Property developer starts work on condo tower

CEBU'S first urban village, The Persimmon, started its construction for the West Tower last month as the building’s bored pile foundation was completed last November 2008.

The Persimmon, located along M. J. Cuenco Avenue in Mabolo district is the first venture into vertical development by AboitizLand, Inc., one of Cebu’s most respected real property companies.

Engineer Jesmar Cabriles of AboitizLand’s Construction Management Team said the company opted to use bored pile foundation, despite its relatively higher cost (about P58 million), to ensure safety and stability of the high-rise structures that will be erected in the area.

AboitizLand marketing manager Leorelei Ylaya said the company spared no expense in establishing the foundation,
“because safety and quality are important to us.”

With the completion of the West Tower foundation, more surface development will be visible and “vecinos (Spanish for neighbors; AboitizLand’s reference to its clients and homeowners) will be able to track the progress of construction,” Ylaya said.

The much-anticipated Persimmon consists of four residential condominium towers with units featuring the awesome panorama of the Cebu harbor and the sea beyond and the majestic hills and mountains. It is the first condominium development that integrates a commercial and entertainment strip bringing a marked lifestyle shift for many Cebuanos.

Launched in 2008, The Persimmon’s West Tower is due for turnover in two years. Construction of the other parts of the project, including the three other residential towers is set to begin on a phased schedule.

Ylaya said: “The Persimmon is selling very well, as we had expected, and construction is proceeding as scheduled.”

AboitizLand chief operations officer Andoni Aboitiz earlier disclosed that advanced procurement of essential construction materials for the condominium project had allowed the company to avoid the inconvenience of dealing with a sudden surge in the prices of materials, assuring “the best value for vecinos’ money.”

Basak-Pardo collects P262T in property tax

HE Barangay.net project has enabled barangay Basak, Pardo in Cebu to receive P262,000 in real property tax payments from Feb. 27 to April 27 this year.

This was revealed by barangay captain Robert Cabarrubias last week.

“If not the first, Basak, Pardo is one of the few barangays in the Philippines that have this facility and service that accepts real property tax payment,” said Jeffrey Llanto, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) 7 senior research specialist.

Cebu City Hall has stationed a cashier to receive the real property tax payments in the barangay hall.

Before this facility was put up, all real property tax payments in the city were paid to the Cebu City Hall.

The Barangay.net project was launched in 2001 by the Barangay.Net Cebu Alliance Inc. with the assistance of the DOST and Central Visayas Information Sharing Network (Cvisnet) to give unconnected and underserved communities access to information and communications technology (ICT).

The pilot barangays were given computer sets with modems, fax machines and printers by Globe Telecom subsidiary Isla Communications Co. Inc. The Internet connection allowed them to gain access to Cebu City’s tax collection records and identify delinquent taxpayers within the area.

“We get a share of 30 percent of the real property tax collection we get in our own area,” said Cabarrubias.

Pilot

Basak, Pardo is the first of the eight pilot barangays to implement the project.
Cabarrubias said other barangays are now also interested and are in the process of acquiring the same information technology (IT)-enabled service, which offers many other benefits.

Basak, Pardo constituents now have access to vital information in the barangay, said Cabarrubias, who is also chairman of the Barangay.net Cebu Alliance Inc.

“Barangay clearance, administrative records, medical records in our health center, among many others, can now be done and found in our computerized database system,” he said. “This is actually a prelude to a paperless office.”

More units

The barangay hall has an IT room where five computer units are installed. Cabarrubias said they would acquire more computer units every year.

“Anybody can come and use for free our electronic library for research purposes,” he said.

“We also have a program called IT for Out of School Youth. With the help of DOST and Cvisnet, our youth can avail themselves of training and seminars on basic IT-related lessons. The barangay hall staff will also be trained, ” he said.

Another benefit of the system is transparency.

“Through our website (www.cvis.net.ph/basak-pardo), anyone can see and know our barangay budget, expenses, income and all other financial and social projects that the barangay is involved in,” said Cabarrubias.

There are more than 12,000 residents in Basak, Pardo, based on a 1998 survey, said the barangay chief, also called e-Captain by his fellow officers in the Barangay.net Cebu Alliance for his inclination toward and application of IT in his office.

Awareness

“This advancement and improvement in our services, however, would be meaningless if our people would not make use of this. We need to create IT awareness in our community and also encourage our people to integrate IT in their daily lives. I also encourage other barangay leaders to have IT facilities in their areas for faster and more convenient services to our constituents,” he said.

The Barangay.net Cebu Alliance Inc. will go to Escalante, Negros Occidental this week to conduct seminars and other services for barangay.net, said DOST’s Llanto.

Escalante is the first city in the country to virtually connect all its barangays. (ALC)