Field Trip: Marquee Place, uniquely Modern Contemporary Design Development in Angeles City

Last February 3, 2008, in celebration of the Lunar New Year. Marquee Place celebrated their first open house for 2008 with a bang during this Chinese New Year - Spring to Life. Most of the soon-to be residents where treated with lunch and snack of assorted Chinese delicacies and meals. People were also treated for a free photo opportunity wearing a Chinese costumes used during the old dynasties of the past. The children on the hand were given mind games for their enjoyment and relaxation in the open house event.

Community Innovations, Inc.'s Marquee Place is an upscale residential development standing on a 35-hectare tract of land, just nearby North Luz0n Expressway toll exit to Angeles City. It is less than 10 minutes from the Clark Freeport and only a few minutes from everything right beside this land is an on-going construction of world class shopping called Marquee Mall (an Ayala Mall).

Marquee Place boasts of a social and sports zone, complete with lap pool, jogging trails, exercise stations and ball court facilities. The entire park is a playground for children and health buffs. At the same time, its serene ambience encourages relaxation and re-generation.

Community Innovation has already introduced two of its newest housing, HUDSON and NIAGARA house wherein they are themed with modern contemporary design of houses in accordance with modern living you can find here in Angeles City.

Property sales have been very brisk, another indicator of the booming local economy. The Pampangos have really got it made even in the midst of hardship brought about by Mt. Pinatubo eruption and other calamities which devastated the province in the past decade.

Pampanga is now rising on its feet, we welcome you to visit or permanently stay in Pampanga for good.

For inquiries, please call me at 0917-510-0734, Tel: (045) 961-5936 or email me at cfbaluyut@yahoo.com.

Field Trip: Andalusia - Communities Philippines newest jewel in Pampanga

COMMUNITIES, the largest and most successful real estate developer (A Vista Land Company), has brought families home. Because for Communities, it has never been about building houses - it's about building homes for your family and for countless others across the nation. As a pioneer Master Planned Community developer in the Philippines, Communities adhere to the development of the upgraded line of residential community projects.

For these reasons, and more, Communities is proud to celebrate six years of building Master Planned Communities where people just like you feel at home.

Andalusia is a master-planned community spanning 8 hectares of prime land along the Mc. Arthur Highway in San Fernando, Pampanga (the former site of ALMA Ice Plant which was wholly owned and operated by the Lagman family). A community proud to be the center of it all-just a short walk away from the school, church, hospital, recreation center and other lifestyle hubs. This “walkable” , “bikeable” community is designed with residents safety and privacy in mind. A commercial is likewise envisioned to transform the community into a self-sufficient, self-sustaining one. The residents’ well-being is assured with the many wellness features that will be incorporated in the development.

Exclusive Features:
•Community Courtyard with Fountain Park
•Tree lined streets
•WI-FI ready
•Security Monitoring System
•Entrance Gate with Guardhouse/24-hour security
•Underground Drainage System

NEWS: Proposed Increase in Real Estate Tax in City of San Fernando opposed

San Fernando real property tax hike opposed

By Albert B. Lacanlale

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The proposal to increase the fair market values (FMV) of real properties in the city encountered minimal opposition on its way to becoming a local ordinance.
Councilor Alex Patio, chairman of the Provincial Board committee on ways and means, heaved a sigh of relief moments after a public hearing he called to pulse stakeholders on his sponsored ordinance revising the FMV of lands in the city wrapped with negligible opposition among those who attended the affair.
"It is encouraging for officials that our constituency recognizes the benefits of such ordinance for the majority of Fernandinos," he said.

He admitted that his concern prior to the hearing was that stakeholders might take the proposed ordinance negatively against the Provincial Board members.

He has a basis to feel nervous. The ordinance, if implemented, would raise by about 70 percent the FMV of agricultural lands in the city and by 35 percent that of residential lots.

Since FMVs are used to compute real property tax (RPT), bills for RPT of lands within the territories of the component city would also increase.

Due to the City Government's thrust to remain "business-friendly" FMVs of industrial and commercial lands would remain the same.

"There would always be resistance to changes, but the Provincial Board thought it's about time we update the land valuation to enable the City Government to collect additional revenues and deliver the much needed basic services," Patio said.

Jose de Leon, city assessor, said the last time FMV in the city was increased was in 1996 when Provincial Board Ordinance 17, which was approved in 1994, took effect.

The succeeding revision of FMVs, if approved this year, would still be considered a long wait since the Local Government Code of 1991 allows local government units (LGUs) to update the land valuation in their respective jurisdictions once every three years.

The 1996 valuations were retained in 1999 to help the municipality bounce back from lahar devastation.

Three years later in 2001, the town was converted into a component city and a six-year moratorium on any tax increase was implemented.

In July 2007, however, the city officials in Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) passed a resolution, which includes among other plans, the conduct of a general revision of real property assessments and classifications in 2008.

De Leon said the revision of FMVs is timely considering the following factors: present economic conditions; the needs of the city government to maintain its continuous progress; valuations being used by the different banks in the city and as well as licensed real estate brokers in the locality; the recommended zonal values as agreed by the different stakeholders of the city; and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) zonal valuation.

At a maximum of 70 percent increase in the land valuation, the proposal is still lower compared to the recent zonal valuations proposed by the BIR, which were adamantly opposed businessmen in Pampanga and values proposed by realtors.

Under the proposed valuation, residential lots in first class subdivisions will have an FMV of P950 per square-meter from the present value of P710 per square meter.

This will still be much lower compared to the BIR unit valuation of P1,500 and realtors' proposal of P1,200 per square meter.

To get the tax base or RPT due for a residential lot without building, the total area of the land is multiplied by the FMV, then by the assessment level of 20 percent, then again by one percent.

The final amount will be multiplied by two. Half of which will go to the General Fund, and the other half to the Special Education Fund (SEF).

Thus, a 400 square meter lot in a first class subdivision will be charged P1,136 as its RPT bill for the year.

Myrna Tapnio, vice president of the Federation of Homeowners Association (Fedhoa), said subdivision property owners are supporting the proposed ordinance.

She believed that the taxes being generated from the RPT are coursed back to the residents via services like infrastructures and other assistance.

Records obtained from the City Treasurer's Office here revealed that of the total income of P526 million the city had in 2007, more than P41 million was from net share -- after the deduction for the share of source barangays and SEF -- of the city from RPT taxes collected from the whole year.

(January 12, 2008 issue) – Sun Star Pampanga