This city is a highly integrated urban living space that conveniently locates relaxing and secure homes close to places of work and leisure—but not only. Fort Bonifacio Global City is home to tomorrow’s thriving communities. Maria Celeste L. Tumonong reports.
IF YOU’D been out of the country for a couple of years, the changes you see when you come back will either distress you, or make you feel that time (and the economy) has been good to the country. The economy is still far from something to be proud of, but Bonifacio Global City is one such development that brings joy to those who live, work or play here.
Twenty years ago it would have been impossible to find another development rising just a few steps away from Makati’s Central Business District.
Today, however, the Fort is truly a global city that can hold its own against the world’s progressive cities. A fusion of technology and aesthetics, the city is an intelligent hub where transportation,
communication, estate services and security are delivered reliably and seamlessly, leaving residents and visitors the chance to focus on whatever it is that they do best.
Indeed, this is the global city that today’s globally-competitive Pinoy workers deserve.
Globalization has ushered in a new age of exacting 24/7 operations and rapid turnaround times. This is driving a demand for highly integrated urban living spaces, where relaxing and secure homes are located close to places of work and various recreational choices. The demand is also for these spaces to be impeccably melded into thriving futuristic communities—and all these are found at the Fort. According to Joel Luna, Ayala Land assistant vice president in charge of Technical Planning, most of the country’s earlier business districts were devoted to office spaces and the occasional commercial spots as support.
This followed the trend in the 1950s and 60s, when these areas were still being developed. Unfortunately, what was a good idea then is now the cause of heavy daily traffic as workers troop into business districts at the start of the day, then go on a the daily exodus away from their offices after work.
Modern Communities
In contrast, the Fort is an ingenious undertaking, a modern, masterplanned community where offices are located close to homes. These places are kept in balance by open spaces, greenery, art and leisure spots. With urban planning, modern Filipino workers, forced to push themselves into odd schedules and to meet the rigorous demands of the highly competitive global workplace, can achieve a “work-life balance” and find the equilibrium they need to compete well. Apart from offices and residential buildings, the city is filled with landscaping, public art and community facilities.
Upscale residential condominiums such as Essensa, Serendra, Pacific Plaza and Regent Parkway have located here. Recent additions include Bonifacio Ridge, One McKinley Place and Penhurst Parkplace. Some developments now under construction are the Seibu Towers, Fairway Towers, Forbes Town, Fifth Avenue Place and The Icon Towers. These high-rise residential buildings are all-equipped with the best security and technological facilities—not to mention their truly unique amenities.
The provision of utilities here was also designed to provide comfort and safety in equal measure. Large water reservoirs ensure that the Fort has a 24-hour uninterrupted water supply that comes in consistent pressure. With an underground drainage detention structure that can hold 22 million liters of water, the flooding that is common to this typhoon-prone city, is practically impossible here. Both the water and sewage system is managed by the Bonifacio Water Corporation.
Condominium residents also benefit from the underground piping system that distributes Liquified Petroleum Gas to the units. This system ensures a steady supply of LPG, even as it eliminates the dangers of leaking regulators and tanks. LPG is also used to back-up air-conditioning and power systems, ensuring that these services are provided without pause.
Taking its cue from other technologically-advanced cities of the world, the electric power supply and the fiber optic cable network are all constructed underground. This is in stark contrast to the rest of the country, where aboveground lines and electric poles are eyesores—not to mention hazards during the typhoon season.
Cosmopolitan City
Such attractions have lured leading local and global companies. Today, the Fort is home to national headquarters of the HSBC, the Deutsche Bank, Lawson Software, Fujitsu Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, Ericsson and TetraPak. Top property management groups FDP Asia and FDP Global are also located in the global city.
Other important institutions that plan to move into the Fort are the Singapore Embassy. The Embassy of the United Kingdom is already located at the McKinley Hill, the 50ha, mixed-use township being developed by Megaworld Corporation. The Korean Embassy is also set to move there soon.
McKinley Hill also houses the newly-opened Chinese International School Manila, the international hotel school, Enderun Colleges, and the Korean International School.
By 2010, even the Philippine Stock Exchange will soon call Fort Bonifacio its new home. Other prestigious institutions that will set up shop are the St. Luke’s Medical Center, the Taguig Coliseum and Convention Center, and Shangri-la Hotel, among others.
A Heritage Past
Bonifacio Global City was once part of the 2,578ha property of Taguig, Rizal that the United States government acquired in 1902 under American colonial rule. This huge tract of land was turned into a military base named Fort McKinley after the 25th US President, William McKinley, who led the colonization of the Philippines.
Because Fort McKinley was the headquarters of the Philippine Scouts, the colonial division of the US Army, it was turned into the permanent headquarters of the Philippine Army in 1957, a few years after the Philippines gained its independence, and the lands reverted to Filipino hands.
It was named after Andres Bonifacio, who organized the underground KKK organization that led the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonizers.
In 1992, some 240 hectares of Fort Bonifacio was turned over to the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), the body created to facilitate the conversion of former US military bases and Metro Manila camps into productive civilian use.
Three years later, Bonifacio Land Corporation, a consortium led by Metro Pacific, made a successful bid to become BCDA’s partner in the development of the 240ha property, which was named Bonifacio Global City.
This partnership was dubbed the “Deal of the Century” because Bonifacio Global City was sold at a staggering price of PhP333,283.88 per sqm, with proceeds amounting to PhP30.4b
The BCDA and the Metro Pacific-led consortium subsequently created the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation (FBDC) to oversee the master planning of the city. In 1992, the FBDC was the largest corporation registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, with a paid-up capital of PhP71.227b. The sale channeled PhP25.8b cash to government coffers.
In 2003, Ayala Land, Inc. and Evergreen Holdings, Inc. of the Campos Group purchased a controlling stake in Bonifacio Land Corporation from Metro Pacific.
Bonifacio Global City is developed by Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation (FBDC), now managed by the partnership of Ayala Land, Inc.—known for creating and sustaining successful business districts and large-scale integrated communities, the Makati Central Business District Evergreen Holdings, Inc. (Campos Group)—known for its financial muscle, and the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA).
Together, the partners lend FBDC the stability and wealth of experience in real estate development that ensure the success of the global city.
