Property & Infrastructure
Asenso Village: Filinvest Land’s project for small enterprise-residential market
When the Gotianun family migrated to Manila from Cebu to seek greener pastures, their first residence, an apartment along P. Casal St. in Quiapo, Manila, became a residence in the second floor and a workplace in the first level.This, said the taipan’s son, Andrew "Bibot" Gotianun, Jr., was how the Filinvest group started. Several years hence, Mr. Gotianun, Jr. is preparing to launch a project that will allow owners of cottage industries the opportunity to work and live in the same place.
Called Asenso Village and to be developed by Filinvest Land, Inc., the project would allow buyers to use 25% of their lots for residence and 75% for business purposes.
The pilot areas are on a 218,359-square meter property in Gen. Trias, Cavite, which will sell 581 lots with an average size of 269.5 square meters, and a 200,993-square meter property in Calamba, Laguna covering 370 lots with an average area of 295 square meters each.
Both areas will cost P100 million to P120 million to develop. The lots will be sold for an average of P575,000, while properties which will have buildings will range from P1.05 million to P2.5 million.
Mr. Gotianun said that the project was inspired by his company’s humble beginnings. "We believe that something big can come from small beginnings. The setup was very ideal, [it] maximized productivity in our work and [allowed us to] spend quality family time."
He added that the project had the Asian way of doing business in mind. "It’s always been at the back of my mind; we have to come up with something because ever since the Metro Manila Commission [now Metro Manila Development Authority], they started regulating everything. We regulated residential separate from the factories so they have commercial, residential 1, residential 2, industrial [areas]. Apparently, probably designed after the American markets where it’s all segregated. But they seem to have forgotten the Asian way of doing business -- to stay where they work."
Mr. Gotianun also said that the zoning plans failed to consider cottage industries. Thus, small entrepreneurs either integrated their businesses in their homes or rented separate spaces for residential and business needs.
Both apparently have disadvantages. He noted that entrepreneurs who integrated their businesses with their homes do not have adequate facilities to operate the business.
And since the subdivisions or barangays where they live were designed for residential use, the utilities for a cottage industry were inadequate. Then there is also the problem of complaining neighbors.
"There’s no place in the Philippines where you can work and live in the same place that you’re not violating anything. If you set up a business at home and it grows, you get complaints of pollution and noise. That’s why we conceptualized this [small and medium enterprise] or the cottage industry subdivision where everybody that stays there knows that that’s where you work and stay," said Mr. Gotianun.
Meanwhile, those who rent separate spaces for their homes and workplaces are constrained by financial matters.
Mr. Gotianun said small businessmen whom he had talked to complained of their inability to afford running the business while maintaining a house in the same space.
He also noted that those employed receiving between P10,000 and P15,000 spend 60% of their salary for commuting and food, and that the long commutes take an average of four hours.
"The four hours travel time, you can put that to work. So if you’re working eight hours, that’s 15% more productivity. Theoretically, if you work at home you work for 20 hours per day, and you don’t have to spend for transportation and eating out," he said.
The project, to be undertaken with the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology and other related departments, dovetails with the Investment Priorities Plan, particularly the development of a micro and small- and medium-enterprise business parks.
"Filinvest, as a developer, will just be applying for accreditation to avail of the incentives from the [Board of Investments]. The whole concept was coordinated with the [Trade department] before it was even finalized and we foresee the [department] playing a vital role in ensuring the success of the project and locators in the business park," Mr. Gotianun said.
The project is seeking income tax holidays and other developer’s incentives, which will redound to lower lot prices.
Alexis C. Ojeda, Filinvest project group head, said the company is looking at offering the project to overseas workers, small entrepreneurs with a capitalization of P3 million and below, subcontractors and support for large companies, retired employees and inventors.
He noted that micro and small enterprises contribute 32% to the economy’s output, while 90% of all registered firms are in this category employing 96% of the labor force.
"Right now, they (micro and small businesses] are widely dispersed because there’s no zoning rationale and because of this they encounter problems with communities. At the same time, the government has problems in terms of monitoring them. And they are constrained in availing of financial programs. These programs are already present in government. The only thing is some entrepreneurs don’t even know that they exist," Mr. Ojeda said.
The lots, Mr. Ojeda said, are cheaper than lots in industrial subdivisions, and add more value for money than residential lots.
Only cottage industries that are not heavily polluting can purchase lots, Filinvest officials said.
Commercial areas will be allocated to address the needs of the residents, while a forwarding company will also be invited to service the business needs of the locators.
Mr. Gotianun said Filinvest will be opening schools that could be used by the children at daytime, and by businessmen for training at nighttime.
He said the training activities will be conducted by representatives from the Department of Science and Technology and related agencies.
Funding for the cottage industries, he said, can be worked out with the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) and other official lending programs. "When we informed Landbank about it, they were very supportive."
Meanwhile, the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. will assist businesses in looking for customers, Mr. Gotianun said.
Filinvest is looking at generating gross revenues of P360 million for each project site. Depending on the success of the pilot projects, Filinvest is looking at replicating them in five other sites.
"We want to be all over because the micro and small and medium enterprises are all over the country," Mr. Ojeda said.
These people are such a joke. They will not meet with anyone, won't talk or come out of their office. No development has been completed at Asenso village. Can't even keep an honest engineer onsite. Only 1 1/2 streets with power lines in. No such thing as security. Only two residents in the village. Crime/theft from neighboring communities is outrageous.
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