Anywhere but Metro Manila

Many families are escaping the urban jungle by living outside the city limits.

By MAAN D’ASIS PAMARAN

March 1, 2011, 2:59pm

The dramatically designed clubhouse at Southside District in Alveo Nuvali

MANILA, Philippines – During the time of our parents, (or lolos and lolas, depending on what generation you would admit to belong to), it was common for many affluent families to have a second home somewhere outside the city, where the entire family can hop on their gas-guzzling cars and relax during the weekends. Then on Sunday night, everybody would head back to the city to prepare for another week of work and school. 

But with the space situation in the crowded Metrocities, the emerging trend is for the families to look outside of the city limits to build their primary homes. Yes, there are high-rise units available in the heart of the city that offer amenities such as pools and mini parks to sustain active lifestyles, but there are many families who would opt to traverse the traffic in the tollways every day to be able to enjoy wide open spaces, without having to pay exorbitant costs of buying a house and lot in, say, White Plains in Quezon City or San Lorenzo in Makati.

One of the property hotspots that many prospective out-of-towners are targeting is Sta. Rosa in Laguna, which is a tolerable hour or so, from Makati, with its own Makati-style CBD in the works, with a big plus of having wide open spaces and activity areas that target both individuals and whole families.  This is definitely one of the attractions of the Alveo Nuvali area called the Southside District, which is being developed by Ayala Land.

“A lot of first-time buyers, particurly young couples, are attracted because we are offering an area that is green and healthy, and very conducive for kids to grow up in. There are other buyers who see this property as an investment, because with the CBD development in the area, you could think of it as buying a property in San Lorenzo during the 1970s,” says Anton Sanchez, Alveo senior project development manager. “They are drawn mostly because of the price, which is more affordable than a property of the same size in the city,” he adds. 

A tour of the three Alveo communities in the south, Verdana Homes Mamplasan,  Treveia, and Venare, would show the attention that has been paid to the eco-friendly and nature-themed  amenities that families can enjoy in their spare time, with more opportunities for homeowners to get together. These communities will be managed by the Ayala Property Management, which will plan activities for occasions such as Halloween and Christmas. Although invisible, the most noticeable feature of all, would be the clean air that fills one’s city smog-filled lungs upon arriving at these Southside destinations.    

For those looking to live out of town, Sanchez advises asking their agents several questions about the proximity to necessities such as hospitals, schools, and retail markets, along with its accessibility to the Metro. It is no secret too, that the South is not yet fully serviced by water utilities, so another good question to ask agents is the presence (or absence) thereof of agua.