PHINMA Property Holdings Corporation (PHINMA Properties) is investing an estimated P12 billion in a 21-hectare township along the Bacolod-Silay Access Road in Barangay Bata, Bacolod City, its officials announced on Thursday, July 18.
The Saludad township is designed to capture and preserve the essence of Bacolod living while incorporating modern conveniences and sustainable practices into its neighborhoods and state-of-the-art amenities, they said.
“This city’s strategic location and dynamic economy provide an ideal setting to create a community that seamlessly blends modernity with tradition and nature,” Raphael B. Felix, PHINMA Properties president and CEO, said at a media roundtable discussion at Seda Capitol Central in Bacolod City.
Bacolod’s economy has grown by 9.8 percent in 2022, which was driven by the growth posted by all industries. This positive trend has enabled the city’s continuous urbanization and high employment rate that resulted in the need for more housing and real estate in the area, a PHINMA press statement said.
“Bacolod is becoming an economic powerhouse and a big part of that has to do with the LGU…The current administration has done a lot to make Bacolod what it is,” said Felix, who also cited the ease of doing business in the city.
PARTNERS
PHINMA Properties is building Saludad in partnership, JEPP Real Estate Co. composed of the Jacinto, Echaus and Puentevella families of Bacolod City.
JEEP was represented by sisters Regina Jacinto-Barrientos, Patricia Jacinto-Golez and Agnes Jacinto-Tinsay at the roundtable discussion with the media.
Jacinto-Golez said their elders told them not to let go of the land to just anyone so they are glad to partner with PHINMA whose chairman emeritus is Negrense Oscar Hilado who is a man of integrity.
They are also happy that PHINMA adopted the vision of her father, architect Filoteo “Teng” Jacinto, on how to develop the land, she added.
Her father is turning 96 but the JEEP family’s dream is going to happen, Jacinto-Golez said.
Barrientos called their partnership with PHINMA a “joyful adventure”. Saludad will definitely be a pride and joy of Bacolod, she said.
SUPER CITY
“We are happy to be part of Bacolod’s journey to becoming a super city through Saludad. The residential developments, leisure amenities, commercial spaces, and other features of the township will undeniably attract more residents as well as opportunities for growth in the city,” Felix said.
“We are committed to ensure that our projects add value to the regions we operate in”, he said.
This vision is aligned with the local government’s ambition of transforming Bacolod City into a “super city” as reiterated by Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez in his recent State of the City Address, emphasizing the goal of making Bacolod the “best place to live, work, and play”, the PHINMA press statement said.
Bacolod City stands as an emerging center of growth and opportunity in Western Visayas and across the Philippines, Paulo Reyes, PHINMA vice president and chief township officer said.
He noted that Bacolod is one of the nine cities in the country to be included in the Oxford Economics Global Index 2024 and the only city in Western Visayas to be on the list.
He also said they are upbeat about Bacolod’s economy because it is a top destination for IT and BPO activities in the Philippines.
It is also the second highest OFW-generating province in Western Visayas, he noted.
DEVELOPMENT STARTS
He said land development for the township has started. The first phase will include the development of a hotel, commercial lots and midrise buildings, Reyes said.
The township is backdropped by the panoramic view of Negros Occidental’s scenic mountains- Mt. Silay, Mt. Kanlaon and Mt. Mandalagan.*