Cavite All The Way!

Manila-Cavite Expressway

Cavite may just turn out to be the country's next powerhouse in the economic and tourism sectors in a couple of years with the newly-built seven kilometer Radial 1 Expressway Extension.  Aside from that, other highways in the province are are also being reconstructed and rehabilitated.

The new extension connects the 6.6 km. Manila-Cavite Exptressway to Kawit, Noveleta and other areas in the 1st district of the province such as Rosario, an economic zone of the province, and Cavite City, the former capital.

Sounds like very good news for our Cavite kin!  Better roads mean better accessibility, getting people to get around faster resulting in better distribution of goods and services.  It also enables people to test how fast their cars can run!  Just kidding (^_^)V




Fasten your seat belts,

Jon

Earthquakes: Hazardous To Your Health!

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is calling for a review (about darned time!) of the Building Code of the Philippines in response to the recent series of strong earthquakes that hit Japan, Haiti, Chile and New Zealand.  The trumpet call was sounded in response to the growing public concern on the structural integrity of houses and buildings in the country.  DENR Secretary Ramon Paje directed the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) to work for the integration of the Engineering Geological and Geohazard Assessment Report (EGGAR)* into the Environmental Impact Statement System required under Presidential Decree 1586.

*DENR Administrative Order 2000-28 sets down the implementing guidelines on engineering geological and geohazard assessment as additional requirement for ECC applications covering subdivisions, housing and other land development and infrastructure projects.  

Well now, let's all hope and pray that they actually get any work done, and quickly.  Seems like another case of 'too little, too late,' but then again, it's better late than never!

 
Let's all live underwater,

Jon

Hotel Business Feeling the Condo PINCH?

An official of a Filipino chain of hotels based in Cebu City has expressed concern over the long-term real estate growth of condominiums, saying that such will adversely affect the hotel industry.

Cebu Parklane International Hotel

Cebu Parklane International Hotel GM Cenelyn Manguilimotan said last Wednesday (April 27, 2011) during a press briefing that "In the long run, we see the condominium market eating the market for our long-staying guests.  Condominiums are not the direct competitors of hotels per se, but in a couple of years, they will be getting a chunk of our long-staying guests."  According to her, long-staying guests, especially foreigners, averaging from two weeks to as much as 6 months to a year of occupancy, now have the option to purchase a condominium at affordable rates.

Well, Cebu is a premier tourist destination in the country, and real estate projects ARE going on there at full tilt.  I daresay the hotel industry has a right to be a little worried.  Since condo units are available for purchase by foreigners as long as total foreign ownership does not go over 40% of total units, these units may even be rented out at a much cheaper price than staying in a hotel.  We'll see how this game plays out.




Doughnut buy! Doughnut buy!!!

Jon

Informal Settlers: The scourge of the land owner

Laperal Compound in Makati City

Well, I'm not gonna delve into a philosophical tirade about informal settlers (or squatters), this is really just an update on the clash between informal settlers of the fire-razed Laperal Compound in Makati City (EDSA-Guadalupe) and the demolition team last April 28, 2011.  More than a dozen people were reportedly hurt in the clash between the clearing team and residents (meant to be used as a general term, I'm sure).  The "residents" threw rocks at members of the demolition team and police authorities who were involved in the relocation efforts.  The President has directed Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo to hold a dialog with the informal settlers and resolve the issue peacefully, and to ensure adequate resettlement.  Last Thursday, Robredo rushed to the site to help stop the violence but instead ended up in a word war with current Makati city mayor Jejomar Binay Jr.  Mayor Binay allegedly faulted Sec. Robredo for deploying only a small number of policemen to defuse tension in the area that has been declared a danger zone.

So landowners, make sure you fence your property if you're not going to put up a structure or a building yet; don't let up in paying your real estate property taxes either.  If you have informal settlers on your land, you can basically expect to spend more on relocating them, assuming you can get them to leave peacefully.


Fence it or lose it,

Jon

Philippines' credit rating upgraded, BUT...

In the news today, the Philippines' credit rating was upgraded by the Japan Credit Rating Agency from stable to positive outlook, a testament to the country's macroeconomic and fiscal stability.  Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said "I am confident that the Philippine economy will be able to sustain its growth momentum, attract more investments, and create more jobs.  Things are definitely looking up for the Philippines in the medium term."  This upgrade follows the one by Standard & Poor's in November 2010 and then by Moody's in January this year.


Looking good so far, yes?

In other news today, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is starting to worry about the extraordinarily large capital flows into Asia's surging economies, including China, Indonesia, and the Philippines.  The region's economies were expected to grow almost 7% this year and more in 2012, leading the global economic recovery.  Capital is expected to continue flowing into Asia in 2011 and 2012, fueled by abundant global liquidity and risk appetite and attracted by the region's strong growth prospects.  Unfortunately, this means inflation is also rising as foreign capital from investors seeking better returns on their money are dumping their considerable resources in Asia.  Anoop Singh, director IMF's Asia and Pacific department told a press briefing in Hong Kong yesterday that "The challenge is to ensure this surge remains sustainable."


So at least, in the medium term, it's still a rosy outlook for the Philippine economy, as well as for the rest of Asia.  Let's just hope our finance officials stay on top of it.  If they don't drop the ball, we could be looking at a very good business climate for some time to come!




Don't quit your day job,


Jon

PAG-IBIG rocks the house!

The Atrium in Makati, the 8-storey building that houses the HDMF (PAG-IBIG), was evacuated yesterday in panic over a series of tremors.  Engr. Rodel Baldedora, building admin, suspects that the movements may be caused by thermal expansion.  Hairline cracks have been found across the ceiling of the 5th floor, which will be further assessed by the city engineers.  In the meantime, PAG-IBIG transactions will be handled at the nearby Justine Building.

So there you have it, PAG-IBIG is so HOT that the building is starting to suffer from thermal expansion (^_^)V.  Let's hope nothing untoward happens further, since a lot of our countrymen rely on this excellent service to finance their homes & home-repairs.


Bring your whistles,

Jon

Justin Bieber going into real estate?

In the news today, it's been reported that Justin Bieber has taken an interest in British singer Cheryl Cole, and only because she reportedly lives in the "wrong part" of L.A.  Bieber reportedly is willing to show her around the properties in the best and coolest areas of L.A., with Beverly Hills on the top of his list.  The young heart throb (can't believe I'm blogging about this hahaha) thinks his property buying advice can help the former Girls Aloud singer find a better home in a better neighborhood.

So, if Justin Bieber were to become a real estate agent or broker, is it safe to say that the real estate market will see a marked increase in female buyers?  Wouldn't that be great :)

Never say never,

Jon

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Trailer

I can't wait for the last installment of the Harry Potter saga!  What I can't really wait for, is when all the movies become available in a compilation DVD!  While admittedly, some weren't handled very well, overall the Harry Potter movies, like Inception, stretch your imagination and takes you back to when you could still feel wonder and amazement.  It's a wonderful ride to a place we'll never see and experience first hand.  So here's to J.K. Rowling and her fertile mind, and let's enjoy the last movie of the franchise when it comes out on July 15 in US theaters.  Meanwhile, here's the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.  Enjoy!

A busy week ahead!

I have such a busy week ahead:

• April 25 - Check my Barong for the oath-taking, print-out my CV
• April 26 - Oath-taking at the PICC for real estate brokers @ 1pm
• April 27 - Applying with DMCI at the Tivoli Gardens @ 8pm
• April 28 - Attending the REBAP Metro East chapter meeting at Eastwood City @ 7pm

I'm also looking forward to being able to swim at the Marikina Sports Center since their night swimming shift has started!  The pool is open from 6pm to 930pm, what joy, no more sunblock necessary!

I've also been busy these past few days setting up my facebook page (I'll House You 4 Real).  I discovered some pretty nifty apps.  It's no walk in the park, but the results were astounding and completely blew me away!  If you haven't liked my page yet, I included a sweet deal for you, so visit my page now :)

That's all for now, Happy Easter everyone, be safe and God be with you.


Sincerely,

Jon

PRC Final Score for Real Estate Brokers Board Exam

My final score from the PRC: 82.25%

Didn't do so badly, after all :)


-jon

Hurrah!!!

By the grace of the good Lord, I passed the 2011 Real Estate Broker's board exam held last March 27, 2011!!!  I'm so freaking happy!!!  What a great birthday gift =D