Vibrant leisure dev’t to rise in Pampanga
By: Tessa Prieto-Valdes
Philippine Daily Inquirer
01:36 AM January 14, 2017
https://business.inquirer.net/222944/vibrant-leisure-devt-rise-pampanga
Golf courses around the world attract amateur and weekend golfers who tag along their family and friends so they can all enjoy the game and activities the development has to offer.
In a recent trip to Guam, my family enjoyed rounds of golf in several beautiful golf courses that are open to foreign golfers. Hosted by Guam Visitors Bureau, the memorable trip also included lots of shopping adventures to the delight of the non-golfing ladies.
The island’s courses are known for their breathtaking beauty, impressive lush tropical vegetation, dramatic cliff-top locations, and incredible views of the Pacific Ocean. Their manicured fairways and greens are standard at clubs in the United States so they are both challenging and enjoyable at the same time.
Located on the central east coast of Guam, Onward Mangilao Golf Club has golf holes to rival the best courses in the world. Guam’s “Jewel of the Pacific,” its out-course rests on the upper level of a two-tier coastal plateau. The in-course flows along the lower level of the plateau beside, and sometimes over, the Pacific Ocean.
Players will appreciate the dynamic landscape and challenging nature of the in-course in this “Pebble Beach of the Pacific.”
Designed by the world famous Robin Nelson golf course architects, the course, especially its signature ocean hole No. 12, is just breathtaking. Mangilao is a membership club, but it is open to foreign visitors.
In the Philippines, local golfers can look forward to the redevelopment around Mimosa Clark Country Club, Central Luzon’s finest golf destination. Often referred to as “Leisure Central,” the beautifully landscaped terrain has many mature trees, forgiving fairways, sparkly lakes and manicured greens along with sophisticatedly landscaped floral displays.
The board of directors of Clark Development Corp. (CDC) recently approved Filinvest’s master plan to redevelop the 200-hectare Clark Mimosa into a vibrant mixed-use, leisure-based destination at the heart of the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.
Clark Mimosa will be built as an integrated, smart, and sustainable resort community with strong emphasis on harmony with its unique landscape of mature trees and the 36-hole golf course. It will feature day and night time activity areas that include a regional lifestyle and retail mall, a new BPO and office park, a full range of hotels, and a variety of attractive residential options from villas to mid-rise condominiums. It is designed as a year-round destination for everyone.
“With the CDC board approval of the master plan, we are now moving fast-forward in bringing these plans to fruition,” said Josephine Gotianun Yap, president of Filinvest Mimosa Inc. “We have started by refurbishing the Quest Hotel and Conference Center Clark which is now operating within Clark Mimosa. More exciting developments are coming soon.”
To bring its vision to life, Filinvest has tapped the services of a roster of leading international planners in resort communities, world-class malls, and hotel development. The estate will likewise be rebranded and re-launched to capture the new essence of the development.
The master plan package was endorsed by the CDC board within the six-month timetable stipulated in the Terms of Reference. Filinvest has committed to invest P5 billion in the project in the next five years. Filinvest earlier signed the lease agreement with CDC to develop, manage and operate the estate for a term of 50 years, renewable for another 25 years.
The Filinvest Group is the developer behind major mixed-use townships such as the 244-hectare Filinvest City in Alabang. It earlier entered a joint venture agreement with the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) for the 288-hectare, mixed-use development in Clark Green City, Tarlac.
It is also developing the 677-hectare Timberland Heights and 300-hectare Havila in Rizal, the 350-hectare Ciudad de Calamba in Laguna, and the 60-hectare City di Mare central business district at the reclaimed South Road Properties in Cebu. The Filinvest Group, through Chroma Hospitality, currently manages over 1,300 hotel rooms under the Crimson and Quest hotel brands.
