The premier residential hub of Makati City has constantly evolved with the increasingly refined and cosmopolitan palate of its locales. Combining this with the authentic resort lifestyle that it is known for, the Philippines’ first Quadruple A property builder DMCI Homes brings a new perspective on elegant city living with Brio Tower – its first high-rise community in Makati City.

“The early completion of Brio Tower marks another milestone in the company’s history and is a testament to DMCI Homes’ competence to deliver projects that offer world-class craftsmanship. The condominium development will be ready for turnover by October 2018, thirteen months ahead of our committed schedule,” beamed Jan Venturanza, DMCI Homes’ AVP of Marketing.

By next year, the Makati City skyline will be redefined with the 30-storey high property which boasts of well-planned one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units. Ranging from 24 to 84 square meters, the living spaces are flexible enough to meet the dynamic needs of its homeowners. All units, now offered at a price range between P2.6-M to P8.0-M, are delivered with first-rate finishes and can come with balconies that offer a refreshing view of the city or of the amenities below.

With its strategic location, having the luxury of time and convenience is an inherent part of living at Brio Tower. The 5,760-square meter rising residential landmark is situated at Barangay Guadalupe Viejo in Makati City. Its location along the border of EDSA further makes it a place where sought-after venues for work, play, and leisure converge.

The MRT Guadalupe Station and other major transportation hubs are just minutes away, making it easier to travel in and around Makati as well as going to other CBDs like Ortigas and Bonifacio Global City. Major establishments and areas of interest are neighbours to the development as well, including schools, hospitals, and various commercial and business centers. 

Ice candy is one of the all-time Pinoy favorite treats for both kids and adults especially during the scorching summer months. Recently, one unique variation of the popular frozen refreshment has created a buzz around the metro with its creamy and refreshing smooth flavor.

This is Tristan’s Ice Cream Candy which is ice candy with the richness of ice cream. Concocted by Tristan Cristobal, a former Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) turned entrepreneur, the story of the ice cream candy’s success dates back when he was still working as an accountant in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and how his business got its breakthrough at a DMCI Homes community called Cedar Crest, located in Acacia Estates at Taguig City. 

“I decided to venture into this business after being inspired by a concept from a friend,” said Tristan, as he narrated the journey of how he began his personal study on ice cream-making while working abroad.  

“The Cedar Crest community was really the first to believe in my product,” recalled Tristan. “It’s really hard to find people who will give you the opportunity. Luckily, the convenience store here gave me the chance, starting with buying 50 pieces late last year.”

Cedar Crest is medium-rise enclave that has been home to the Cristobal family for over five years. Personally for Tristan, it is both a sanctuary and a springboard for his business.

He launched his ice cream candy during one of Cedar Crest’s video feasts, which is a gathering that spread God’s Word in a series of recorded talks. After the celebration, Tristan distributed samples of his product to let his neighbors taste his creamy and refreshing homemade ice cream candy which comes in different flavours such as pandan, caramel, strawberry, chocolate, and a lot more.

From then on, the community convenience store began placing orders which increased over the months. The number of Tristan’s resellers eventually grew and now reaches Las Pinas, Parañaque, Novaliches, Bataan, Quezon and as far as Nueva Vizcaya. The product even caught the attention of morning TV show Unang Hirit and was recently featured in the program. 

Importance of financial literacy for OFWs

Tristan also notes that making ice cream candy is one of his investments to help secure the future for himself and his family. Apart from his ice cream candy business, one of the things he is passionate about is helping his fellow OFWs save money and get back home to their families.

Hence, during his last two years abroad, Tristan and his wife became active in the Angat Pilipinas Coalition for Financial Literacy.

“Through Angat Pilipinas, I sometimes led talks on financial literacy to help my fellow OFWs build the future that they want within their envisioned timeframe. The advocacy is about educating OFWs to use their earnings wisely,” he said.

“A quality structure is something to be admired and learned from.”

This is what DMCI Holdings Inc. Founder and Chairman Emeritus David M. Consunji, the known “Father of Contemporary Construction Industry” in the country once said. He stressed that DMCI always aims to build quality projects that serve as milestone in the struggle of humanity for better structures.

This endless pursuit of product quality and excellence that was laid by its founder, is the driving force behind the institution of Quality Programs at DMCI Homes to motivate employees to always meet or exceed customer satisfaction and ensure excellence at work.

Recently, DMCI Homes concluded its latest quality programs – Tigbayon Design Concept Competition, Tumpak and Haraya – which were basically group competitions that encouraged employees to generate new tropical design concepts, promote construction quality management, and express creativity in the form of art.

Launched simultaneously in 2016, these programs primarily aimed to inculcate a culture of quality in the company and at the same time encourage to emulate core values on integrity, excellence, customer orientation and interdependence among employees.

Spearheaded by DMCI Homes’ Quality Council, successful entries were awarded cash prizes and tokens in a simple ceremony early this year.

Tigbayon

Tigbayon, the Cebuano term for conceptual framework, is a group project design competition which aimed to generate fresh design concepts or ideas to further enhance current DMCI Homes brands. Through the competition, the company hopes to discover untapped creative talents across departments.

The Daintree Tower project of Jane Corpuz, Krish Olleta, Ralph Hung, Beth Bautista, Don Guevara, Renz Ilao, Desmond Carlos, Virgilio Sebastian and Glenn Trinidad from the Project Development and Landscape departments was chosen as winner among the four entries.