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Thursday, June 26, 2003
Magsaysay: An enclave emerges
By Jo Magsaysay
Whatever
A first-of-its-kind in property development… ingenious, innovative, exciting, truly unique, it created a stir, may even make waves when the AC Enclave goes full speed in the development of the “Caribbean of Cebu.”
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Clusters of individually designed resort houses will be built in this Enclave, a botanical theme park in Tabogon with its seven coves facing the Camotes Sea and the island of Leyte, an hour and a half drive 80 kilometers from Cebu city on a less-traveled but cemented coastal road within hollering distance to 18-hole golf courses, the Club Filipino in Danao and the Mercedes Plantation Golf and Country Club in Medellin and just 15 minutes to the five-star Alegre beach resort in Sogod.
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Seven architects were engaged to individually design resort houses for the Enclave. You’ve got designer gowns, designer shoes, designer watches. Now you’re going to have a designer house according to the creativity and artistry of any one of these talented young architects heir signatures: Ed Daang creates “a contemporary retreat that would optimize spectacular views of the natural landscape, water and sky and enhance the opportunity for lifestyle of indoor and outdoor living.” Arnulfo Crusit Wong University of San Carlos faculty of architecture for 12 years envisions three houses in his cluster “after all, three is not a crowd rather it is company,” naming them “Last Train,” “Hound Dog” and “Teddy Bear” cute and playful split- level with wading pools, upper decks with bar and sundial, balconies end bridges. Chito Alcordo with impressive credentials (CIT Harvard for BS and Master’s degrees, national president of the United Architects of the Philippines and past chairman of Architects Council, Asia) came up with three houses in his cluster with an ocean view form the roof deck, a cylinder-shaped house, terraces, a high ceiling, a clerestory and skylight for ventilation and light.
Arsenio Abella with major projects in Ayala Alabang, AAP awardee in sculpture, outstanding alumnus, member of the college of fellows in architecture who believes “architecture is a sculpture of voids, a masterful use of his medium expressed in the intention of what the building wants” translates his houses in sculptural and geometrical designs. Michael Angelo Colmenares has “solitude” in mind designing wall to wall glass solarium and “Nautilus” in the chambered clam-shaped house. Alex Medalla of the designing family, building high rise residential and commercial houses in Brunei, Hong Kong and “committed to serve the local building industry in Cebu” built houses for his cluster as “different entities, physically and formally embedded into the topographically rich landscape…” the structures “bled out from the earth where they are snuggled.”
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So, who’s behind AC Signature Developments of the AC Enclave Corporation? None other than a dear friend, Annie Chen, a Cebuana, daughter of an old St. Theresa’s College (STC) schoolmate, Filomena Pañares, Annie’s custom-made jewelry in sterling silver was exhibited in Shangri-La Resort in Mactan a couple of years back and in my column I had described her jewelry as “reflecting her unique personality, exciting, contemporary free-flowing designs sometimes sculptural and architectural.” A BS in Fine Arts from the Academy of Arts College in SFO, the artist in Annie now soars in this new venture. With her husband, Chris Fussner, Annie has set up AC Signature Developments. Singapore based, the couple envisions this as a holding company for their various interests in the Philippines. This first venture into property development seeking to stamp its signature in vacation homes genre by building individually designed resort houses may, just maybe make it to the roster of Fortune magazine’s 500. Like I said before, she may not really make it, but she certainly does as one sensational artist, wife, mother and Cebuana in my personal roster of sterling success stories.
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Now read this! I am also reading this for the first time and to think it has been existing for 10 years and they have been very much with us for the past 10 years! “It” being the Cebu Sandigan Foundation, Inc. and “they” being the low-key, low-profile ladies in the community who are high on their love for the Lord and their neighbor. In response to the appeal of Ricardo Cardinal Vidal to attend to the needs of the poor and destitute, these ladies organized themselves to form a local chapter of the National Sandigan Foundation of the Philippines “a non-profit organization especially geared towards the building of self-reliant and self-sustaining communities.” Silently, unobtrusively and devotedly, members of the Foundation headed by its first president Ever Garcia, herself a quiet, unobtrusive and self-effacing lady, set about their apostolate to feed the hungry, comfort the old and dying, bring relief and joy to the destitute and depressed utilizing countless opportunities to share their resources and love for the poor.
The main thrusts and service programs of the Sandigan Foundation are Mother Teresa’s Centers: House of Dying Destitutes for the aged and sick in Mabolo and the Home of Joy for the sick and malnourished children in Pasil; Educational Assistance to poor and deserving students; religious instructions for public school pupils; Prisoners’ Welfare, Libreng Libing sa Dukha, Outreach Ministry for spiritual enrichment, fellowship and spiritual formation of members; Adopt A Priest Movement.
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On its tenth anniversary, the Sandigan Foundation elected its new set of officers: Dr. Julita V. Ortiz (president), Ascension “Inday” Avila (vice-president); Anita Cabahug Trasmonte (secretary); Justina “Bebe” Alcoseba (treasurer); Primitiva “Nene” Antigua (auditor); Corazon Mercado (PRO).
Board members elected were Lucy Segura, Linda Pilares, Lucing Paulin, Belen Japzon, Concesa Padilla and Alejandra Guangko, charter president Severiana “Ever” Garcia (consultant). The Sandigan spiritual director Cardinal Vidal reminds the good ladies: “Your light must shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify our heavenly Father.”
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Never too late and never enough pictures to revive happy memories, so there’s Go Ching Hai, the noble patriarch of the ever-growing clan posing for posterity while being entertained by the Singing Generals, the Batch ‘69 (mistakenly referred to as the Spirit of ’69). The military top brass now known as Band ’69 “sing for a cause” for which donations are given to the family of soldiers who died in the line of duty. Next month the Singing Generals are scheduled for a fund-raising concert in Iloilo and Bacolod.
(June 26, 2003 issue)
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