Business Mirror, 01/05/09
AYALA Land Inc ALI is planning to build new master planned developments designed for anchor locators in the business process outsourcing BPO sector as it remains confident its investments in the in dustry will continueto prosper, even during these challenging times.
ALI which was recently named 2008 Best Overall Developer in the Philippines by the London based Euromoney, is building within its Nuvali project in Laguna a replica of the recently opened UP Ayala Land Technohub in Diliman, Quezon City Other planned locations for this integrated BPO campus type development a re in Asiatown IT Park in Cebu and Camp John Hay in Baguio City.
Jaime E. Ysmael, ALI senior vice president and chief finance officer said businesses tend to gravitate towards the developer which provides the best deal for the longer haul. "Our experience is that in periods of economic contraction clients become more discriminating and are careful in choosing their business partners. There is usually a flight to quality" he said.
"We believe in the long term potential of the BPO industry and ALI is fully committed to providethe industry with best in class products that draw on its extensive experience in creating unique master planned communities that work well over time", he added
Alongside the distinction it earned as best overall developer in the country ALI was also judged Best BPO Developer by Euromoney.
Ysmael referred to ALI s entry in BPO infrastructure development as a "natural expansion" for the company which is behind Makati s growth as hub of central business district type ofoffice buildings and regional headquarters of multinational corporations. Its seamless foray into the BPO business which also involves mixed use type of development is also enabled by its ability to attract big anchor locators—both office tenants and retailers to participate in its projects.
"The UP Ayala project is an example of how we create great synergy with the community in this case the UP campus where our project is situated. We respond not only to the work environment requirements of our business locators, but also to the living and lifestyle needs of the people that they hope to attract and retain, through the residential and retail components of the project. At the same time the technohub serves as a learning laboratory for the students of the school which in turn provides the locators with a steady pool of talent", Ysmael said
The ALI executive also shared the company's expectations that its master planned BPO clusters would be what Ayala Land's Laguna Technopark is for industrial estate development in the 1990s. He said that due to the thorough planning and attention to detail given to the Laguna Technopark project in the town of Santa Rosa, it continues to this day to attract new and expanding industrial locators despite the glut in industrial park developments in the Philippines, given the dramatic shift to China of Asia's manufacturing base. With master planning The Santa Rosa development has been cited as an Asian regional success story for metropolitan expansion.
"We expect this success story to repeat many times over with our BPO hubs. We are confident we are going to be net beneficiaries of this cycle given our track record" Ysmael said.