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SUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2017
Business
Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@thestandard.com.ph
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DUSITD2.
The planned dusitD2 Resort, San Juan.
DEVELOPERS BRING MALIBU TO LA UNION A
GROUP of real estate developers tapped Thai hospitality company Dusit International to manage a hotel in a Malibuinspired project in La Union province.
Fausto Liriano, chairman and chief executive of RCL Realty & Consulting Ser vices, says dusitD2 Resort will rise within the 7.5-hectare Waves Beach Club and Residences in Barangay Panisican, San Juan, La Union—the country’s surfing capital. The project is envisioned to be a high-end and secure residential resort community in Northern Luzon. “All the projects we work on have a theme. In this case, with the development of Waves Beach Club and Residences, we have the theme of Malibu, California. So there is consistency in the development and at the same time, we want to protect the investment of different investors who are going to invest in our development,” says Liriano, a 38-year-old civil engineer from the Dominican Republic. Liriano heads RCL Realty & Consulting Services, a real estate and proper ty development advisory firm headquartered in Makati City and with a satellite office in La Union.
RCL stands for Rojas, Chong and Liriano—the names of the three partners. Aside from Liriano, the other partners are Francisco Custodio Rojas from Spain, who serves as the vice president for investor relation and David Chong from Panama who is the vice president for marketing. RCL is composed of a diverse team of exper ts who have accumulated years of experience not only in the Philippines, but also in 15 countries in three continents across the globe. RCL is developing Waves Beach Club and Residences, together with Brightbeam Corp. which owns properties in Tagaytay, Bulacan, La Union and Baguio City and is the franchisee of Rapide Auto Service Experts, a chain of quick service center for motor vehicles. Liriano says dusitD2 Resort, San Juan will sit at the front of Waves Beach Club and Residences which is slated to open by the first quarter of 2019. He says dusitD2 Resort will be an eight-story hotel with 174 rooms and two levels of basement
parking. He says dusitD2 Resort, San Juan will also offer residences divided between two to three condominium towers and a minimum of 50 villas. Facilities will include a gym, spa, swimming pool, two restaurants, two bars and a 1,000-capacity function room. Guests will have a direct access to the property’s private beach in Urbiztondo, the famed surfing spot. “It is the first of its kind in the area, and is expected to bring in more tourists, secondhome buyers and other forms of investments to the area,” says Liriano. D u s i t I n te r n a t i o n a l h a s previously opened dusitD2 resorts in Thailand, the United States, China and Kenya, and is in the process of opening twelve more properties in China, the Philippines, Oman, Bhutan, United Arab Emirates, Myanmar and Qatar. “It is a part of the aggressive expansion plan of Dusit International in the Philippines. Now Dusit is working on more than 50 projects worldwide,” says Liriano. Liriano says the partnership with Dusit will assure homebuyers of the quality of the project. “You can have a peace of mind, because
the one managing your property is Dusit,” he says. “This is what the brand is promising—luxurious hospitality.” Liriano says the target market of the residential project include residents of San Fernando and La Union province, overseas Filipino workers, professionals and the income groups A to C. “ The market is open to everyone, but the lifestyle is there. It is a good investment,” he says. He says the project is designed with luxury, comfort and safety of residents in mind. “It is floodfree. We are assuring you that the development has already been tested and it is not flooded. I am pretty sure that Dusit before they partnered with our group, has already done a study,” he says. Liriano says the project will also help bring more tourists to La Union and contribute to the development of the province. “We are very glad, and we look forward to the future of the province of La Union,” he says. “The arrival of dusitD2 branded properties in La Union signifies positive growth in the real estate and proper ty development industry of Region 1,” says Evelyn Singson, Philippine Hoteliers Inc. vice chairman and president. Roderick T. dela Cruz
SOLAR NOW CHEAPEST SOURCE OF ENERGY SOLAR power is becoming the world’s cheapest form of new electricity generation, according to an international group of renewable energy and financial experts. A recent report from the Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a team of experts in cross-sectors and crossgeography trends spread across six continents, shows that solar now outranks wind as the cheapest form of renewable energy, and is outperforming coal and gas as well. The report showed that solar energy prices in China, India, Brazil and 55 other emerging market economies have dropped to about one third of its price in 2010. This is owed largely to China’s massive deployment of solar, and the assistance it had provided to other countries financing their own solar projects. In light of this development, members of civil society and renewable energy advocates reiterated their push for the Duterte administration to review and adjust its energy trajectory, which relies heavily on coal for the generation of electricity. “The government can no longer hide under the guise of development in its support for coal,” said Gerry Arances, head convenor for the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development. “This latest report from the renewable energy sector confirms that not only does solar energy provide cleaner energy, but more sustainable and cheaper electricity for all.” “Aside from cheaper electricity, solar energy that is gathered and distributed through communitymanaged ‘mini-grids’ can also solve the problem of energy’s costliness and riskiness in the countryside,” said Arances. “Increased government support for solar energy would also enable communities in far-flung areas to finally be electrified, something that coal, which relies heavily on large mega-grids for distribution, has failed to do,” he said. The group has been vocal in highlighting the increasing economic cost of coal, as it is projected by economic experts as stranded assets, meaning that Filipinos will end up paying more for electricity generated from coal power plants in the next 25 years in their electric bills, as the technology is becoming more and more obsolete. “Despite this, the Department of Energy’s Philippine Energy Plan, leads us to relying on more coal for the next 15 years, instead of transitioning away from it,” Arances said. According to the PEP, coal is set to have a big share in the country’s primary energy supply even under a low-carbon scenario, with coal still having a growth rate of 4.8 percent, giving it a 25.2 percent average share in the primary energy supply.
FIORGELATO GOES INTERNATIONAL FIORGELATO, the country’s most popular home-grown, best-tasting and purest gelatos made from 100-percent fresh milk and natural gelato ingredients and formula from Italy, is taking steps to prepare the company for its international expansion while making sure to capitalize on the opportunities of the regional integration. Fiorgelato, which marked its 25th anniversary in 2016 with over a hundred outlets nationwide, recently opened its newest outlet at the country’s international gateway Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 to serve departing international passengers its signature gelato brand and its Fior Café with pasta, pastries, freshly brewed coffee mixes. Milkin Corp., the company behind Fiorgelato, was established in 1989 under a Filipino-Italian business venture. The company started as Designer’s Ice Cream Manufacturing Company created to formulate tailored ice cream products. The specially prepared ice cream catered well-known restaurants, hotels
and food chains in a “private labeling” arrangement. Within the same year, the company was also granted exclusive rights from Italy to manufacture, sell and distribute Fiorgelato “The Pure Italian Ice Cream” for the Philippine market. It created a big following from the AB market, which made Fiorgelato “the ice cream of the elite.” The company has penetrated various institutions like schools, exhibit halls, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, bake shops, office lounges and scooping stations. Milkin’ Corp. president and chief executive Richie Cuna, owner of Fiorgelato Ice Cream/ Fior Cafe, said his company is bullish on its international expansion and targets to establish presence in all Asian countries starting this year. Fiorgelato Ice Cream stores, available in all SM, Robinsons, and major malls nationwide, has been attracting startup entrepreneurs with its affordable franchising package and very marketable products that allow easy and fast recovery of their investment.
Milkin’ Corp. president and chief executive Richie Cuna (center) along with (from left) bartender Romer Renz Catalan, Milkin’ International Ltd. chief operating officer Angel Francisco and supervisors Janela Collantes and Jan Michael Rañosa.