A city within a city

MANILA, Philippines - Why is it that Filipino expatriates and contract workers fare well abroad without resorting to the shortcuts that get in the way of development here in the country? Excuses like “Mamaya na,” or “Puwede na” don’t work anymore. This is the mindset of many of the homeowners living at Sta. Rosa Garden Villas, a sprawling development in Sta. Rosa, Laguna that was started by DDC Land Inc.

DDC Land executive vice president and chief operating officer Edna Sutter and her husband Martin Sutter, a Swiss national, have been building quality affordable homes in orderly communities that highlight the discipline Filipinos are known for abroad. Sta. Rosa Garden Villas, which is now in its third phase of development, has been attracting buyers for the reputation its first two phases gained as being quiet communities.

Sutter explains, “Among the earlier batches of residents, discipline has become a way of life. It has become easy for them to comply with village rules and guidelines as these were set specifically for their benefit. Of course, there was initial resistance to the village guidelines, but when the homeowners realized that these were for their benefit, they began to appreciate them and there was improved compliance.”

The residents of Sta. Rosa Garden Villas enjoy convenient and stress-free living for several reasons. “The community is well-planned, with environmental considerations factored in; so, it is safe. The homes are durable, and are of high quality,” adds Sutter.

DDC Land invested in its own equipment and on-site batching plant so that materials needed for the project were prepared within the area by the company’s workers. It eliminated the need for suppliers and middlemen, as well as cut down on transport costs, which would have only raised unit prices. That’s why the cost of a duplex or quadruplex home could be kept down to P950,000.

For the past eight years, Sutter and her husband have been building communities in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. They now boast twin milestones in their latest development: Pag-IBIG Fund executives turned over the ceremonial key to some units in Phase 3 of Sta. Rosa Garden Villas, and a commercial mall, which will rise within the village, had its groundbreaking ceremony.

“We have twin events on November 24,” says Sutter. “It is only now that we can brag. We’ve kept quiet for so long. We just kept on putting some of our concepts for the benefit of the Garden Villas residents, including the legacy we’d like to leave them, especially the start-up families — quality homes. We never wanted to shortchange our buyers. We even planned on giving them more for the price we are offering our units. At least, they get value for their money. As people learned about the good points of Sta. Rosa Garden Villas, even those who could afford to pay as much as P4.5 million for a unit are now coming to us.”

Sta. Rosa Garden Villas will have a mall right within its gates by 2012. The groundbreaking realizes agreements with commercial establishments such as Save More, KFC, and Chic-Boy, the first to reserve slots in the mall, which will serve the 8,000 homeowners of Sta. Rosa Garden Villas. The number of homeowners is expected to increase since the project site covers 50 hectares for development. This mall will make Garden Villas “a city within a city.”

For inquiries, call DDC Land at 551-8888 or 551-2221 or visit their office at Unit 101, Marbella I Condominium, 2223 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City.