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GM's Corner: The Audacity of Hope

By: Rodolfo L. Menes (Added: 2009-01-07)

Pueblo de Oro has a history of venturing into the less-trodden path. In the mid-90's, we set our sights on marginal pastureland in what was then the outskirts of Cagayan de Oro. While most development was concentrated in the downtown area, we staunchly set forth in building a 360-hectare mixed use Township in what is now known as Upper Carmen, CdeO.

At our audacity in laying our cards on the then-empty expanse of land before us, many were doubtful. We dreamt of residential villages, a bustling commercial center, of residents and locators all joined together in one community.

Pinning our hopes on the land that would become Pueblo de Oro did not mean unpreparedness. Our master-plan was put together by Louis Berger International. We hired renown golf course architect Robert Trent Jones II to design Pueblo Golf's world class championship course. When we said that SM City would be coming to Pueblo, many dismissed this as rumor. Despite the difficulties we all faced, such as the then Asian Financial crisis, we continued to build and continued to hope - our ultimate object being our hope in God - that He will honor good and faithful work.

We were fortunate that all of these elements came together, and by God's grace, our audacity has paid off. The top mall chain in the country, SM City, materialized in the Township in 2002. The top educational institution in the region, Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan), not only transferred their high school department to Pueblo, but opened a grade school campus as well. Concentrix, then known as Link2Support, opened Cagayan de Oro's first and largest call center in the Pueblo I.T. Ecozone, which is the first I.T. Park in Mindanao.

Despite the current turmoil in the world financial markets, we are prepared to weather the storm. The attractive financing schemes and other options including those of partners like Pag-IBIG continue to give buyers the chance to own their homes at rates they can afford. In addition, OFWs and balikbayans who are looking to return to the Philippines where the cost of living is markedly lower continue to be drawn to our projects.

We at Pueblo de Oro remain bullish that 2009 will be better than ever. With the opening of new Phases of Forest View Homes and Golden Glow North 2, a new residential subdivision right beside the Oro Chamber Business Promotion Centre, we continue to offer affordable and value-for-money housing products. We also have several new projects which we are excited to open to the public early next year. Indeed, like U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama in his second book, we have the audacity of hope.