[Editor’s Note: Investors of ARTHALAND’s Cebu Exchange – a premium, eco-friendly, and sustainable office being built in Cebu – are optimistic for the future. UnionBank, Esquire Financing, and Tan Family representatives leave their testimonies in the press release below.]

Buyers of the Cebu Exchange have begun preparations for their start of operations following ARTHALAND’s on-time handover of Phase 1 last October 2020. They are looking forward to taking advantage of Cebu’s continued economic growth and consider Cebu Exchange to be the most sought-after premium business address, as well as an upcoming landmark of the Cebu City skyline. 

Standing at the Cebu I.T. Park gateway, Cebu Exchange will be the Philippines’ largest multi-certified green office tower with approximately 11 hectares of office gross floor area along with five stories of premier retail along Salinas Drive.

For UnionBank, Cebu has continued to evolve into a strategic growth-engine for the entire country. With digital transformation rapidly happening throughout the archipelago, the bank wants to ensure it remains at the forefront to service growing business needs – whether digital or physical – to deliver its goal of inclusive prosperity for all Filipinos.   

One key element that they found at Cebu Exchange is its capacity to optimally support “phygital” initiatives so that brands and enterprises can effectively execute newer consumer-focused marketing blending smart “digital” experiences within an interactive “physical” location. To illustrate this point, Cebu Exchange’s fiber optic-pathways are designed to provide tenants like UnionBank with uninterrupted, high-speed data connection critical to the seamless operations of their trailblazing ARK digital branch.

“This is why Cebu Exchange will be the home of one of our most-advanced ARK digital branches as well as our Cebu headquarters. Together, these should allow UnionBank to continue delivering best-in-class “phygital” banking services in Cebu,” said Edwin R. Bautista, UnionBank President and Chief Executive Officer.

“The Bank made Cebu a region-in-itself, and not just the hub for the Visayas, so that all Cebu-based UnionBankers can now focus 100% on serving-&-enabling the banking and business needs of the Cebuanos.”

Esquire Financing, a proud advocate for the growth and development of small and medium-sized businesses, looked to Cebu Exchange’s strategic location and design excellence when selecting it to become its principal headquarters in Cebu and the Visayas. 

“The Cebu Exchange had everything we wanted for our regional hub, apart from being perfectly situated in the Cebu Central Business District, we were impressed by its sustainable features and future-ready facilities. The same can be said with ARTHALAND’s other projects, such as the Savya Financial Center in Taguig City where we have partnered with ARTHALAND in its development. It will also be the future site of our Philippine headquarters,” said Rajan Uttamchandani, Esquire Financing Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. 

On the other hand, the Cebu-based Tan Family was encouraged by their relatives, who have been very happy and proud of their investments in other ARTHALAND projects in Manila and have vouched for the company’s exceptional quality from design to execution and even service. Being in the construction industry themselves, they have a deeper appreciation of the company’s vision and mantra for building green, which extends to educating the community and encouraging unit owners and tenants to participate and promote environmental sustainability. 

According to the Tan siblings, the whole experience with Cebu Exchange was a breeze, and every department they dealt with was very efficient. The teams quickly adapted to these unprecedented times and immediately responded to their needs – reassuring them that their unit’s handover will be on time and as scheduled.  

They have enrolled their units with ARTHALAND’s Consolidated Leasing Solutions (CLS), which provides them with a hassle-free solution to maximize their investment. Through CLS, their units will be combined with other units within the same floor and will thereafter be offered for lease to larger companies and multinational companies. The ease and convenience of dealing with just one entity to manage possible tenants from negotiation to rental collections attracted them to the CLS.  Especially during these times of uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, they feel relieved knowing that CLS will ensure that their space is in good hands.

The on-time turnover of Cebu Exchange Phase 1 despite the challenges of the global situation in 2020 reflects ARTHALAND and its business partner for Cebu Exchange ARCH Capital’s commitment to all of its stakeholders and investors. Cebu Exchange is scheduled for completion and handover of Phase 2 on April 2022 and is already a multi-certified development, having just been Pre-Certified for the International WELL Building Institute’s WELL™ Building Standard in addition to having previously been Pre-Certified Gold for the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) and Design Certified 5-Stars for the Philippine Green Building Council’s Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE).

It is also registered and on track for the International Finance Corporation’s Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE®) certification. It was awarded Best Office High Rise Development in the 2019 Japan International Property Awards, Best Commercial Landscape Architectural Design at the 2019 PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards, and as the Best Office Development in the Philippines 2018 PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards. – Rappler.com