Proper ty Tourism highlighted at the PREF 2009

MANILA, Philippines - They’ll keep returning to the Philippines if they have a home  here, that’s for sure. At the PREF 2009, those who have worked to make the local real state sector a force to reckon with gathered for three days to celebrate their accomplishments as well as strategize on how to better our economy through real estate.

Accomplishing it’s organizer’s goal of becoming the biggest real estate event of the year, the 3rd Philippine Real Estate Festival (PREF 2009) held last July 23 to 25 gathered

close to 200 of the country’s top real estate developers, service providers and allied products in a grand showcase of projects from the most affordable socialized (low cost) housing to the most luxurious for the affluent.

True to the “Live Your Dreams” program of it’s copresenter, the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Philippine Convention & Visitors Corporation (PCVC), PREF 2009  surpassed last year’s festival both in terms of the number of exhibitors and the roster of VIP guests. H.E. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo herself formally opened the festival with Vice President Noli de Castro delivering the Opening Keynote Address.

On its opening day on July 23, 2009, President Arroyo awarded the initial 100 Pag-ibig Fund Housing Certificates to the first batch of beneficiaries belonging to the Philippine Transport Workers Foundation consisting of jeepney drivers and transport sector workers  in consonance with VP Noli’s tagline: “Bakit mangungupahan pa, kung kaya namang magkabahay na.”

Another highlight of the festival was the 1st PREF Excellence Awards that recognized  individuals, projects, designs, concepts and advocacies that made Philippine real estate, the industry that it is today. The Most Outstanding Corporate Social Governance Award was given to Ayala Land, Inc. Most Outstanding Project on Urban Renewal Award was given to Alpha Land, while Most Outstanding Real Estate Project for the Less Privileged was awarded to New San Jose Builders and R-II Builders.

PREF 2009 also provided the venue for two mass based NGOs, the Citizens Crime  Watch (CCW) and the Balikatan to congregate its officers and members for fellowship as they listened to lectures made by the representative of Pagibig Fund on how their  members can avail of the facilities of the socialized housing window of the said Fund. Some were also given the opportunity to network with the festival exhibitors for the  possibility of undertaking a real estate career.

To equip would be investors and the participants to the festival with the right armor against fraudulent real estate undertakings, PREF 2009 hosted a Real Estate Forum that benefited 500 or so participants of the symposium. A panel discussion was also  conducted, participated by the heads of the foreign Chambers of Commerce in the country.

In fine, the 3rd Philippine Real Estate Festival paved the way in elevating the  consciousness of the community for the need to advocate “Property Tourism” by persuading foreigner friends and relatives now residing abroad to invest in the real estate in the Philippines, the better technique of assuring their frequent visit to the country.

Property Tourism is the brain child of Ms. Rosemarie Basa, Chair of PREF, who  expressed confidence the Philippine Real Estate Festival will be the annual real estate event of the country in bridging financing institutions, investors, developers and buyers for a more productive and vibrant industry.