cinemas, an art gallery, a marina, a yacht club, a marina promenade and a Zen center.
Full swing
It will also have a tourist center, visitor center, souvenir shops, antique shops, restaurant strips, fast food chains, food court, retail shops, banks, themed flea market and a trade and exhibition center.
Ouano added that the construction of the P235-million recreational facility by Golden Great Value Properties is now in “full swing.”
Under the agreement between the City and Golden Great Value Properties, the firm will lease nearly six hectares of a City-owned lot, including the site of the unfinished Uniwide building.
In a separate interview, Cebu Doctors’ Hospital Inc. president Potenciano Larra-zabal Jr. said as early as January, some classes will already be held in the new site of the Cebu Doctors’ University, located within the north reclamation area.
With the putting up of business establishments at the MNRA next year, Ouano said the city is already studying the proposition of new public utility jeepney routes.
Ouano added that because of the new developments, the City has redirected the zoning of the reclamation area to complement the CICC.
“The establishment of the CICC is giving us the opportunity to reposition our planning initiatives, from an industrial hub to an emerging convention city of Asia,” City administrator Serafin Blanco said earlier.
MNRA has a total land area of 180 hectares, 32 percent of which belongs to the City while the rest is owned by FFCCI. (MMM)".
"SEVERAL multimillion-peso establishments will soon rise at the Mandaue North Reclamation Area (MNRA) and is expected to expedite the promotion of the city as an “emerging convention center in Asia,” Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano said.
“I am happy that these new developments will push through because these will make Mandaue City the next destination in the world of business, investments and tourism,” Ouano said.
Sun.Star Network Online's 12th Asean Summit watch
Apart from the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), the Cebu Boardwalk, other developments in the area will include a hotel, casino, recreational facility, a school and the relocation of a duty free outlet, Ouano told reporters in a press conference last Friday.
Although Ouano did not disclose the hotel’s name, he said a pool of Hong Kong investors will build and manage a 12-story five-star hotel which will begin construction in the next three years.
He said the hotel, which will include a casino, will be situated right across the CICC and will occupy some five hectares.
Likewise, Ouano said Manila-based developer FF Cruz and Co. Inc (FFCCI) and Duty Free Philippines have signed a memorandum of agreement for the latter’s new site.
He said Duty Free Philippines, which plans to construct its own building within the vicinity of the Cebu Boardwalk, will move to its new location by March next year.
Completion
The on-going construction of the multi-billion 50-hectare Cebu Boardwalk project is set for completion in the middle of next year, Ouano also revealed.
Aside from the retirement city and theme park, the Cebu Boardwalk will also have an 8,000-square-meter amphitheater park, cinemas, an art gallery, a marina, a yacht club, a marina promenade and a Zen center.
Full swing
It will also have a tourist center, visitor center, souvenir shops, antique shops, restaurant strips, fast food chains, food court, retail shops, banks, themed flea market and a trade and exhibition center.
Ouano added that the construction of the P235-million recreational facility by Golden Great Value Properties is now in “full swing.”
Under the agreement between the City and Golden Great Value Properties, the firm will lease nearly six hectares of a City-owned lot, including the site of the unfinished Uniwide building.
In a separate interview, Cebu Doctors’ Hospital Inc. president Potenciano Larra-zabal Jr. said as early as January, some classes will already be held in the new site of the Cebu Doctors’ University, located within the north reclamation area.
With the putting up of business establishments at the MNRA next year, Ouano said the city is already studying the proposition of new public utility jeepney routes.
Ouano added that because of the new developments, the City has redirected the zoning of the reclamation area to complement the CICC.
“The establishment of the CICC is giving us the opportunity to reposition our planning initiatives, from an industrial hub to an emerging convention city of Asia,” City administrator Serafin Blanco said earlier.
MNRA has a total land area of 180 hectares, 32 percent of which belongs to the City while the rest is owned by FFCCI. (MMM)".
CBW - THE OLD CONCEPT (2004)
These renditions show the old concept that was presented
to the public late 2004.
to the public late 2004.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
CEBU BOARDWALK - MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS
VISION OF THE CEBU BOARDWALK
In partnership with its locators, to transform the entire 50-hectare area into a world-class visitor destination, utilizing its natural advantages in order to aggregate people and generate business activities in the process
MISSION OF THE CEBU BOARDWALK
To establish a well planned, landscaped, and well-maintained community complete with infrastructures, facilities and ameneties
In partnership with its locators, to transform the entire 50-hectare area into a world-class visitor destination, utilizing its natural advantages in order to aggregate people and generate business activities in the process
MISSION OF THE CEBU BOARDWALK
To establish a well planned, landscaped, and well-maintained community complete with infrastructures, facilities and ameneties
CEBU BOARDWALK MARKETING KIT
This is the original 2005 Marketing Kit write-up as conceptualized by my good friend Yvonne Gomos:
Cebu beckons
Cebu, an island in the Pacific, is one that exudes vibrancy and pulsates with life. Cebu successfully blends tradition and modernism in a bustling metropolis.
Cebu is a favorite shopping, recreation, relaxation, and wellness destination. The cosmopolitan nature of the population, as reflected in the malls, restos, cafes, and clubs, offers an exciting choice of dining, entertainment, and leisure.
Cebu is an ideal investment location with its diverse set of supporting industries and well-placed and balanced infrastructure developments. It has all the ingredients necessary to be competitive and sustain investments---a high quality of life; a strategic location at the center of the Asia-Pacific Region; renowned investor-friendly atmosphere; salient economic activities; a quality pool of educated, young, versatile, and English-speaking human resources; and a high standard health care and state-of-the-art medical facilities.
Having one of the best records for peace and order in the country, Cebu is the commercial and business hub and the tourism gateway for the Central and Southern Philippines. Cebu’s International Airport in Mactan Island facilitates comfortable and easy movement for both international and domestic travelers. The number of weekly international flights to and from Mactan is constantly increasing. At present, Cebu has regular direct international flights to the following destinations: Narita, Hongkong, Singapore, Seoul, Kota Kinabalu, and Qatar. There are also chartered and extra flights to the following: Nagoya, Incheon, Kansai, Kaoshiung, and Taipei. Direct international flights to Guam, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur will soon be opened. Cebu is the most accessible and visited place in the Philippines, with more domestic air and sea linkages than Manila.
Cebu is a favorite international and domestic tourism destination with its year-round abundance of sunshine and smiles, world-class resorts, and hideaways one can call his own version of paradise. The top five visitors, 2000-2005, by country of residence are Japan, Korea, USA, Taiwan, and Hongkong. Japan, in particular, has been consistently the largest source market for the past ten years, averaging 27% to 30% share of total visitor arrivals. With a Cebu Plus vision of 5 million tourists per annum by 2010, Cebu is currently luring investments in deluxe hotels. Many foreigners are also discovering the desirability of this place as an urban retirement destination.
Cebu continues to enjoy a prosperous economy due to stronger exports, increasing tourism and travel-related receipts, a boom in business process outsourcing (including call centers), and the influx of new direct foreign investments in the manufacturing, service, financial, and tourism sectors. In fact, it has established a track record in these areas. The Cebu real estate industry players are generally optimistic about the prospects for the construction and real estate industry this year with a growing domestic market and increasing consumer spending on modern living, recreation and leisure, entertainment, and health and wellness.
Cebu is definitely a haven of endless possibilities under the sun!
Celebrate island life
In celebration of Cebu’s vibrant island living, a new concept of development is set to transform the Mandaue South Reclamation Project into the latest premier business/commercial, institutional, tourism, leisure, and lifestyle destination of the metropolis---a place where the pulse of the island beats at its loudest and where everyone wants to be.
The Cebu Boardwalk is a 50-hectare master-planned, landscaped, and well-maintained development fronting the Mactan Channel. Aside from its sizeable land area, the unique strength of the property is its wide sea frontage. It is approximately 20 to 25 minutes from the Cebu International Airport and 5 minutes from the Cebu International Port.
Its overall development vision is as follows:
The project shall embody the key principle of an integrated master planned development, featuring a one-stop destination to work, live, and play.
Given the prevailing market conditions and trends, the key components of the project shall include:
Cebu’s premier business/commercial, institutional, and tourism hub;
Themed luxury residential enclaves and/or a retirement city, anchored by a marina and yacht club and a sports and leisure club; and
Themed leisure and recreation destination, with a _____-meter esplanade and a _____-square-meter open amphitheater, offering a unique shopping, dining, entertainment, and recreational experience.
As shown in ________, the project has the following major development pods that define its distinct identity and character:
Business/Commercial and Institutional Pods. Capitalizing on the Ouano Avenue frontage, the mixed use office and commercial cluster will be located at the forefront of the property. It will serve as the project’s gateway with high volume traffic and high value commercial use. This will provide the alternative business addresses and corporate headquarters.
The institutional cluster already features the Cebu Doctors’ University, a prestigious university offering courses in medicine and the allied sciences. An international school has also expressed its intention to locate in the area.
Tourism and Leisure and Recreation Pods. The tourism pod shall feature a deluxe sprawling hotel or a Boca Raton concept of hotels, with a strategic view of the channel. There is an existing deficit of approximately 4,000 hotel rooms in Cebu. The very good prospect of introducing a hotel element in the project is further strengthened by the good occupancy rates of the hotel industry, most especially in the deluxe, first class, and standard categories.
The leisure and recreation pod is envisioned to become the premier events, dining, and shopping destination in Cebu.
Lifestyle and Living Pods. This will be located along the waterfront zone connecting up to Zuellig Avenue. It will feature an elite marina and yacht club and a sports and leisure club in an exclusive setting, both offering club shares for its privileged members. A high-end marina subdivision and/or a retirement city is also envisioned in this area.
Diagonally across the project is the future 3-hectare Center for Industry and Trade Exposition or CITEX, a PhP 584-million project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA. Its mission is to support the economic development in the country by hosting international and local trade exhibitions, conventions, training, and other trade promotion and business development services. It is strongly committed to its vision of being the prime venue for attaining the overall vision of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development (SMED) plan.
Positioned as a world-class destination, Cebu Boardwalk shall play an integral role in the Cebu Master Plan as one of three centerpieces along the Cebu Tourism Corridor, that runs along the length of the road from the Mandaue South Reclamation Area to Kawit Island at the South Road Properties. The presence of Ouano Avenue, the widest major thoroughfare that transverses the site, provides a direct access to traffic coming from Northern Cebu to Southern Cebu and vice-versa and from Northern/Southern Cebu to Mactan Island and vice-versa, making it the gateway for Metro Cebu.
Cebu beckons
Cebu, an island in the Pacific, is one that exudes vibrancy and pulsates with life. Cebu successfully blends tradition and modernism in a bustling metropolis.
Cebu is a favorite shopping, recreation, relaxation, and wellness destination. The cosmopolitan nature of the population, as reflected in the malls, restos, cafes, and clubs, offers an exciting choice of dining, entertainment, and leisure.
Cebu is an ideal investment location with its diverse set of supporting industries and well-placed and balanced infrastructure developments. It has all the ingredients necessary to be competitive and sustain investments---a high quality of life; a strategic location at the center of the Asia-Pacific Region; renowned investor-friendly atmosphere; salient economic activities; a quality pool of educated, young, versatile, and English-speaking human resources; and a high standard health care and state-of-the-art medical facilities.
Having one of the best records for peace and order in the country, Cebu is the commercial and business hub and the tourism gateway for the Central and Southern Philippines. Cebu’s International Airport in Mactan Island facilitates comfortable and easy movement for both international and domestic travelers. The number of weekly international flights to and from Mactan is constantly increasing. At present, Cebu has regular direct international flights to the following destinations: Narita, Hongkong, Singapore, Seoul, Kota Kinabalu, and Qatar. There are also chartered and extra flights to the following: Nagoya, Incheon, Kansai, Kaoshiung, and Taipei. Direct international flights to Guam, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur will soon be opened. Cebu is the most accessible and visited place in the Philippines, with more domestic air and sea linkages than Manila.
Cebu is a favorite international and domestic tourism destination with its year-round abundance of sunshine and smiles, world-class resorts, and hideaways one can call his own version of paradise. The top five visitors, 2000-2005, by country of residence are Japan, Korea, USA, Taiwan, and Hongkong. Japan, in particular, has been consistently the largest source market for the past ten years, averaging 27% to 30% share of total visitor arrivals. With a Cebu Plus vision of 5 million tourists per annum by 2010, Cebu is currently luring investments in deluxe hotels. Many foreigners are also discovering the desirability of this place as an urban retirement destination.
Cebu continues to enjoy a prosperous economy due to stronger exports, increasing tourism and travel-related receipts, a boom in business process outsourcing (including call centers), and the influx of new direct foreign investments in the manufacturing, service, financial, and tourism sectors. In fact, it has established a track record in these areas. The Cebu real estate industry players are generally optimistic about the prospects for the construction and real estate industry this year with a growing domestic market and increasing consumer spending on modern living, recreation and leisure, entertainment, and health and wellness.
Cebu is definitely a haven of endless possibilities under the sun!
Celebrate island life
In celebration of Cebu’s vibrant island living, a new concept of development is set to transform the Mandaue South Reclamation Project into the latest premier business/commercial, institutional, tourism, leisure, and lifestyle destination of the metropolis---a place where the pulse of the island beats at its loudest and where everyone wants to be.
The Cebu Boardwalk is a 50-hectare master-planned, landscaped, and well-maintained development fronting the Mactan Channel. Aside from its sizeable land area, the unique strength of the property is its wide sea frontage. It is approximately 20 to 25 minutes from the Cebu International Airport and 5 minutes from the Cebu International Port.
Its overall development vision is as follows:
The project shall embody the key principle of an integrated master planned development, featuring a one-stop destination to work, live, and play.
Given the prevailing market conditions and trends, the key components of the project shall include:
Cebu’s premier business/commercial, institutional, and tourism hub;
Themed luxury residential enclaves and/or a retirement city, anchored by a marina and yacht club and a sports and leisure club; and
Themed leisure and recreation destination, with a _____-meter esplanade and a _____-square-meter open amphitheater, offering a unique shopping, dining, entertainment, and recreational experience.
As shown in ________, the project has the following major development pods that define its distinct identity and character:
Business/Commercial and Institutional Pods. Capitalizing on the Ouano Avenue frontage, the mixed use office and commercial cluster will be located at the forefront of the property. It will serve as the project’s gateway with high volume traffic and high value commercial use. This will provide the alternative business addresses and corporate headquarters.
The institutional cluster already features the Cebu Doctors’ University, a prestigious university offering courses in medicine and the allied sciences. An international school has also expressed its intention to locate in the area.
Tourism and Leisure and Recreation Pods. The tourism pod shall feature a deluxe sprawling hotel or a Boca Raton concept of hotels, with a strategic view of the channel. There is an existing deficit of approximately 4,000 hotel rooms in Cebu. The very good prospect of introducing a hotel element in the project is further strengthened by the good occupancy rates of the hotel industry, most especially in the deluxe, first class, and standard categories.
The leisure and recreation pod is envisioned to become the premier events, dining, and shopping destination in Cebu.
Lifestyle and Living Pods. This will be located along the waterfront zone connecting up to Zuellig Avenue. It will feature an elite marina and yacht club and a sports and leisure club in an exclusive setting, both offering club shares for its privileged members. A high-end marina subdivision and/or a retirement city is also envisioned in this area.
Diagonally across the project is the future 3-hectare Center for Industry and Trade Exposition or CITEX, a PhP 584-million project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA. Its mission is to support the economic development in the country by hosting international and local trade exhibitions, conventions, training, and other trade promotion and business development services. It is strongly committed to its vision of being the prime venue for attaining the overall vision of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development (SMED) plan.
Positioned as a world-class destination, Cebu Boardwalk shall play an integral role in the Cebu Master Plan as one of three centerpieces along the Cebu Tourism Corridor, that runs along the length of the road from the Mandaue South Reclamation Area to Kawit Island at the South Road Properties. The presence of Ouano Avenue, the widest major thoroughfare that transverses the site, provides a direct access to traffic coming from Northern Cebu to Southern Cebu and vice-versa and from Northern/Southern Cebu to Mactan Island and vice-versa, making it the gateway for Metro Cebu.
MY CBW AFFAIR
My affair with Cebu Boardwalk started way back in 2003 when I was then an independent lease and marketing consultant.
A good friend Johnson Go, then AVP - Business Development for the Robinsons Retail Group, had requested me to gather some data about a projected Cebu Boardwalk development in Mandaue City. Being new to the business community of Cebu, I called up Denden Alo, another buddy, hoping to gather some info about said project. I was in luck, because Denden happened to be connected with the project. Excited that the Robinsons Group were asking about CBW, she then introduced me to her superior, Yvonne Gomos.
We met at the then Vienna Cafe at JY Square - me, Denden and Yvonne. Denden had warned me earlier about Yvonne, i.e., that she was strictly formal, "the professor type" of person (which I later on found out was her former profession - a professor at UP Cebu), and somewhat the conservative type. Both Denden and I were the outgoing types, very casual and certainly not the conservative ones.
So, I had to somewhat condition myself a bit when I went into this meeting due to that earlier warning of my friend. Denden was already at Vienna Cafe when I arrived. Yvonne was a bit late. Introductions were made, and as the meeting progressed, I warmed up to the lady. She was what Denden described to a T. But I also found her to be very warm, friendly, gracious and very open to ideas. The meeting progressed well, and I got the information I needed. I was also recruited by the two CBW ladies to help them out in the leasing aspect of the developmet, as consultant.
Over the next months, I saw these two form the project group that would run the project. They had their first office at the HSBC Bldg near Mango Square. The project group now consisted of 6 staff - Yvonne Gomos, Butch Soson, Denden Alo, Chiqui Crystal, Grace Lopez and Kookie Gutierrez.
I assisted the group by providing relevant leasing documents/data and invite/negotiate major anchor locators, particularly the Robinsons Retail group, Robinsons Movieworld, Archie Flores, WATC, Pure Gold, ; other specialty retail stores in the likes of SSI, Mango, Chains, the 50th Ave. Store, Shiseido, Dockers, Body Shop, MFG, Tokyo Fashion and other locals.
In 2004, the project was presented to the public at Marriott Hotel in Cebu City. The grandness of the concept awed all those that were present in that project launch. It was a grand affair too, with all the FF Cruz bigwigs in attendance headed by its owner Mr. Felipe Cruz.
Remember, the project was launched in 2004. It was conceptualized years before. You would think that by now the project would already have been well ahead in its operational stage, right?
Well, unfortunately, as of this writing, the project is yet to open. Don't ask me why. Only top management can answer that.
BTW, I have to put this on record that I wa never given any form of compensation for the work that I did with CBW in the early years.
A good friend Johnson Go, then AVP - Business Development for the Robinsons Retail Group, had requested me to gather some data about a projected Cebu Boardwalk development in Mandaue City. Being new to the business community of Cebu, I called up Denden Alo, another buddy, hoping to gather some info about said project. I was in luck, because Denden happened to be connected with the project. Excited that the Robinsons Group were asking about CBW, she then introduced me to her superior, Yvonne Gomos.
We met at the then Vienna Cafe at JY Square - me, Denden and Yvonne. Denden had warned me earlier about Yvonne, i.e., that she was strictly formal, "the professor type" of person (which I later on found out was her former profession - a professor at UP Cebu), and somewhat the conservative type. Both Denden and I were the outgoing types, very casual and certainly not the conservative ones.
So, I had to somewhat condition myself a bit when I went into this meeting due to that earlier warning of my friend. Denden was already at Vienna Cafe when I arrived. Yvonne was a bit late. Introductions were made, and as the meeting progressed, I warmed up to the lady. She was what Denden described to a T. But I also found her to be very warm, friendly, gracious and very open to ideas. The meeting progressed well, and I got the information I needed. I was also recruited by the two CBW ladies to help them out in the leasing aspect of the developmet, as consultant.
Over the next months, I saw these two form the project group that would run the project. They had their first office at the HSBC Bldg near Mango Square. The project group now consisted of 6 staff - Yvonne Gomos, Butch Soson, Denden Alo, Chiqui Crystal, Grace Lopez and Kookie Gutierrez.
I assisted the group by providing relevant leasing documents/data and invite/negotiate major anchor locators, particularly the Robinsons Retail group, Robinsons Movieworld, Archie Flores, WATC, Pure Gold, ; other specialty retail stores in the likes of SSI, Mango, Chains, the 50th Ave. Store, Shiseido, Dockers, Body Shop, MFG, Tokyo Fashion and other locals.
In 2004, the project was presented to the public at Marriott Hotel in Cebu City. The grandness of the concept awed all those that were present in that project launch. It was a grand affair too, with all the FF Cruz bigwigs in attendance headed by its owner Mr. Felipe Cruz.
Remember, the project was launched in 2004. It was conceptualized years before. You would think that by now the project would already have been well ahead in its operational stage, right?
Well, unfortunately, as of this writing, the project is yet to open. Don't ask me why. Only top management can answer that.
BTW, I have to put this on record that I wa never given any form of compensation for the work that I did with CBW in the early years.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
2004 DESCRIPTION
This is a news item taken from Sun.Star Cebu published in 2004, highlighting the Cebu Boardwalk project:
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Cebu Boardwalk aims to improve tourism
A MULTIBILLION-PESO project located in the Mandaue City reclamation area is expected to help boost the tourism potential of the province of Cebu.
Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 Regional Director Patria Aurora “Dawnie” Roa said the development of the Cebu Boardwalk (CB) by Manila-based developer FF Cruz & Co. Inc. (FFCCI) is timely, as it comes after President Arroyo recognized Cebu’s tourism potential by relocating the DOT national office to Cebu.
“Cebu (province), Mandaue specifically, is lucky to have an investor at this point where Cebu is now the focus of tourism,” she said during the presentation of the CB to prospective locators Monday at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel.
Roa said the President is speeding up the transfer of the DOT national office to Cebu, as there are proposals for the agency to stay at the Malacañang in the South, while waiting for the completion of the DOT building at Kawit Point in the South Road Properties (formerly South Reclamation Project).
The boardwalk, designed as a tourism and leisure hub in Cebu, will sit on the 14-hectare area of the 118-hectare Mandaue reclamation project, also a project of FFCCI.
Controversy
FFCCI president Felipe Cruz expressed his joy over the start of the Cebu Boardwalk’s development, which he described as a project “filled with controversies.”
“Now all cases have been dismissed, and we are starting the development.
The idea, which was born in 1996, will soon be materialized,” he said.
CB property management director Yvonne Gomos said the horizontal development of CB will start today, while building construction is set to begin next month.
She said FFCCI aims to complete the project by June next year.
The company has already received letters of intent (LOI) from prospective investors, who have expressed interest in investing in the development, Gomos said.
She said FFCCI would like to attract locators, half of which would be from Cebu, with the rest coming from outside Cebu, including companies overseas.
Investors
Prospective investors include a group from the United States that wants to develop four hectares of the Boardwalk into a retirement city and a Korean theme park operator, which expressed interest in running CB’s one-hectare family theme park.
Aside from the retirement city and theme park, Cebu Boardwalk will also have an 8,000-square-meter amphitheater park, which will be an ideal venue for concerts, theater productions, cultural presentations and huge expositions; cinemas; art gallery; marina and yacht club; marina promenade; a Zen center where fitness gyms, health spas, hair salons and skin and body care salons will be located.
It will also have a tourist center, visitor center, souvenir shops, antique shops, duty free shops, restaurant strips, fastfood chains, food court, retail shops, banks, themed flea market and a trade and exhibition center.
Gomos said FFCCI aims to transform the area into a world-class visitor destination, aside from spurring economic and financial development in Mandaue. This will enhance tourism and socio-economic activities, ensuring sustainable and excellent quality development. (JBN)
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Cebu Boardwalk aims to improve tourism
A MULTIBILLION-PESO project located in the Mandaue City reclamation area is expected to help boost the tourism potential of the province of Cebu.
Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 Regional Director Patria Aurora “Dawnie” Roa said the development of the Cebu Boardwalk (CB) by Manila-based developer FF Cruz & Co. Inc. (FFCCI) is timely, as it comes after President Arroyo recognized Cebu’s tourism potential by relocating the DOT national office to Cebu.
“Cebu (province), Mandaue specifically, is lucky to have an investor at this point where Cebu is now the focus of tourism,” she said during the presentation of the CB to prospective locators Monday at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel.
Roa said the President is speeding up the transfer of the DOT national office to Cebu, as there are proposals for the agency to stay at the Malacañang in the South, while waiting for the completion of the DOT building at Kawit Point in the South Road Properties (formerly South Reclamation Project).
The boardwalk, designed as a tourism and leisure hub in Cebu, will sit on the 14-hectare area of the 118-hectare Mandaue reclamation project, also a project of FFCCI.
Controversy
FFCCI president Felipe Cruz expressed his joy over the start of the Cebu Boardwalk’s development, which he described as a project “filled with controversies.”
“Now all cases have been dismissed, and we are starting the development.
The idea, which was born in 1996, will soon be materialized,” he said.
CB property management director Yvonne Gomos said the horizontal development of CB will start today, while building construction is set to begin next month.
She said FFCCI aims to complete the project by June next year.
The company has already received letters of intent (LOI) from prospective investors, who have expressed interest in investing in the development, Gomos said.
She said FFCCI would like to attract locators, half of which would be from Cebu, with the rest coming from outside Cebu, including companies overseas.
Investors
Prospective investors include a group from the United States that wants to develop four hectares of the Boardwalk into a retirement city and a Korean theme park operator, which expressed interest in running CB’s one-hectare family theme park.
Aside from the retirement city and theme park, Cebu Boardwalk will also have an 8,000-square-meter amphitheater park, which will be an ideal venue for concerts, theater productions, cultural presentations and huge expositions; cinemas; art gallery; marina and yacht club; marina promenade; a Zen center where fitness gyms, health spas, hair salons and skin and body care salons will be located.
It will also have a tourist center, visitor center, souvenir shops, antique shops, duty free shops, restaurant strips, fastfood chains, food court, retail shops, banks, themed flea market and a trade and exhibition center.
Gomos said FFCCI aims to transform the area into a world-class visitor destination, aside from spurring economic and financial development in Mandaue. This will enhance tourism and socio-economic activities, ensuring sustainable and excellent quality development. (JBN)
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