September 1, 2007 | 12:00am
You wake up to the silhouette of the Mountain Province from your bedroom window, making you feel like having breakfast in Baguio and coming home in time for lunch. Instead of running along the tree-lined promenade this morning, you decide to meet the sunrise on a kayak. Once the kids are up, you take them fishing by the river before going to work. The Dawel River, lined with mangroves and teeming with Pangasinan’s famous Bonuan bangus, forms the backyard of your residential community, composed of some two hundred families who, like you, know how to live life.
Managen Development Corporation, the company behind San Marino Place, takes living life seriously. Located in Dawel, Bonuan, Pangasinan, San Marino Place promotes resort-style living in a residential setting. Its recreational facilities include a clubhouse; a mixed-use court that’s convertible for different sports; an infinity pool by the river; a small gym and fitness room, a mini marina with decks for fishing and kayaks, a promenade lined with trees for strolling, jogging and biking; a park, a mini petting zoo, and a children’s playground; and a picnic area with barbeque pit.
Looking more like a resort than a residential community, San Marino Place makes going home feel like you’re on a permanent vacation, a first class subdivision with affordable prices. It is a rare piece of residential real estate development that combines provincial character, urban amenities, and unspoiled natural settings.
Others couldn’t agree more. All 70 residential lots in Phase1 had been sold, while 140 lots in Phase 2 are selling briskly. Many see the property as a place for retirement, an investment, or the ideal place to raise a family.
The Prime Choice
Several factors make this riverside community the prime choice.
San Marino Place’s location is irresistible. Only1.5km away from city proper, the site is near important places like the University of Pangasinan and Colegio de Dagupan (formerly Computronix College); the Region 1 Medical Center (800m away); restaurants, entertainment establishments, and the Nepo Mall (700m away). Leisure is also just around the corner, with the Bonuan Golf Course, Bonuan Blue Beach, San Fabian Beach and other resorts nearby; as well as La Union’s surf and the city of Baguio, an hour and thirty minutes away.
The master plan for San Marino is first class. Done by Mario Arturo V. Lising Visioneering Group, the plan calls for a walled and gated perimeter; wide landscaped entrance with concrete pavers, streets and sidewalks; an efficient drainage system; fire hydrants; ample water supply and electricity; and, 24-hour security. The land was also raised to a higher elevation, with rip rap to protect the soil from erosion, making the property flood-free. Building will be regulated in line with the community’s aesthetic requirements.
Managen Development Corporation is a privately held corporation with over three decades of experience in business and real estate.
Its directors and officers include Generosa D. Manas, formerly a director of a real estate development company in Dagupan City, Antonio S. Manas Sr., formerly connected with two of the country’s top financial institutions and Antonio D. Manas, Jr., a civil engineer who owns and manages a construction firm involved in major projects in the Philippines.
A Rare Gem
Nothing, however, beats San Marino’s natural beauty.
The presence of the Dawel River assures a respite from uninterrupted urban sprawl; a sense of peace and quiet that is almost as permanent as the ebb and flow of the tides. No other property offers mangroves for a backdrop, a parking space for your boat, or a basketball court by the river. It’s a rare gem of a development found nowhere else in the country.
“Imagine your home in a resort setting,” says surfing enthusiast and first-time home owner, Jeff Reyes. “It’s like having your own vacation home without the prohibitive prices.”
And as a home owner at San Marino Place, you’d feel just like Reyes. As the provincial breeze blows through the narra trees by your home, and you see your family strolling by the promenade, you soak in the scenic surroundings, congratulate yourself on your wise investment, and smile at the a riverside community you’re proud to be part of.
