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Pueblo de Oro Development: PhilAmLife, Vista Verde

Pueblo de Oro Development Corporation (PODC) is the proprietor and developer of the vast project of Pueblo de Oro Township. The project covers around 360 hectares. The corporation is affiliated with the ICCP Group, which is a group of companies chiefly focused in property development and services, investment banking and direct investments. Pueblo de Oro Development Corporation is a cooperative venture between RPI and BPVI, Regatta Properties, Inc and Beacon Property Ventures, Inc respectively.

PhilAmLife Village is one of PODC’s projects. Covering an area of about 20 hectares, it consists of 500 lots with a standard size of 200 to 400 square meters. It also includes a partial number of ridge lots that provides a great view of Calaanan Valley. Most of the lots were sold out after the completion of the project.

The subdivision has the following amenities: recreational facilities such as the clubhouse, tennis court, basketball court and swimming pool; landscaped entrance gate with pocket open spaces; provisions for power, water and security including Fire Station and fire truck, K-9 patrol, surveillance cameras, 24/7 security.

Another place that is worth noting is Vista Verde Village. It’s also part of the Pueblo de Oro Development projects. The place boasts of its classic Mediterranean-style exteriors. The place is conducive for families and is ideal for growing a healthy and vibrant community. People residing in Vista Verde Village also have the benefits of being adjacent to recreational facilities and quality educational institutions like the Xavier University complex and the upcoming Corpus Christi campus.

Vista Verde Village is situated along Masterson Avenue, which is only a few distances away from Concentrix and SM City Mall. Some of the lots also have a great view of the golf course. Here is a list of amenities that are found in Vista Verde: perimeter fence, landscaped entrance gate, children’s pool and playground, and multi-purpose hall. Like most of the subdivisions of Pueblo De Oro Development, the place also assures safety and security to its residents, along with amenities such as provisions for power and water, Fire Station and fire truck, security surveillance with 24/7 look out via cameras, and K-9 patrol.

Vista Verde Village has two types of resident shelters for future homeowners to choose from. The Cassandra Model houses three bedrooms, four toilet and baths, family room and domestic helper’s room. The floor area spreads at 140 square meters and a total lot area of 216 square meters. The house’s selling price reaches up to P3,683,190.00.

Vista Verde also features the Kyna-type of home model that consists of three bedrooms and three toilet and baths. Like Cassandra, the place has a den. Overall, the selling price reaches around P3,461,857.00

More Information of the Companies Involved in PODC’s Joint Venture Projects:

Regatta Properties, Inc is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Science Park of the Philippines, Inc. The latter is a pioneer and premier developer of industrial estates, which include the Light Industry & Science Park of the Philippines (LISP 1) in Cabuyao, Laguna; LISP 2 68 in Calamba, Laguna; LISP 2 133 in Santo Tomas, Batangas, the Cebu Light Industrial Park in Mactan, Cebu and the Hermosa Ecozone in Bataan.

Beacon Property Ventures, Inc specializes in assuming equity investments in preferred property development projects. Its main stockholders comprise of Philamlife, lonics Circuits, Inc, Bacnotan Consolidated, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Phinma Property Holdings, Inc and Valmora Investment & Management Corp.

Mark Anthony Daposala

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Radio Mindanao Network

One of the largest radio networks in the Philippines, Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) has been delivering news, information and entertainment to Cagayan de Oro and the rest of the country for more than 50 years. With 50 AM and FM radio and TV stations, RMN has helped the nation’s radio industry meet international broadcasting standards.

In line with the goal of constantly improving broadcasting techniques and technology, the network is the first and only Philippine network to upgrade to HD Radio Multicast broadcasting.

Headquartered in Makati City, RMN established its first radio station in Cagayan de Oro City on August 28, 1952.

How It All Began

What is now a leading national radio network started as a makeshift transmitter. In 1948, Don Henry R. Canoy, along with friends Vicente Rivera and Robin Cui, set up a home-made radio in Cagayan de Oro to listen to broadcasts from Manila (radio programs back then came from Manila only). With an improvised radio that could receive clear reception only in the evening, the three friends decided that it was high time Cagayan de Oro City had its own radio station.

So, after putting together surplus parts to create a 30-watt transmitter, the group broke the city’s airwaves through what they called Pirate radio in 1949.

However, since Pirate’s first broadcast wasn’t registered with the national telecommunications authority, Radio Control Office (now called National Telecommunications Commission), the station was short-lived.

In 1950, however, with the help of his lawyer brother, Henry Canoy finally established a legal and more powerful radio station. With the help of associates Robin Cui, Andres Bacal, Oscar Neri and Max Suniel, Canoy was able to build Cagayan de Oro’s very first radio station out of surplus equipment, an antenna mounted on a coconut tree and a “duck farm.”

The first official broadcasting, which coincided with the city fiesta, was on August 28, 1952. On that day, the entire city anticipated the station’s first words: “You are tuned to Station DXCC, broadcasting with a power of 500 watts on 1560 kilocycles from Cagayan de Oro’s Gateway to Mindanao!”

Continuing Improvements

As part of an observation grant, Henry Canoy visited the United States in 1954 to study the ways of existing radio networks. Instead of visiting giants in the industry, Canoy decided to observe a broadcasting studio located in the hinterlands of Greeley, Colorado. What Canoy came upon was a modest station that was doing the same thing as what DXCC was tinkering with. This station centered on farm prices, weather warnings, market conditions and personal messages. Upon his return, Canoy further improved DXCC by delivering more information, entertainment, and most of all, education.

Success Begets Success

DXCC’s success in Cagayan de Oro led to a Mindanao-wide expansion. Sites in Iligan, Butuan and Davao were opened, and by 1957, the station with the coconut tree antenna operated four other locations. Thus, the string of radio stations became Radio Mindanao Network.

In 1962, yet another visionary entrepreneur revolutionized the way news and information was delivered to the public. The late Andres Soriano, Sr of San Miguel Corporation was attracted by RMN’s broadcasting approach. Soriano bought most of RMN’s shares and brought the network to Manila, making RMN the first provincial network to have achieved such a move. A Manila station was created, and was followed by sites in Cebu and Baguio.

Radio Mindanao Network took a giant step further when it joined forces with Channel 13 and the Philippine Herald to create the country’s first tri-media organization. This placed the network at the forefront of public service and broadcast journalism.

In the following years until 1972, the network further expanded and opened sites in Surigao, Bacolod, Naga and Surigao del Sur. By the end of that year, the network had a total of 12 stations under its wings.

Changes In The System

In 1973, a constitutional amendment prohibited non-Filipinos to own a Philippine media company. So, Henry Canoy’s group had to buy out the Soriano-San Miguel group holdings. Left to survive without financial support from a major conglomerate, RMN made significant changes in its programs.

To attract a wider audience, the network started to broadcast in Ilonggo, Cebuano and Filipino. In the following years, more stations came to be, including Dipolog and Pagadian locations.

In 1985, the programming changed once again as RMN wanted to attract a generation of pop music lovers. The operations were divided into AM and FM.

Video vs. Radio Star

On August 28, 1991, RMN’s first TV station went on air in Cagayan de Oro City, another major event during the town fiesta. After 39 years of filling the airwaves with reliable public service, RMN finally ventured into the world of television. That same year, the network was given a permit to run a UHF TV station in Metro Manila.

Going Global

As if conquering national radio and TV channels wasn’t enough, RMN went international and reached the United States’ radio waves, starting in 1998 through WRMN in New York.

Instrumental in entertaining Filipinos and documenting important events in the country’s history, RMN has been a significant part of the Philippines’ growth and development.

by Gillian Abonitalla

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Dengue and the Rainy Season

There’s nothing better than drinking hot cocoa or lying in the warmth of your bed all day while it’s raining outside. The rainy season is here in Cagayan de Oro once again and it’s going to stay for a good long while. On the other hand, the rainy season isn’t all warm sheets, warm drinks and indoor fun, because the wet season also brings rather disastrous diseases, one of which is dengue fever.

The number of dengue cases has been increasing every year in the Philippines despite prevention programs conducted by the government and health care facilities. In fact, in Cagayan de Oro City alone, 500 dengue cases have been recorded since January 2010, whereas there were only 300 cases last year within the same period. Furthermore, out of the 500 dengue-stricken patients, five succumbed to the disease and died.

What is Dengue?

Tiny as they are, mosquitoes can cause so many diseases, from yellow fever to malaria to dengue.

Dengue is caused by a virus and is transmitted by a mosquito species called Aedes aegypti. While the disease is more common in tropical countries, 2.5 billion people around the world are now at risk of getting this deadly disease, according to the WHO.

How Can We Prevent It?

As with other diseases, there are ways to prevent dengue fever. However, at present, no vaccine has been tested and approved yet, although there is ongoing vaccine research and development.

Aside from vaccination, other preventive measures aim to effectively eliminate possible breeding grounds of mosquitoes. Since these killer mosquitoes thrive in areas with stagnant water, you should be able to easily spot environments with standing water, such as basins, pails, basins or even cups. Water sources that remain stagnant for over a week are most probably inhabited by mosquitoes. It is good to always cover drainage systems, which should have a constant flow of water so that mosquito eggs are flushed out.

Another prevention method is fogging, which is similar to spraying your house with insecticide, only it uses a machine that blasts the gases to potential breeding grounds. Fogging also kills mosquitoes, as well as eggs that haven’t hatched yet.

Tree planting is also a proven mosquito repellent. There are several species of plants, like the Neem tree, that release natural chemicals or gasses that mosquitoes can’t stand.

There are several other preventive steps that fight dengue. Follow this guide to keep you and your family safe.

by Gillian Abonitalla

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Gaston Park Renovation

Gaston Park is one of the locations where Kagay-anons savor the afternoon sun. It has several attractions like the children’s playground, benches and lush green gardens. It is mostly crowded during Sundays, as St. Augustine Cathedral holds masses starting late in the afternoon up to the early evening. What makes the place even more crowded are the mobile food stalls that line up at the side of the park. Last 2009, the park was renovated and all the work was finished in December, before the year ended. In fact, the park re-opened just in time for Christmas.

The trees that surrounded the park were decorated with Christmas lights, which appealed to the viewing public, especially when lit at night. The one-hectare park now has a new landscape, including newly planted grass. The fountain lights were still being worked on at that time. There were Chinese Pagoda decorations on the landscape; earlier reports said that the park would have a Chinese-Japanese-Korean-Filipino-inspired landscaping. Apart from the landscape, the lamp posts were redesigned and resembled those put up in the streets of Divisoria.

When the park was officially declared open during the yearly Light-A-Tree event, which is celebrated every Christmas season, the whole place, including the City Hall, was lit up with blinking lights and decorations. Former City Mayor Constantino “Tinnex” Jaraula and then Vice Mayor Vicente “Dongkoy” Emano, along with the City council members, were some of the guests in the ceremony, which was also attended by city hall workers, chiefs of office, as well as department heads. The lighting ceremony was held last December 15th, in time for the churchgoers to see the lights as they attend the first “Simbang Gabi” at the Cathedral the next day.

The renovation was not possible without the generous donations of the members of the Chinese-Filipino Chamber of Commerce and Industry in CDO. Initially, the contribution was a check for P200,000, but it later accumulated up to twice the initial amount.

Former Mayor Jaraula planned to put up a state-of-the-art widescreen that featured graphics, moving texts and images, and it would function like a community billboard at the park. However, no updates have been disclosed about this project as of now.

This 2010, Gaston Park was again renovated to further improve the developments it already had late last year.

Named after Segundo Gaston, the first mayor of the City of Golden Friendship, Gaston Park is situated across the St. Augustine Cathedral and the Palace of the Archbishop. This Kagay-anon landmark is rich in history; it was the plaza of the first settlement of the Spaniards in 1622. During the inception of Pueblo de Cagayan in 1624, it was considered the center of the town. In the 1900s, it was the training base for local revolutionary soldiers who were readying themselves for the Philippine-American War. The site was likewise the battleground of one of the most gruesome clashes between the two forces at that time.

To commemorate the hundreds who died during the battle, a National Historical Institute Marker was made and placed in the park. Another marker is said to be put up in the park to make known to the people today what the park meant during the Spanish settlement.

by Rose Anne Quirante
Photo taken from: 4.bp.blogspot.com

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