Filinvest breaks ground for Dumaguete’s Marina Town

Dumaguete City—Leading real-estate developer Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) held last week a groundbreaking ceremony for its Marina Town development project, its first-ev­er project in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental province.

During an interview with reporters, Tristan Las Marias, senior vice president and clus­ter head of FLI, said the project was a dream come true for the company, which had planned on investing in Dumaguete for a long time.

According to him, FLI’s rea­sons to construct Marina Town include the provincial capital be­ing named as one of the top five retirement destinations in Asia and the world; pristine beaches; the affordable cost of living here; the warmth of the city’s people; it being a university town; and its accessibility to other areas in the region, like Cebu province.

“The first component of the Marina Town project is Mari­na Spatial, under the brand of Futura, and a three-condomini­um-building development that we propose to build,” Las Marias said.

The Marina Town project sits on prime land in Dum­aguete’s Barangay Piapi that measures 1.9 hectares and has a view of the beachfront. It will also have a hotel and shopping mall, Las Marias said.

Last Monday’s ground­breaking ceremony at sunset was for the Marina Spatial 10-story condominium building.

“Given the laid-back lifestyle [in] Dumaguete—and [that] it’s the City of Gentle People—this is the most suitable location to come up with something [that’s beside the sea] and [endeavors to be a] lifestyle hub,” Las Marias said.

“It’s so nice to live in a place where you can actually have instant access to all the com­mercial shops and retail require­ments, and the mall is just at your doorstep,” he added.

Las Marias said Filinvest would like to build a new life­style hub for Dumagueteños that will make them and the city proud.

He also said that, with Dumaguete’s economy growing, “they would like to believe that this would be the first of many investments of Filinvest here.”

Las Marias led the ground­breaking of Marina Town with other Filinvest officials; Negros Oriental Vice Governor Edward Mark Macias; Board Member Mariant Escaño-Villegas, from whose family Filinvest acquired the land; City Administrator Ric Gonzales, representing Dum­aguete Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo; and other officials.

Macias lauded Filinvest for introducing a new lifestyle to Dumaguete, saying it is a wel­come development that will spur growth in the city’s economy

“I would say that this one of the positive indicators of our growing economy here,” he said. PNA