Presidency’s loss, Vista Land’s gain

By Tina Arceo-Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer

5:28 am | Monday, May 27th, 2013

 1 94 80

VILLAR

MANILA, Philippines—Around this time three years ago, Manuel V. Villar was depressed over his failed bid to capture the highest position in the land. Senator Villar was also at a loss over how, after all the votes had been counted, he ended up so far behind eventual President Benigno Aquino and a surprise strong contender, deposed president Joseph Estrada.

Villar, who had never before lost an election campaign, had been leading in the surveys in the months leading to the elections of 2010. But circumstances changed dramatically following the death of President Corazon Aquino, thus the overwhelming mandate given to her son.

Villar gallantly accepted the will of the people and while other politicians chose to recover from the wounds inflicted by a long, expensive and bruising presidential campaign by going on hiatus, he did the opposite. He instead channeled his efforts to helping his son Manuel Paolo make the real estate company that he founded even stronger than when he left it to pursue his political career.

Villar, whose term as senator will end in June, does not see himself going back to handling the day-to-day operations of the sprawling billion-peso company as his son has proven himself capable of handling the job of president and CEO of the company. But he does intend to be present in terms of direction setting and inspiration.

Villar’s timing could not be more perfect. Because of the economic upswing and the return of investor confidence in the Philippines, the real estate sector has been growing and the prospects are bright for his listed company, Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc., reputedly the country’s biggest homebuilder.

Record high

Last year, it posted a record-high net income of P4.4 billion from revenues of P16.3 billion. This was attributed to the strength of the real estate market, particularly the housing sector. Vista Land is the holding company of five business units—Brittany, Crown Asia, Camella Homes, Communities Philippines and Vista Residences—that cover all income groups. Total assets in 2012 reached P74.3 billion, a significant growth from P67.6 billion in 2011.

The company expects growth to continue in 2013 with demand for housing continuing to expand, particularly for the Camella mass housing projects in the provinces. It is already on the right track with income in the first quarter jumping 29 percent to P1.34 billion from P1.04 billion in the same period last year.

Villar tells the Inquirer in an interview that the company is strong enough to handle the expected stellar growth in its operations given its more conservative approach to borrowing and expansion. The group’s fortunes have reversed from 1997 when Vista Land’s predecessor C&P Homes was hit hard by the drastic decline in sales following the Asian currency crisis and its crushing debt burden.

Villar recalls how his company was hit by the “perfect storm” caused by the collapse in government financing for housing projects and his commitment to complete the housing projects, even if it meant using corporate funds as bank loans dried up. “Nawala yung gripo (the credit faucet dried up),” explains Villar. “We really struggled. Looking back, we probably put too much investment in raw land. I realized that you should not invest too much in hard assets that will not provide an immediate return. You should maintain high liquidity at all times because you do not know when another crisis will hit.”

Credit lines

VISTA Land launched 11 major subdivision projects in the first quarter, eight of which are in the low and affordable segment

Villar says he also realized that bank lines will only remain open when times are good. They immediately close down at the first sign of trouble.

“I really thought that the lines would always be open. They don’t. So do not rely completely on bank lines,” says Villar, who made the final decision to immediately reduce company debts using land as payment to creditors.

Villar says that the rebuilding process was long and painful, but it was worth it because of all the lessons learned. He says that because of that experience, systems have been improved and stricter financial controls were put in place.

Villar adds that he also learned at that lowest point in the company’s history that it pays to meet commitments to buyers who put their hard-earned money in their dream homes that the Villar group promised to turn into a reality.

“Even during the height of the crisis, we said to ourselves, we will meet our commitments to our buyers. Our money went to fulfilling that commitment and I am glad that we did because our image was not destroyed,” says Villar. “Not a single person will say that he was not able to get his house or his title from us. That is why our brands have remained strong.”

He adds that even during the most difficult years, he never lost faith in the housing market, saying that there will always be demand for this basic necessity and his company was in the best position to fill the need for homes. “Our firm has always believed that whatever happens with the economy, housing will never go. It is a basic necessity like food and clothing. It will never disappear,” explains Villar.

There were those who tried to convince Villar to just give up on the company and start anew, but he was committed to steering the company toward new highs. “We really went through very tough times but the commitment was unwavering. I saw that we had the assets needed to get ahead. We had the people, we had the land and the industry will never die. It may have declined, but it was alive. We just needed to do what we had to do to continue,” says Villar.

Recovery moves

These moves included a freeze on hiring, sale of assets and modification of systems and procedures. And in 2007, these measures culminated in the reorganization of the company and the return to the capital market to raise funds. C&P gave way to Vista Land, a holding company for all brands, and the company was warmly accepted by the market, especially by overseas Filipinos who continued to buy Villar housing products.

“The strength of the OFW market was a pleasant surprise and we survived because of that market,” says Villar, who sees himself spending more time with the Villar family foundation when he leaves the Senate.

Villar says the company will continue to pursue the OFW market even as it taps other sectors such as the condominium seekers of Metro Manila. This will mean expanding the footprint of the company to include more areas outside the traditional urban centers such as Cebu and Davao.

Vista Land launched 11 major subdivision projects in the first quarter, eight of which are in the low and affordable segment. These 11 projects have an aggregate value of about P6.4 billion. Outside of Metro Manila, Vista Land pursued projects in Bulacan, Bataan, Cagayan de Oro, Pampanga and Tarlac.

At the same time, Vista Land intends to move forward with plans to develop more communities in its major hubs like Evia in Daang hari, The Lakefront in Sucat, and Crosswinds in Tagaytay City.

Villar stresses, however, that the memories of the Asian crisis are still fresh and these help the company take a sober approach to expansion. “We are now far more focused and driven. The momentum is there and everybody is gung ho. But at the same time, the memories of 1998 are there. That is why the stability measures are there. Safety muna (Safety first),” says Villar, who will likely take over as chair of Vista Land.

“My son will remain president and CEO. I will be involved more in strategy and also do marketing. Our teamwork is pretty good. His strengths are finance, systems and focus, I am more about relationships and people,” says the 63-year-old Villar.

With the two of them putting their strengths together, Villar says the best is yet to come for Vista Land.

When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs. Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City at the low amount of only P 9,333.33 and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09155734856/09173373687/09222737836.

Planting Trees – Panacea To Ecology

By Vic Jocson Columna

Published: April 22, 2013

Trees beautify, clean and green the environment.

For almost a decade now, the world has been experiencing historic extremes in weather. The past year 2012 had a record breaking number of calamities caused by blizzards, droughts, forest fires, supertyphoons, rains, floods, landslides, heat wave, ocean acidification, Arctic ice meltdown, etc.

These struck every corner of the earth in extreme degrees. They spared no nation – the powerful and the weak, the rich and the poor, the above sea and low level islands. People encountered power failures, airline shutdowns, transportation stoppages, panic buying sprees, destruction of properties and loss of lives.

Never before in our history did we have such strange disasters. It is only now when mankind so blinded and purpose driven by insatiable desire for wealth and power do we have these cataclysms of nature.

Studies revealed the weather calamities we have now are the revolt of nature which has been abused so much. Indeed, we never learned past lessons. We tend to forget the truth that the earth has enough of everything for our need but never for our greed. Though, we know it, we ignore matter-of-factly that he who loves so much wealth has never enough wealth.

According to experts, the extremes in weather we have today will become the “new normal” in our life and henceforth. It might become worse and would lead into a doomsday scenario but not instantaneous but gradual unless the peoples pool their resources, wisdom, knowledge and work together to mitigate the incursion of climate change.

God endowed us with all the indispensable characteristics we can develop, nurture and harness to sustain a life of our own choice and making but with our greed exceeding our need, nature is made to suffer by our transgressions, hence we reap the harvest of our abuse and apathy.

Climate change is upon us. The threat of calamities in increasing number and intensity is a looming reality. Certainly, we have never been good stewards of God’s magnificent creation. We have misinterpreted His command for us to subdue the earth at all costs.

Global warming is one greatest challenge the world is facing this century. The failure again of the parties which attended the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Doha, Qatar to reach an agreement on climate change’s posing a grim portent that more extreme calamities will come. Surely as in the past, they will wreak havoc to our vulnerable world with dire consequences of undermining our efforts for development, hence a bleak future.

However, not all developing and highly industrialized nations have a myopic outlook on global warming. They did see the reality of the hovering ecological problems, hence they responded. At the forefront is Germany whose economy is moving ahead by harnessing the solar energy as its main source of power replacing nuclear power. This disowned that solar energy slows down progress.

Germany is being looked up to as the world’s model of production, and not destruction, in economic development. The world must follow Germany’s feat to preserve Mother Nature. Not all nations can duplicate Germany’s, but for sure, any country can help the world from plunging into the quagmire of ecosystem disasters simply by planting trees.

Planting trees is doable. It is an easy and simple thing to do. It does not require much effort and big capital. No great value at all it seems. Its simpleness bespeaks of it but sometimes great thing comes from an ordinary one. Tree planting is such. It’s a good investment with the best and greatest dividend. It is not only a rewarding experience but a noble undertaking by human that lives, grows and never ceases to grow. A tree planted by man outlives him but he leaves behind a priceless, greatest and lasting legacy to the world.

Trees beautify, clean and green the environment. They cool and refresh it and help reduce noise and air pollution. They are the best protection and antidote against greenhouse effect. Moreover, they prevent floods, landslides and soil erosions as the roots of the trees whether in the mountains, hills, plains and riversides, absorb and hold water during heavy downpour.

The potency of trees has no equal in preventing and protecting nature against global warming being aggravated by the ravages of urbanization and industrialization. So natural, it has no side-effect. It proves more effective than the chemical laden remedies made by men.

As an essential part of ecology, trees not only provide food, homes and canopies for humans and animals but also serve as haven for chirping birds. Significantly, they provide much of the earth’s oxygen that offsets carbon emissions. Botanists said: “Trees are doing the reverse of humans as they breathe by ‘inhaling’ carbon dioxide , one of the major causes of greenhouse effect and climate change and exhaling oxygen which in turn is inhaled by humans and other living organisms. The cycle goes on regardless of any weather condition.”

In planting a tree, a life naturally sprouts, which serves not only a panacea to ecological suicide, but also a manifestation of our love and care to earth. Moreover, we can feel the presence of God’s invigorating breath through the tree’s stomata.

Even today’s world of concrete and steel, nuclear energy, information technology and state-of-the-art living, we need trees to live and survive. Our imperfect world becomes wonderful with the lovely trees, but this magnificent creation of God is only ours to behold and appreciate its loveliness through words. By paraphrasing the poem Trees by Joyce Kilmer, indeed, the reason is obvious:

I think that I shall never write
An article as lovely as a tree.

Articles are made by fools like me.
But only God can make a tree.

Planting trees, anyone?

(vicjcolumna@yahoo.com)

When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs. Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City at the low amount of only P 9,333.33 and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09155734856/09173373687/09222737836.

Nemo and Friends’ Survival In The Reefs Of TUBBATAHA

 By Miah Montemayor on April 22, 2013

• 1

When in Manila, especially in this kind of scorching hot weather, we dream of cool breeze, the sand, the shore… the beach! It’s also during this season that we wish we had a life, like Nemo’s… preferably in a haven, no other than the reefs of Tubbataha.

by Poch Ceballos
(Say “Hi” to Nemo… Although this one’s for real!)

Chances are, we no longer have to endure the effects of heat on land but suddenly become helpless, if not homeless, because of sea vessels ran aground causing huge destruction to the coral reefs of Tubbataha that houses Nemo (clownfish) and some friends.

Meet a few of Nemo’s friends:

by Jayvee Fernandez
(green sea turtle)

by Bambi Flaviano
(a friendly Manta ray striked a pose at the count of three!)

by George Esguerra
(moray eel)

Briefly, Tubbataha is a Samal word which means “a long reef exposed at low tide”. It has two large atolls, the North and the South. An atoll is a type of island consisting of ribbon reef that has a unique geology wherefore the reefs of Tubbataha became apropos of a sanctuary to approximately 1,084 combined species of fish, whales, sharks, coral and birds. No doubt UNESCO declared Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park as a World Heritage Site.

by Tet Lara
(out of approximately 1,084 different species, 600 of which are fish)

by Karl Hurwood
(grey reef shark)

by Tet Lara
(Hawksbill Turtle and critically-endangered)

by Teri Aquino
(Tubbataha’s Bird Isle)

However, nature has its way to claim ownership over what is rightfully hers so that she does as she pleases. During which, the reefs of Tubbataha had gotten two blows in a quarter of a year. We all heard about the USS Guardian sweeping about 4,000 square metres of healthy corals when it ran aground on South atoll. Then, recently, a Chinese Fishing boat crashed recklessly into the country’s rich waters.

For these reasons, we are bound to ask of the effects of these casualties to the reefs and the imminent danger to the habitat, especially its dwellers.

by Tet Lara
(Deep-blue-sea encounter with marbled rays)

by Danny Ocampo
(Giant mantas are the largest of rays)

by Gregg Yan
(Sooty terns fill the Tubbataha sky)

As asserted by Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan, Vice Chair and CEO of World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines, “Many people who don’t dive or who don’t understand marine environment tend to get fixated on corals.” He argues that we don’t eat coral, we eat fish. It so happened the destruction was on the coral that houses the fish. He added, that the damage is minimal, “But WWF is making a big deal out of it because it’s not the size but food security. It’s the future.”, he continued. Giving us an idea of what that future is about, “Most reefs in the Philippines only have 15-tonnes by a mass per square kilometer. While Tubbataha has 200-300 tonnes / square kilometer!” Thus, Vice Chair and CEO mused on the small damage on the coral reef, “Because every single square meter counts!”.

by Keith Lapuos
(this is why every single square meter counts)

Concluded on the next page…

Continue reading

pages: 1 2

When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs. Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City at the low amount of only P 9,333.33 and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09155734856/09173373687/09222737836.

Country’s oldest new lawyer is 70 years old

By JB R. Deveza
Inquirer Mindanao

 4 182 159

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—He sure is no spring chicken. But as they say, it’s never too late to be who you want to be.

Just ask Cesar Barcelona Bagaipo, the country’s soon-to-be oldest new lawyer, who will be turning 70 next month.

On April 24, Bagaipo will take his oath as a new member of the Philippine bar, along with 948 other passers of the October bar exams, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

Bagaipo, a retired banker, likened his journey to Homer’s “Odyssey.”

“And I am Odysseus,” Bagaipo said, referring to the hero of the ancient Greek epic poet’s masterpiece.

He said the journey to a career in law took him almost 43 years to complete and was even more than twice the time it took the mythical Greek to travel home after fighting in the Trojan War.

When he retired from the Philippine National Bank (PNB) in 2001, Bagaipo said graduating from law school and passing the bar were farthest from his mind, although he tried to pursue the dream back in the ’70s.

However, a career in banking beckoned, and being a commerce graduate, he decided to go for it.

“I took up commerce in college because that was the poor man’s course,” he said in jest, noting that a degree in commerce could land the graduate a job, unlike other degrees that require another four years of study.

In 1968, Bagaipo tied the knot with the former Maria Naty Salcedo and eventually landed teaching jobs at Liceo de Cagayan. He was later hired by PNB.

But in the ’70s, he was lured into going to law school after a number of his classmates went ahead of him.

Bagaipo enrolled at the Liceo de Cagayan College of Law, taking pre-law courses which were not a requirement, having previously taken subjects that qualify as pre-law subjects.

But when martial law was declared in 1972, he was transferred to a PNB branch in Gingoog City and had to drop out of law school.

Eleven years later, PNB ordered him to report to the Cagayan de Oro City branch.

He immediately grabbed the opportunity of being close to his dream that he immediately enrolled at the Xavier University College of Law in 1983, the same year he was recalled to the PNB branch here.

But his law school comeback was cut off anew when, the following year, he was appointed officer in charge of a PNB branch in Surigao.

His desire to become a member of the bar was boosted in 1999, when he read about Kagayanon Gloria Acero Delgado, then a 68-year-old pharmacist and concert pianist, who took and passed the 1998 bar exams.

Bagaipo admitted, though, that his status as a senior officer at PNB was a hindrance to his dream.

When he retired from PNB as assistant vice president and branch manager, Bagaipo said he had considered doing three things. Surprisingly, none of them was going back to law school. He thought about doing freelance accounting work, dabbling in real estate or going back to teaching.

“A life of idleness, even if it was well deserved, did not really appeal to me,” he said, adding that travels and vacations were the last and least on his list as they “tend to be hard on your wallet, especially if you were just a retired employee.”

In 2007, Bagaipo was back at Liceo as president of the alumni association.

“When I became active in the alumni association, I used to spend at least two hours every day at the university,” he said, adding that he looked forward to spending those two hours as he loved “the smell of classrooms and of books” that “rekindled a lot of good memories.”

Then he suddenly found himself taking up law classes again.

Bagaipo said his persistence in his old age has surprised everyone, including Liceo College of Law professor Felipe Montesa, who happened to be his teacher in commerce subjects back in the 1960s.

“Why are you studying? What for?” Bagaipo recounted Montesa’s words upon seeing him in his class for the first time since the 1960s.

“I told him it was just to while away the time so he wouldn’t ask too many questions,” he said.

What Bagaipo did not tell his professor was that this time, he was determined to finish law and take the bar, which he said was highly probable.

Bagaipo said among the things he discovered soon after was that age does strip away some of man’s capabilities. Memory may not be as good as it once was but age also imparts certain important faculties, such as sharper understanding of concepts and contexts.

“It helped, too, to have actual experience on the subjects being discussed,” he said.

But Bagaipo admitted that his return to law school was not as easy as it appeared.

All of his classmates were way much younger than him—some even as young as his grandchildren—and small problems cropped up such as not sharing similar interests.

There was also the problem posed by “high-tech” gadgets.

While he had taken computer lessons as part of requirements of his PNB job, Lotus and Wordstar had faded into oblivion.

“I never mastered Word or Excel because secretaries tend to do things on those computer programs for you,” Bagaipo said.

To measure up, sans computers, Bagaipo said he studied the old-fashioned way by taking notes, reading books instead of browsing the Internet and photocopying materials instead of just downloading them from websites.

“I always sat in front not because I was overeager but because I had difficulty hearing,” he said, recounting the physical disadvantages of going back to school as a senior citizen.

But in March 2012, all his efforts paid off when he graduated with a law degree.

The preparations for the bar exams thus started, with Bagaipo reading every material he could get his hands on.

“I worried that I might have problems in the bar if most questions involved enumerating things,” he said.

But then, Bagaipo said, he “felt relieved” when during the exams in October 2012, he found out that “the questions were 60 percent multiple choice and 40 percent essay.”

“I always knew he would make it,” said lawyer Rey Raagas, a classmate from law school.

“And I was ecstatic when I heard he passed the bar,” Raagas said, adding that he was “even happier” than Bagaipo.

Raagas said Bagaipo was a “unique” classmate because “he was the only one who was able to study the 1935, 1973 and 1987 Constitutions in law school.”

Bagaipo said he never had doubts on what he should do next after passing the bar.

“What else would I do after that but practice law?” he said.

When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs. Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City at the low amount of only P 9,333.33 and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09155734856/09173373687/09222737836.

The Theology of Eating Too Much Ice Cream - A Thomistic Analysis of Your 11 Passions

Posted by Taylor Marshall 

Do you sometimes want to eat a pint of Butter Pecan ice cream or an extra basket of chips even though you know that you shouldn't? Do you sometimes become overly sad or angry in a way that is irrational? 

Guess what? You're experiencing what philosophers and theologians call your "passions." 

Nobody has likely ever explained to you why you have this problem in a philosophical way.  Would you like to know why? Let's take a look under the hood...

Everyday, we humans experience our passions getting the better of us. The passions are what we might call your emotions. They come and go, sometimes quite quickly. One of the goals of becoming a saint in Christ is learning to have mastery over your passions.

Before looking at your passions, let's take a global look at your soul...

Every human being has a hierarchy in his or her soul. At the top is your rational intellect. Below that is your will. Below that are your eleven passions:

1. intellect
2. will
3. 11 passions

Now, passions are not evil. They are good! All the saints were passionate people. Saint Thomas Aquinas spends a lot of time treating the passions and he explicitly states that they are good. 

Evil results, however, when our passions overtake our intellect. When the passions get the better of the intellect, this usually results in sin. When the passions are fully mastered by the intellect, you have a beautiful and passionate saint. The goal is not to get rid of the passions (Stoicism) but to tame the passions (Christianity). 

For example, your child spills coffee on your freshly printed report for work. You flip out and become angry. Maybe you raise your voice or say something you should not have said. In reality, your over-passioned reaction was not reasonable. You could have just printed out another report and been a little late for work. I hope you get the idea.

Thomas teaches that you have eleven passions in your soul: "Consequently there are altogether eleven passions differing specifically; six in the concupiscible faculty, and five in the irascible; and under these all the passions of the soul are contained."

Six are concupiscible passions (a five dollar word for 'related to desire') and five are irascible passions (a five dollar word for 'related to anger').

For example, when you want to eat a whole pint of Butter Pecan ice cream - that's a concupiscible passion. When you want scream and flip off the guy who just cut you off - that's an irascible passion getting the better of you.

Here are the eleven passions:

Concupiscible Passions

1. love and hatred
2. desire and aversion
3. joy and sadness

Irascible Passions

1. hope and despair
2. fear and daring
3. anger which has not contrary passion

Now Jesus Christ has all these passions (He is fully man), but He is in perfect control of each one. He perfectly loves sinners. He perfectly hates sins. He was perfectly angry at the money changers with the precise amount of anger needed and only for the precise amount of time that the situation required.

Sometimes Christians can assume that being holy is to lack passion. They think that Spock from Star Trek is the ideal. Not so. This belief is repackaged Stoicism. Thomas Aquinas rejected this Stoic idea of the passions as incompatible with Scripture.

God wants you to be a fully passionate person. Yet he wants those passions submitted to right reason. If you are becoming a saint, people should see that you're rightly passionate about God and your neighbors. Your passions will be like a symphony under a masterful conductor. 

When in Cebu City, please visit http://www.gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs. Avail of the opportunity to own a condominium unit in Cebu City at the low amount of only P 9,333.33 and House and Lot @ P 7,306.81/month only. Hurry while supply of units still last. Just call the Tel. Nos. shown herein: (053)555-84-64/09155734856/09173373687/09222737836.