Last 23 September 2008, Ayala Land Inc. (ALI), in partnership with the Anflocor Group, broke ground on Abreeza, Davao’s upcoming high-end real estate development for business and leisure. (Think Eden Nature Park meets Greenbelt.) In a simple but momentous ceremony, high-power representatives of the two major Philippine corporations signaled the start of building work on the 10-hectare property along J. P. Laurel Avenue.

Abreeza will be a multi-use commercial center that will house a mall, entertainment areas (including natural open spaces, comprising about 20% of the total project area), and locations reserved specifically for business-process outsourcing (BPO) operations. In fact, there are two buildings planned solely for BPO companies, according to the representatives of Ayala Land.

The first building is scheduled to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2009 and will have a total gross leasable area of 10,000 sqm. While ALI has not yet signed any particular BPO firm for Abreeza, they do have existing locators in their IT parks and buildings in Metro Manila and Cebu.

At the press conference following the groundbreaking rites Tuesday last week, ALI President Jaime I. Ayala explained that they do maintain a loyal group of BPO locators who may very well be expected to follow them to Davao once the facilities are in place. He further expounded that this was the case in the Ayala IT Park in Cebu City.

The groundbreaking of this much-awaited development, which is a joint venture between ALI and Anflocor, is a very clear and resounding signal of strong investor confidence in Davao City. The ALI executives expressed their approval of the region’s peace-and-order situation, as well as of the overall favorable business climate in the Philippine South. Hence their preparedness to sink in up to Php5 billion in the Abreeza project.

During the press conference, which was held at the Pearl Farm Marina in Lanang, ALI and Anflocor decision-makers made themselves available for interview by local media, as well as by a couple of bloggers – Ria Jose and yours truly. Sidebar: I am glad that more and more business entities are now recognizing the usefulness of blogs as an effective communications medium.

Being an active member of the city’s IT industry as well, I was particularly interested in the ICT component of Abreeza. Upon introducing the existence of organized ICT groups in Davao, both presidents of ALI and Anflocor immediately expressed an interest in interfacing with the Association of Solution Integrators in Davao (ASID) and ICT Davao Inc.

ASID is the organization of software development houses and companies offering software-based solutions. ICT Davao is the umbrella group of all ICT-related non-profit organizations in the city (of which ASID is a founding member). I act as the executive director of ASID.

It is indeed beneficial for Davao to be the investment destination of more foreign BPO companies that will locate in Abreeza. On the other hand, it is my hope that this Ayala development will also spell success for the local ICT industry of Davao.

Judging by the keen interest and enthusiasm of the ALI executives when they inquired into ASID and ICT Davao, I’m convinced that Abreeza will be able to contribute directly to the progress of Davao’s IT sector.

Already, Ayala Businesscapes representatives, as well as Anflocor President Alexander Valoria, have communicated their intent to participate in Davao’s IT associations. Their contributions are certainly very welcome!

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