Centrio rises in Cagayan de Oro

MANILA, Philippines - It was a hard-hat event. Close to 200 merchants from Manila as well as other parts of the country gathered at the construction site in the heart of the city’s central business district for a preview of Ayala Land’s newest mall development in Cagayan de Oro.

The Centrio Mall is scheduled to open by the fourth quarter of this year, but even with the scaffoldings still standing and long before the dust has settled, you can already imagine what a nice and pleasant place it promises to be.

Perhaps it’s the two acacia trees right at the center of the development that give it life. “We preserved two large acacia trees that were originally in the property,” Rowena Tomeldan, head of operations and support services for the commercial business group, relates. “The design worked around it and it became the focal point. It made the development unique.”

The buildings follow the natural topography, consistent with Ayala Land’s commitment to sustainable development. The U-shaped buildings are connected by open bridge ways. The buildings are energy-efficient, with its cross-ventilation and natural lighting. “We introduced natural lighting with the clerestories,” Roann Hinolan, business development manager, explained. These are high windows that allow the sunlight in so that electric lights can be turned off during daytime.

The mall, which has a gross floor area of 64,000 sqms. will house over 400 stores including an anchor department store and supermarket, as well as entertainment and dining areas. Many of the tenants have been long-standing merchant-partners in the other Ayala Malls carrying popular international and local brands. At the same time, spaces have also been reserved for a number of homegrown concepts.

 “They will have it all here,” Ayala Land president and chief executive officer Antonino Aquino, remarked. “It will help in the new beginning CDO is undergoing right now.”

With Centrio Mall, residents of CDO will enjoy access to an elevated lifestyle and shopping experience. Not many know that the popular brand Crocs traces its entry into the Philippine market in CDO through its franchisee, Toot Limjuco, whose wife Diana is from CDO.

The first Crocs store in the country, which is located in Ayala’s Bonifacio High Street in Taguig was among the third to open in Asia, next to Singapore and Hong Kong.

 “People have been waiting for something like this to happen to CDO,” Limjuco says, referring to Centrio Mall. Despite the aftermath of the typhoon and floods late last year  that traumatized residents, especially those living near the riverbanks who were most affected, Limjuco says, “Ayala chose the best time to open Centrio.”

Planet Sports is a sports concept store that carries a number of imported brands such as Nike and Nautica. They opened a Planet Sports store in Abreeza, Ayala’s new mall which opened in Davao last year. And now, they are also opening a Planet Sports store in Ayala’s Centrio in Cagayan de Oro.

 “We can feel the strength of the CDO economy,” said Anton Gonzalez, president of Planet Sports Inc. “Many people come from other provinces such as Iligan and Marawi to do their trading and shopping here,” Gonzalez observed.

SSI (Stores Specialists Inc.) stores, which carry premium brands such as Debenhams and Marks & Spencer, can be found in all Ayala Malls nationwide. So residents of CDO will not be disappointed when Centrio Mall opens. “We are excited to be part of this development,” says Debenhams and Marks & Spencer general manager Steven Sarmenta, “We want to show our confidence in the province. We are betting on the resiliency of the people.”

The Rustan’s Fresh store, which will open at the Centrio Mall, will be the biggest in the country, almost twice the size of its store in Rockwell, Makati, which is the biggest at present, says Rustan’s Super Center chief operating officer, Patrick Simon. It will be the first Rustan’s Fresh store in Mindanao.

Raymond Magdaluyo of the successful Red Crab group of restaurants first came to CDO as an AIM (Asian Institute of Management) researcher when he was in his early 20s. Even then, he saw the potential of this vibrant gateway to Northern Mindanao. Magdaluyo opened his first restaurant at Ayala’s Alabang Town Center in 2001. “I believe in their vision,” he says. When the Abreeza Mall opened in Davao, two of his stores, Blackbeard Seafood Island and Sumo Sam opened there too. When Centrio Mall opens in October, residents of CDO will be able to enjoy dining in these restaurants also.

Bigby’s is a homegrown restaurant concept that’s popular in CDO. “We serve comfort food,” says owner Henrik Yu. Known for their big servings, among their  bestsellers are their rack of ribs as well as Tikiwaky, a Hawaiian inspired salad. Yu knows his customers well. “They like to have a good experience. They look for good service. They are knowledgeable about different kinds of food,” he says.

Candy Lu, owner, general manager and chef of the popular restaurant Candy’s in CDO does not hesitate to introduce new dishes in her menu such as spinach pizza and halibut served with open-faced lasagna. Schooled in Le Cordon Bleu in the UK and the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, she says, “I want to share what I learned. I want to encourage a healthy eating lifestyle.”

Originally from Cotabato City, her husband is from CDO. Lu opened her first restaurant in 2003. Candy’s at Centrio Mall will be her second. Among her wide selection of desserts, a bestseller is the Tartuffo. Unlike the French mouse-type dessert, she uses her own original recipe, which takes three days to make. The way she describes it, it sounds like a good enough reason to want to be first in line at Centrio Mall in October when it opens.

Spruce is a local retail distributor run by three sisters—Trisha L. Tamparong, Aimi Tamparong-Lim, and Vanessa Tamparong-Velez. They started in CDO with Happy Feet sandals in 2003, then Havaianas in 2004. They are also a franchisee of Puma in CDO and Cebu. They are “excited to be part of this historical milestone,” they say, referring to Ayala’s Centrio Mall in CDO. Lim says, “The Ayala development will raise the retail experience of the Cagayanons. It is a complete mix. Everything is there.”