8990 Holdings Ventures Into High-End Market

8990 Holdings, one of the fastest growing real estate developers in the Philippines and listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange under the symbol “HOUSE,” will literally rise a thousand feet above sea level, as it enters into high-end property development. 8990 Holdings has agreed to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding shares of GENVI Development Corporation, one of Cebu’s top developers of high-end properties, including its flagship project, Monterrazas de Cebu.

A rare gem hidden for generations, Monterrazas de Cebu is the largest and last remaining contiguous mountain property development in the heart of Cebu City. The more than 200-hectare property, which has a commanding view of Cebu, Mactan, and Bohol, is a masterplanned integrated community with residential, commercial, and institutional clusters.

Its first set of phases have already been launched and are in varied stages of development. In 2007, Monterrazas de Cebu offered its first high-end residential community, The Peaks. Here, residents get to wake up to the most majestic views of the city and enjoy the five-star amenities of its clubhouse, Verandas.

The Verandas is to be perched on the highest peak of Monterrazas, featuring unmatched architectural beauty that gives residents a 360-degree view of not only the city, but the islands of Mactan, Bohol, and the Buhisan forests.

A year after it introduced The Peaks, Monterrazas de Cebu launched another residential community called North Ridge—an upscale subdivision focused on the core Filipino value of family, where they can share intimate bonds and make timeless memories without boundaries, all against a backdrop of the city skyline and the islands beyond.

In addition, residents of the North Ridge community can take delight in their own landmark clubhouse called The Pavilions. It features a free-form infinity pool, a play area, a lounge, and two function rooms.

These existing projects, however, are less than half of the total land area of Monterrazas de Cebu. With 8990 Holdings’ acquisition of GENVI Development Corporation, the development of these upscale subdivisions and high-end residential communities will definitely continue. In fact, the company also plans to offer other residential projects for those seeking luxury living close to the city.

“The acquisition of Monterrazas de Cebu firms up our intention to expand 8990 Holdings into other real estate segments that have proven to have strong demand in the past years,” said 8990 Holdings president and chief executive officer Willie J. Uy.

Prior to entering the upscale segment, 8990 Holdings has made big moves to beef up and support its plans.

The company acquired new technologies which will be used in developing Monterrazas de Cebu and its future projects. It is also exploring architectural designs seen in the top cities around the world which will be adopted in the next phase of the Monterrazas de Cebu development. Spearheading the sales team will be Dennis Lim, who joins 8990 Holdings as national sales head.

“We wanted to get someone who has the experience in the higher end market. We found this in Dennis Lim. His 21 years of experience in real estate and handling luxury projects, such as the Grand Hyatt Manila, was the main reason why we believed he would help bolster 8990 Holdings’ move towards this segment,” added Uy.

“Our ultimate goal is to become one of the largest property companies in the Philippines. Through organic growth we have been able to double our revenues to Php11.5 billion from a mere Php5.7 billion six years ago and expand our land bank to almost 600 hectares. The addition of Monterrazas de Cebu brings 8990 Holdings’ landbank to approximately 800 hectares. As with other top companies, it is a natural progression for one to move into new markets to achieve sustained exponential growth in the years to come.”

Last year, 8990 Holdings launched its leisure company, 8990 Leisure and Resorts. Its hospitality arm will spend Php5 billion in key destinations in Cebu, Makati, Davao, Palawan, Boracay, Siquijor, Alabang, Manila, Iloilo, Legazpi, Clark, Lapu-Lapu, Siargao, and Baguio.

8990 Holdings’ aggressive growth has indeed risen a thousand feet. And it looks like the company is showing no signs of letting up.

Siargao Surfers Win Coca-Cola Barkada Award for Instilling Value of Education, Environmental Protection

Siargao has witnessed a major spike in tourism in recent years because of avid Filipino and foreign surfers flocking to the surfing capital. Because of this, many local children have also developed a passion for the water sport. Seeing this desire among the local youth, a group of dedicated individuals were inspired to put up the Sun Crew, using surfing as a tool to make a positive change in the lives of the island’s locals.   

At the 16^th Ten Accomplished Youth Organization (TAYO) Awards, the Sun Crew was recognized as one of the main winners and was honored with the Coke Barkada Award for its innovative programs that have empowered local children and communities to build a brighter future and play a key role in protecting the environment.

Wemar Bonono, Sun Crew manager and co-founder, shared that his inspiration behind establishing the organization was to help the local children, especially because of his own experiences growing up in the island. At 14, Wemar dropped out of school and decided to work as a surfing instructor to provide for his family. 

“Actually, noong bata pa ‘ko hindi ako nag-e-eskwela kasi sobrang hirap ng buhay noon kasi wala pang tourists. Tapos ‘yung mga bata, ayaw ko rin na matulad sa akin. Marami silang nagtatanong kung pwede ba silang sumali at sabi ko ‘You’re welcome to join!’ Hindi kami namimili, basta nag-e-eskwela lang, ‘wag nila kalimutan yung pag-aaral, ‘yun ang importante,” shared Bonono.

To improve the children’s school attendance and to provide them with skills that will alleviate them from poverty, the Sun Crew started the Smart Sustainable Surfers (SSS) program where children earn Surfer Points for attending school and participating in other programs in exchange for surfboard use and surfing lessons. The SSS program resulted in a 100% increase in school attendance, with students attending 4 to 5 times a week.

Aside from motivating students to attend school; one of the main thrusts of Sun Crew is to make the children and the local community the custodians of the island’s environment. To address the increasing waste that is produced with rising tourist arrivals, Sun Crew conducts weekly beach clean-ups with the help of the Smart Surfers, locals, and volunteers; collects and segregates the waste of the barangay; and holds eco-bricking and up-cycling sessions.

With its goal of creating a sustainable and waste-free Siargao and uplifting local communities through education, the Sun Crew best embodies the Coca-Cola company values and is aligned with the company’s vision of a World Without Waste. In January 2018, Coca-Cola announced its commitment to collect and recycle one bottle for each that it sells globally by 2030 and the company continues to work towards this goal.

Coca-Cola has been a proud partner of the TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc. and continues to recognize outstanding youth organizations that are building a better Philippines through innovative programs. 

“Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines and TAYO go a long way. Our partnership began in 2005 through the Coke Barkada Award, a special recognition given to the TAYO finalist that shares our passion to improve wellbeing of communities with projects that are aligned with Coca-Cola’s sustainability priorities. We are grateful for this opportunity to stay connected to the youth through the TAYO awards,” shared Coca-Cola Foundation president Cecile Alcantara. 

The other 16th TAYO Awardees were AQILAH (Marawi City), Association of Young Environmental Journalists (Dumaguete City), Center for Sustainability Philippines, Inc. (Puerto Princesa City), Cuartero National High School Taliamba Ensemble, FLMIS YES – O (Iligan City), MIMAROPA Young Leaders (Oriental Mindoro), Philippine Accessible Disability Services, Inc. (Lapu-Lapu City), Team BakUNAWA (Iloilo City), and Tuklas Katutubo – Upper Lumabat Chapter.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company, offering over 500 brands in more than 200 countries and territories. In addition to the company’s Coca-Cola brands, our portfolio includes some of the world’s most valuable beverage brands, such as AdeS soy-based beverages, Ayataka green tea, Costa coffee, Dasani waters, Del Valle juices and nectars, Fanta, Georgia coffee, Gold Peak teas and coffees, Honest Tea, innocent smoothies and juices, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drinks, Simply juices, smartwater, Sprite, vitaminwater and ZICO coconut water. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We’re also working to reduce our environmental impact by replenishing water and promoting recycling. With our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.