Georgia Club is a project of Brittany Corporation, a subsidiary of Vista Land of Senator Manny Villar.

[See here the map of Georgia Club]

I promised myself to go back to this place to take better pictures. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten myself to doing so.

The rule of thumb when taking pictures of houses is there should be no people in the pictures. But what I am about to show is a picture show of model houses in Georgia Club with my family in varying playful poses.

I shouldn’t be showing this for privacy reasons, but what the heck! You can look but you can’t touch: ) And, maybe, what better way for you to connect with me than by letting you know the people who are most important to me – my Nanay, my son Julian, my daughter Ariel and my niece Katrina.

So, here are random images of Georgia Club where the houses are Southern American inspired.

[Show as slideshow]

12►

Visit their official website to know more about Georgia Club.

Thanks a lot.

Above is the last image that I attached to that post. The proximity of Barangays Pulong Sta. Cruz and Don Jose to each other as clearly indicated in the map and by comparing it with the GIS (Geographic Information System)-generated map below that I obtained from the City of Sta. Rosa, made me plot Bgy. Sto. Domingo where it shouldn’t be. As a result, I also mislabeled the Cavite-Laguna boundary.

These maps confused me and for that, I deeply apologize. You can say that I was biased and immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion out of sheer excitement thinking that my worst fear about this active fault relative to Nuvali is unfounded. By now, it should be apparent to you how much I admire Nuvali judging by the number of articles I’ve written about it.

Here are the facts:

• The map which I erroneously labeled covers only part of Laguna. Click here to see a complete version of this map in PDF format.

• On my first trip to Phivolcs, my objective was simply to do research on the Valley Fault System, I didn’t know that anyone can request for a fault certification for a certain project or property.

• Turned out that the most important requirement for such a certification is a hard copy of a topographical map where the project to be assessed should be “accurately” plotted. Without one, we settled with a Wikimapia Map of Nuvali which I emphasized is not 100% accurate; it’s an approximation of the Nuvali map at best.

With limited resources with which to base their assessment, Phivolcs geologists did the best they could to come up with the certification. They plotted in their system the map of Nuvali based on the approximate Wikimapia map. Although the certification may also be considered as an approximation because of the foregoing explanation, it appears that there’s a fault around 400 meters off the north-westernmost part of Nuvali and another one that traverses its south-westernmost tip. Again, this is unofficial.

The geologists could tell that I was disturbed by the result; they felt how strongly I felt about it. They then held a meeting for several minutes and decided not to release the certification.

Instead, they gave me a new map that covers much of Laguna. This one starts where the PDF map I asked you to see ends.

This time, I assure you that my tags are correct. This map clearly shows that Bgy Sto. Domingo, the gateway to Nuvali, is located much farther, around 4 to 5 kilometers, south-west from where it was first erroneously tagged and nearer to the fault than first thought.

The two most important places to consider to ascertain the location of Nuvali are the Canlubang Golf and Country Club and the Diezmo River. Also important is Bgy Laguerta which lies at the southernmost boundary of Nuvali.

Take a very close look at the shape of the Diezmo River on the map above and compare it to the image below, I am certain that the “rotund” is in the intersection of the 91/73 axes.

Here’s a navigable version of the map that you can play with. Again, examine the shape of the Diezmo River and compare it with the map given by Phivolcs.

Notice in the map given by Phivolcs that the Valley Fault System was not plotted. Here’s why: the Phivolcs geologists know how badly I feel if Nuvali or even just a part of it is indeed traversed by the fault, they know I am biased. They told me that they will make a second fault certification, free of charge, if I can accurately plot the exact outline of Nuvali using a topographical map similar to what they gave me. Only then will they plot the fault relative to the location of Nuvali.

Truth is, only a professional cartographer with access to the exact map of Nuvali can do that.

I think it’s no longer incumbent upon me to prove whether the Valley Fault System actually traverses Nuvali or just a part of it. Albeit I committed a blunder, I feel I’ve done more than I should to point out that there is probably a serious issue that must be addressed. And who can better clarify this matter than Ayala Land itself?

Did you know that last March, I even went to see the Mayor of Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Hon. Mayor Arlene Arcillas-Nazareno to follow up on my “online” interview with her? Prior to the meeting, I emailed her a few questions about Sta. Rosa including the issue regarding the Valley Fault System. Here’s the picture of our meeting.

Unfortunately, I have yet to receive her answers in spite of several follow ups with her assistant.

I hope you understand my decision not to pursue this issue anymore. As lawyers would love to say, there is probable cause to pursue this case but I will not pretend that I have all the resources to prove it beyond reasonable doubt. The ball is no longer in my hands.

I will only change my mind if someone helps me obtain a topo map with an accurate outline of the borders of Nuvali that is acceptable to Phivolcs.

Thank you so much and again, my sincerest apology for making an error in my last post.

Acknowledgment: Thank you so much to Ms. Perla J. Delos Reyes, Supervising Science Research Specialist and Officer-in-Charge of the Geology and Geophysics Division of Philvolcs, to Ms. Jed, Ms. Abby, Ms. Jayvie, Ms. Marose and to Sir Atoy for going over and beyond their normal responsibilities to accommodate my request and for enlightening me on matters which I know little about.

P.S. I was told repeatedly by Ms. Jed, also a geologist at Phivolcs, that there is no such term as “fault line;” the correct term is simply “fault.”

P.S.S. Thanks again.

To see the full image click here to see the various active fault lines and trenches in the Philippines as lifted from Phivolcs’ website, then click on Region IV-A or CALABARZON.

By comparing the two images above, it’s apparent that at least the southern part of Sta. Rosa is traversed by this fault line. Everyone who saw these images came to the same conclusion.

The veracity of this issue has bothered me for a long time. This fault line has been discussed in at least one forum and has caused anxiety among some who have invested in real estate properties in the area. Most often mentioned is Nuvali.

Just this Tuesday, June 15, I received a question from a reader asking if Venare in Nuvali is traversed by this fault line.

To settle the matter ones and for all, I went to Phivolcs (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology) yesterday and tried to find out what I could about the Valley Fault System. I was directed to go to the Geology, Geophysics, Research and Development Division. There, I was told that anyone can apply for a “fault certification” for any property or project that he suspects might be near or lies along a fault line. Such certification will either confirm or dispel such suspicion.

So for 500 pesos, I requested that they plot the Valley Fault System relative to the location of Nuvali. I also submitted three satellite images of Sta. Rosa that was given to me last year by Mrs. Nelly Gomez, Sta. Rosa’s City Assessor.

When told that they also needed a vicinity map of Nuvali, a staff helped me get online to secure this map.

Place your cursor on the cross hair in the middle of your screen to make the Nuvali map light up in yellow. Play around with it, zoom in and out, to examine the area. Note that places in Wikimapia are tagged by its users, including myself, to the best of our knowledge and we do not claim that our tags are 100% accurate. If anyone among you feel that the map of Nuvali is incorrect, I cordially invite you to join Wikimapia and edit it. Click on the Nuvali map then click “Menu” and choose “Resize outline (polygon).”

Be informed that serious users of Wikimapia do not take “vandalism” lightly; members have the responsibility to improve the maps, not make them worse.

Back to Phivolcs, I took pictures of a larger (3 feet by 2 feet) and more detailed map that shows the active fault lines in Region IVA or CALABARZON. Below is the map showing the Valley Fault System relative to the location of Sta. Rosa.

The slightly curving vertical broken lines inside the upright rectangle represent part of this fault line.

I will not make any conclusion based on this picture but I can’t help noticing that the fault line “appears” distant. What do you think?

I was told to call Philvolcs on Monday to see if the certification is ready for pick up. I will post the findings of Phivolcs as soon as I get my hands on it.

Update: I called up Phivolcs today, June 21, and was told that they are not yet done with the fault certification. I was told to call again on Wednesday for possible pick up the same day.

Thank you so much.

The following are Google Earth images that I edited to represent Nuvali. They are far from being complete and accurate and are only meant to facilitate the succeeding discussion. The outlines were based on available materials about Nuvali and plotted according to the visible images in Google Earth.

The green lines are creeks. Note that in many parts, the creeks are so deep that they form ravines. The image above shows the outline of the creeks but it shows neither their source nor the direction of their flow. Needless to say, water flows with the help of gravity and follows that path of least resistance.

Tilting the same map to make it appear as if you are looking at it from the ground level, reveals part of its topography.

The image above shows the flat/ground level view of Nuvali and the creeks (orange and green) from the south. Nuvali sits on a valley east of the slope of the Tagaytay Ridge and north-west of Mt. Makiling. The development has moderate rolling terrain with a gradient that descends gently to the north-east in the direction of Laguna Lake.

Below is how Nuvali looks from the opposite side, north.

Again, it clearly shows the gradient with the terrain descending to the north-east. Note that Tagaytay City is just a part of the entire Tagaytay Ridge which is a long chain or series of several hills and mountains. And the ridge starts west of Nuvali.

The image also indicates the source of the water that form the creeks; they come from the Tagaytay Ridge and follow the path of least resistance to the north-east and drain at Laguna Lake.

Below is a lengthwise image of Nuvali viewed from the east.

This image shows that from the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road in Sta. Rosa, Nuvali gently ascends to the south in Calamba. That’s why developments south of Nuvali like Montecito, and now Venare, may be relatively distant from the current commercial and office components, but they offer the best view of Tagaytay Ridge, Mt. Makiling and Laguna Lake. This is especially true for Venare. Below is its location plan.

Note also that past the southern end of Nuvali, the ground starts to descend towards Taal Lake.

After studying its location and topography, it’s now clear to me why Nuvali was not in any way affected by typhoon Ondoy when my friends and I visited it last October 1, just 5 days after Ondoy hit.

Realtors would like to say that there are three rules when choosing a property: location, location, location. After Ondoy, they added three more: terrain, terrain, terrain. Given its location and terrain, Nuvali should be flood-proof. But why leave everything to chance when it’s a virtual city, a 1,840 hectare development worth billions of pesos that is at stake that the Ayalas are fast converting into the most important Central Business District south of Metro Manila? Besides, nature has recently been giving us back the bitter fruits of our years of disrespect for it; natural calamities like Ondoy are predicted to become more frequent and more severe.

Real estate developments are subject to the ravages of time. If and when Nuvali actually becomes the next Makati CBD, how will it be sustained for the next generations to come?

Thank you so much.

Not that they will leave the Makati CBD, but they admitted that with Nuvali, they can start with a bigger canvass (it’s eight times the size the Makati CBD), where they intend not repeat whatever mistakes they committed in their Makati development.

Given the sheer size of Nuvali and the fact that it will be composed of several residential, commercial and office components, it’s easy to see that Nuvali will become a virtual city in itself. And it is a city that will be built with sustainability as its focal point.

The best known definition of sustainability, sustainable living or sustainable development is the one by the Brundtland Commission or the World Commission on Environment and Development. It is defined as

forms of progress that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Sustainable (or green, that word again : ) living, has been with us for a long time. Wikipedia offers a list of publications and events that chronicles the long history of sustainable living dating as far back 1854 when Henry David Thoreau published his book Walden.

But it is only recently that sustainability gained serious attention because we have begun to realize that the threats to ourselves and to our planet are real if we continue to ignore it. Earth is the only home we have and we have nowhere else to go if we do not take care of it.

On this premise, Nuvali was designed as a cutting-edge community that encourages residents and transients to live and work comfortably, simply and responsibly without putting too much stress on the environment and, therefore, giving future generations a chance to experience the same lifestyle.

As ambitious and complex as Nuvali’s Master plan is and the fact that the Ayala’s were lucky enough to start with a large blank canvass with it, are there lessons from Nuvali that our local governments can learn and apply? Can old dogs learn new tricks from a puppy like Nuvali?

My answer is yes if local governments would be honest enough to admit their own mistakes and modest enough to realize that there is a modern community on the rise which plans, or at least parts of them, are worth emulating. I’m not asking these cities to start from scratch; that’s ludicrous, but they can start with what they have and make the most of it.

Here’s a satellite image of Nuvali, and see how vast it is.

Thank you so much.

The following is a picture show that showcases the fine features of an actual house and lot (not brochure pictures) in one of the residential components of what is to become, according to the Ayalas themselves, the “next Makati Central Business District.”

The owner knew what he wanted. This beautiful Avida Settings house sits on a corner and morning-sun lot, i.e. it faces east. The living room and masters bedroom are bathe with sunlight in the morning

Take note of the corner windows

For me the most beautiful, functional and refreshing parts of the house are the corner windows. I will tell you the reasons later.

Living Room

Take note of the columns on both sides of the piano; and on the right side of the main door.

Kitchen

Part of the dining /living rooms on the way to the second floor

landing going to the second floor / Bedroom one

Bedroom one / Bedroom two

Entertainment Area

Masters Bathroom

Masters Bedroom

Reasons why corner windows are special

Here’s the part where I explain why I find the corner windows the most beautiful and the most refreshing part of the Avida Settings house. It’s also the most challenging.

• Each window gives you two exterior views at the same time.

• From an engineering perspective, it’s difficult and, therefore, expensive to make. The corner posts appear to have been “cut.”

So, how can this design be pulled off without compromising the structural integrity of the whole house?

Take a hard look at the image above. Where there are corner windows, there are no corner posts. Instead, two separate columns were constructed to support the house and framing the corner windows.

With two columns instead of a single post supporting each corner, installing corner windows makes them a very expensive design proposition.

Corner windows is not a new design concept. Engineers, architects and interior designers have long wanted to work on this design but very few developers were willing to execute them precisely because they are expensive. But from an engineering perspective, they make the house very strong, user-friendly and beautiful.

With an ordinary window, you are given a single vista. If you want to look at another, you would have to put your head out of the window : )

And why is it functional? Take a look again at the image of the living room below and you will notice that the columns at each side of the corner windows created a sort of a shadow box in the wall.

Also look at my personal collection.

I am a toy collector and I specialize in diecast cars. I have hundreds of Hotwheels, Matchbox, Tomica and Johnny Lightning toy cars. On my home-office walls, I have display cases like the ones shown. That shadow box is perfect for my collection.

Let your creativity take flight and explore the unlimited design possibilities for this shadow box.

To you, Mr. Avida Settings home owner, your wonderful wife, children and relatives, may the Lord shower you all with perfect health, more bountiful harvest and long and happy lives. It was our first time to meet but you were so gracious to have welcomed me to your beautiful home as if I were a long-time friend. Thank you for the great food (I felt bloated for the next 2 days : ), interesting conversation and warm reception.

Congratulations on achieving your dream house and more power to you!! Mabuhay ka, Sir.

The past several weeks have been a joyride for me and I will let you all in on what has, to me, been a frenzy of activities.

Be informed that I am trying to get an interview with the mayor of Sta. Rosa, Laguna, the Honorable Mayor Arlene Arcillas-Nazareno. Sana po mapagbigyan tayo.

I will also be attending a house blessing in Avida Settings Nuvali this Sunday, November 29, with my friends;  I hope to take pictures of the house. If time permits, our friends, Atty. Noel Jocson and his wife Liza, will again be giving us a tour of Ayala Westgrove Heights.

I also will tell you about a great website where I have been spending lots of my time. Rest assured, though, that the time I spend there, will positively redound to this website. That website is a global community of geography enthusiasts who are ranked based on the relevance of their contributions to that online community.

One of its most active and most respected users is ranked number 62; he’s Indian and guess his age?… he’s 14 years old.

Again, pardon me for the long overdue post. I will make it up to you all, my dear friends.

Thank you so much and God bless!

P.S. magsimba kayo sa Linggo, ha : ) I love you guys!!

jun

One of the reasons why I decided to take this tour was to find out more about an important matter that was related to me by a friend. She emailed to me an image from Phivolcs indicating that there might be an active fault that traverses part of Sta. Rosa. It’s called the Valley Fault System.

I will talk about this active fault at the end of this post.

But first, let me tell you about the tour my daughter and I did yesterday. What was originally intended to be a casual visit to Nuvali turned into a 12-hour trip that extended up to the swollen shore of Laguna Lake.

We arrived at Nuvali around 9:00 am and left for home at 9:00 pm. Needless to say, my daughter and I had a blast the whole time.

My second trip to Nuvali

This is the second time I visited Nuvali in less than a month. The admiration I had for it during our first visit became even more intense after I found out that what looked like opaque walls of One Evotech were actually transparent; they’re probably glass curtain panels. The photo that was taken at 8:30 pm clearly shows the bicycle ramps that one can use to go up and down the building using his bike.

I have so much more pictures of Nuvali that I am keeping for possible use in my future website.

Where I will build my first dream house

Like I said in the past, I will build my first dream house in Sta. Rosa in two to three years. I am reasserting this not knowing where the money will come from or if it will actually come. But I have to do so to keep me focused on working hard to fulfill my dream. With God’s help, it shall happen.

Given the time frame I’ve set for myself, Nuvali is definitely out of the question (maybe in five years : ), lol. That’s the reason why the tour brought me and my daughter to Old Sta. Rosa.

Even before yesterday, I already knew the subdivision where I want to eventually acquire a vacant lot – it’s in Olympia Park Subdivision in Bgy Labas. Kindly see its map here.

What made me want to live here

• Many places are still feeling the effects of Ondoy. This subdivision was not in any way affected by Ondoy except perhaps its northeastern and eastern parts. It’s the barangays along the shoreline of Laguna Lake that were worst hit by Ondoy. The farther you move away from Laguna Lake, towards the west, the higher the elevation is. This explains why most parts of this subdivision was spared by Ondoy; it’s relatively far from the lake.

• If you go back to the map, you will notice that Olympia Park is just a short distance from the soon-to-be constructed station of the Philippine National Railways that is being rehabilitated. Why is this important? Kindly read my post about PNR’s rehabilitation.

Look closely at the following pictures of the old PNR station in Bgy Labas. If you ask me, it’s a heritage structure that must be preserved. It’s the one tagged in the map.

Going farther into Old Sta. Rosa

I call the eastern part of Sta. Rosa “old” because… it is. Like anywhere else, the first settlements were born along the shoreline of important bodies of water. Laguna Lake, the second largest lake in Asia, was the main source of livelihood for many people who lived along or near its shore. It was via this lake that goods were transported to and from the different communities surrounding it.

In fact, I had it from a very reliable source that the three barangays of Sta. Rosa along the shore of Laguna Lake – Sinalhan, Aplaya and Caingin – were major trading posts even before the Spaniards came. They have archaeological artifacts to prove it.

Like I said in my older post, do not equate the word Old with Ugly. Old Sta. Rosa has a charm that is uniquely its own.

Below are a few pictures of houses in Old Sta. Rosa.

What could have been the best real estate in Sta. Rosa

Moving farther, my daughter and I decided to go to what “could” have been the best real estate in Sta. Rosa, a certain barangay along the shoreline of Laguna Lake.

The Ayalas and Mr. Lucio Tan have spent millions to build and maintain man-made lakes in Nuvali and Eton City, respectively. Other developers orient their projects facing Laguna Lake to afford their buyers a little view of this once majestic lake. But here’s a place that gives you a fantastic view of Laguna Lake.

Note: the pictures below were taken at a much later date. The day my daughter and I went there, the lake was still swollen and visibility was very poor.

Bundok ng Susong Dalaga (or Maiden’s Breasts Mountains) are actually two identical conical hills that do look like a maiden’s breasts, they are the highest points in Talim Island. The other hill cannot be seen from Sta. Rosa; they are best viewed from Mt. Sembrano in Jala-Jala, Rizal, on the other side of Talim Island.

Here are more fantastic views:

Visibility that day was less than ideal. On a perfect day, these mountains are colored in blue. At night, you’d see countless pinpoint lights emanating from houses in Talim Island. The lights resemble diamond necklaces that can put you in a trance. I know this for a fact because I used to frequent this place (for reasons I’ll just keep to myself).

As fantastic as the views may be, living in communities in Sta. Rosa, along the shoreline of the lake has become impractical. During Ondoy, majority of its population was displaced. Moreover, these communities have become blighted.

But imagine if it were not. Imagine building your mansion by the lake and mooring your yacht and jet skis at a dock on your backyard. There is hope, though.

The fault line that’s believed to traverse Sta.Rosa

I’ve already emailed this to the executives of Ayala Land, Inc. I will also ask for the input of the City Government of Sta. Rosa (hopefully from Hon. Mayor Arlene Arcillas-Nazareno) and Phivolcs.

Whatever answer they give about this perceived active fault, whether good or grim, no one and nothing will stop me from wanting to relocate to Sta. Rosa.

Our lives, whether we live long or die young, are not dependent on active faults, the melting of the ice caps, or the sinking of the world’s great deltas. Our lives have all been written long before we were woven in the womb of our mothers.

Thank you so much to Ms. Nanette Sison for sending me this very important information. She’s a friend who also happens to own a property in Nuvali.

Thank you so much and my best regards to everyone.

P.S. Here was my bodyguard during the tour. Ariel Marie, my 11-year old princess, one of my reasons for being. My prince, 14-year old Lucas Julian couldn’t be convinced to come; he was busy playing PC games at home.

P.S.S. This post was originally titled My Succeeding Posts. It was revised and reformatted on September 16, 2010.

Only days before, CALABARZON and Metro Manila, were hit hard by a massive storm- Ondoy (international code name Ketsana), the worst tropical depression to hit the Philippines.

On the day of our survey, said areas were still reeling from the devastations wrought by Ondoy and preparing for another, super typhoon Pepeng (international code name Parma)

But lo and behold! New Sta. Rosa was spared by Ondoy; not even a hint of it was apparent.

We took so many pictures and below are just some of them. The following are images of Nuvali.

Upon taking Sta. Rosa exit, turn right to Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road. A few kilometers away is Nuvali Boulevard on your left. It is 60 meters wide and will have two lanes in the middle for mass transit, 3-car lanes and a bicycle and pedestrian lane in each direction.

Nuvali will have a total of 51 kilometers of bike lanes along main roads and trails and will cut through and lead to different developments including workplaces like One Evotech.

Bike lanes appear to be around three meters wide, enough for a car to fit.

Evoliving

Evoliving currently serves as the sales office for Nuvali. It’s a fine example of an office campus, the current buzz word in the world of office building architecture. It’s a trend that was started by IT companies in Silicon Valley, California. Microsoft has one in its Redmond, Washington HQ, and so does Google in its Mountain View, California HQ.

The current benchmark in building design and construction is the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Standards. Ayala Land envisions the buildings it will construct itself in Nuvali to be LEED-compliant.

Evoliving features cutting-edge amenities that require non-renewable energy, but they are balanced with those that do not and promote a lifestyle that is healthy, efficient and environment-friendly.

Notice the bike ramp leading to the roof of Evoliving? You can get to its rooftop by simply biking.

What I failed to take pictures of is my second favorite part of Evoliving, the green roof. Parts of the roof are covered with soil and vegetation thereby minimizing rainwater runoff to the drainage.

One Evotech

One Evotech is another example of a mixed-use building that was built according to the LEED Standards. By incorporating bicycle ramps inside the building, employees who bike to work need not leave their bikes outside the building.

To the right is a picture that was taken at a much later date. Where in the Philippines have you seen a building whereby, from your home, say in Avida Settings, you can bike not just going to the building but “into” the building up to, say, the 4th floor where your office is?

Convergys, a business process outsourcing company, is a current locator in One Evotech. Others are Bank of the Philippine Islands, 7-11, Reyes Barbeque, BoNa Coffee Company, Kanin Get It, Indulgence Day Spa among others.

Solenad

Solenad is the retail component of Nuvali and has become a popular destination in Sta. Rosa. It is home to some of the most familiar dining places like Yellow Cab Pizza, Conti’s, Italiani’s, Starbucks, Domo Tomo, Pig Out among others. National Bookstore also has a branch at Solenad.  The images above were taken at around 12:00 noon when it was still raining hard in Metro Manila.

The man-made lake

This 4-hectare lake is an integral part of Nuvali’s water conservation, recycling and sustainability effort. It not only beautifies the development but also serves as rainwater harvesting system and reservoir for “grey” water for non-human use.

It is complemented with a double-piping system in every household whereby water pipes for human use like drinking and bathing are separate from those used for flushing the toilet, watering the plants and general cleaning.

To recharge the ground, lake and the aquifers, only high vehicular traffic roads are paved with concrete. Water permeable paving blocks are used whenever possible like on bike and pedestrian lanes and on parking areas.

Below are more random pictures of Solenad and the lake.

We did the tour with me mostly riding my folding bike that I fondly call Bumblebee. While my very dear friends, Atty Noel and Mrs. Liza Jocson rode in their car and took most of the pictures. This day-long tour would not have been made possible without their kindness and generosity. Thank you so much, Noel and Liza : )

I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour as much as we did.

Thank you so much.

Note: This post was revised on March 17, 2010. I noticed that my website was taking too long to load due to so many pictures that were taking too much space in my host/server. Some pictures from the original post were either removed or resized and fused with other pictures. Some of my other posts have already been similarly revised.

I cited a principle from my second post, Perfect type of housing, part 2:

Inherent geographic characteristics, scarcity and cost of land, population density and availability of commercial establishments, varied job opportunities and conveniences determine the suitable type of housing in a given area.

I gave an overview of Sta. Rosa – its brief history, its different barangays (or towns) and the population of each and its major thoroughfares. The different economic zones in New Sta. Rosa and in its neighboring areas were enumerated and described to emphasize that Sta. Rosa offers ample job opportunities for everyone.

I also said that there is so much to discuss about Sta. Rosa that I will divide my discussions into several parts.

In my maiden post , I asked you to make a reality list when deciding on the type of house that you want. They may include, among others, the following questions:

• How close to work do you need to be?
• How many children do you have or are planning to have?
• Will your little kids have to walk to school, commute, or will you have to drive them? When they grow up, where will they study?
• How far away from your church should you be?

These questions lead us to the various institutional organizations in New Sta. Rosa and the outlying areas.

Institutional Organizations

Schools

Laguna Bel Air Science High School is DECS-accredited. The Philippine Science High School (PSHS) in Quezon City provided expert assistance in the evaluation of its teaching staff and its curriculum and facilities to ensure a high standard of education with emphasis on mathematics and science. No less than former secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, William Padolina, and PSHS Director Vicenta Reyes formally inaugurated the school on the 25th of May 1997.

About Philippine Science High School: It’s the only school in the country that is not under the Department of Education; it’s an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology.

Green Fields International School (GFIS) operated for four years as a language school for overseas students who wish to develop their English communication skills and was then known as Sandra’s Language Center. GFIS formally opened last school year (2008-2009) and offers nursery, kinder, preparatory and elementary courses. What was then Sandra’s is now the school’s ESL (English as a Second Language) Department.

Ateneo de Manila University Graduate School of Business (Ateneo-Regis MBA Program) – Ateneo and Regis University, a recognized Center for Adult Learning in Denver, Colorado, in the United States, entered into a Program Development and License Agreement in October 1997. Under the agreement, the two Jesuit institutions, through the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and Regis University’s International Studies Program and its Graduate School of Business, committed to develop an MBA program designed specifically for professionals who seek to further their management skills .

Schools in neighboring areas

Brent International School is located just a tad north of Sta. Rosa in Brentville International Community in Mamplasan, Binan. Founded by the late Protestant Episcopal Bishop Charles Henry Brent (1862-1929) in Baguio City in 1909, Bishop Brent’s ministry was marked by three major themes: education, eradication of drugs and Christian Unity. While in the Philippines, he began a crusade against opium traffic which he expanded to the whole of Asia. The current Brent opened in 1999 and was originally called the South Campus (it had campuses in Baguio, Pasig and Subic which were eventually incorporated separately). The Pasig campus closed down in 2007-2008 and Brent Manila now only operates out of its Binan campus.

De La Salle Canlubang or (DLSC), is a member-institution of De La Salle Philippines and the world-wide system of Catholic institutions inspired by the charism of its founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle. According to its website, DLSC is “the first campus in the country to incorporate a science-oriented curriculum throughout all levels of its academic programs.”

Don Bosco (or DB) was established in 1963 in Canlubang. In 1966, it was divided into two communities: the Post Noviate and Don Bosco College. In 1998, DB accepted its first batch of high school students and became co-educational. In 2008, the Canlubang community was again restructured – the Carreno House of Formation (seminary) and the Don Bosco College. So Today, there are three Salesian communities within Don Bosco Canlubang – the seminary, the college and high school communities.

St. Scholastica’s College Westgrove opened in 2001; its first building was donated by Ayala Land, Inc.

University of the Philippines Los Banos needs no introduction. It’s Hon. Mayor Arlene Arcillas-Nazareno’s (Sta. Rosa’s current Mayor’s) alma matter where she obtained her B.S. Biology degree.

Soon-to-open Schools

Xavier School will open a co-educational learning institution in Canlubang in 2012. The 15-hectare campus will be located in the heart of Nuvali, Ayala Land’s flagship project. It will be just across Treveia, one of the many residential components of Nuvali.

The University of Asia and the Pacific is set to open its School of Health Science in Canlubang. I can’t confirm yet where exactly it will be located. The image in the middle above shows the architect’s perspective of its building.

University of Santo Tomas was ranked 470th in 2008 by QS among the top universities in the world (Ateneo, U.P. and De La Salle ranked number 254, 276 and 455, respectively). This 400-year old university is the oldest in Asia and the biggest Catholic university in the world, in terms of student population.

Soon, UST will start constructing a 44-hectare teaching hospital campus in Sta. Rosa; it’s going to be 5 times the size of its Espana campus that’s 21.5 acres. (Don’t drop your jaws yet; UP Diliman sits on a 493-hectare property: )

The campus will be huge, that, according to my sources in UST, it is envisioned to include a commercial complex and a residential development within that are aimed for the families of its doctors, faculty members, officials, employees and students.

Aside from the medical science and allied courses, UST Sta. Rosa will also be a center for IT learning.

There are also rumors that the Asian Institute of Management will put up a campus in Nuvali. Again these are just rumors going around.

Hospitals and Wellness Centers

Southern Luzon Hospital and Medical Center is a world-class hospital that envisions “instilling wellness to humankind through capturing the invigorating power of nature in healing.” At seven stories, it is not a typical hospital for it features facilities and services like that of a five-star hotel. SLHMC ensures quality service through a strong embodiment of qualified medical practitioners, modern technology and the essence of life.

FortMED Medical Clinics in Paseo de Sta. Rosa has state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment apparatus including modern imaging techniques, laboratory equipment, with up-to-date cardio-pulmonary testing capabilities, contemporary day surgery, trauma and emergency care, and full-service consultation rooms. The clinics have in-house pharmacies with ample supply of medicines. Another FortMED Clinic is located in Sen. Gil Puyat, Makati City.

Humana Diagnostic Clinic – like FortMED, Humana offers diagnostic, laboratory and treatment services. Aside from its Sta. Rosa clinic,  it has facilities in Makati City, Quezon City, and Ortigas Center where it also offers skincare treatment. Humana doesn’t have its own website and is largely identified with Medicard.

University of Sto. Tomas Hospital – As mentioned, UST will soon construct a teaching hospital in Sta. Rosa. I will provide update as to how it will look like as soon as I get hold of them.

These are just the schools and hospitals in and around the New Sta. Rosa.

Again, I remind you this:

• How close to work do you need to be?
• How many children do you have or are planning to have?
• Will your little kids have to walk to school, commute, or will you have to drive them? When they grow up, where will they study?
• How far away from your church should you be? (Needless to say, UST Sta. Rosa will have a church)

I haven’t touched yet on the recreational, commercial and real estate development in New Sta, Rosa.

Be informed that on Thursday, October 1, my friends and I will explore the real estate developments in Sta. Rosa. I’m particularly excited about riding the water taxis in the lake of Nuvali. We will also try its dedicated bike lanes.

Thanks a lot and do watch out for more!