A revamped landmark in the South

Residents and visitors have a lot to look forward to as Brentville International Community begins its initial phase of redevelopment with a revamped entryway to mark a more prestigious and exclusive community in the South.

A project by Prestige by Filinvest, Brentville’s new marker, the first of many improvements, aims to enhance the neighborhood feel, elevating its status to being a more vibrant community. 

This key upgrade also serves to offer a progression of experiences, from the tree-lined entryway where pedestrians can immediately feel a sense of home and community pride to the retail development with walkable areas and vast open spaces where people can congregate with their neighbors, follow through with their fitness routines, or simply enjoy nature.

Notably, the redevelopment capitalized on its green landscaping—designed by award-winning consultant AECOM—not only to provide a pleasant walking experience but also to adhere to Filinvest’s commitment to its residents to provide a high quality of life. 

To enhance Brentville as a self-contained suburban community, it is masterplanned in a way that all of life’s necessities are within reach. It is home to Brent International School and is within convenient distance from lifestyle malls, universities, hospitals and other medical establishments.

Brentville’s easy access to major highways and thoroughfares is one of the attributes to its rising property value. Strategically located right after Mamplasan exit, its allows residents to enjoy life away from highly congested urban areas while having fast and convenient travel to Metro Manila’s central business districts. It is a 10-minute drive from the garden business district of Metro South, Filinvest City, and a 20-minute drive from Makati City via Skyway and the South Luzon Expressway. It is also easily accessible to the Cavite-Laguna Express Way (CALAX), which just opened its first phase, connecting Mamplasan, Binan, Laguna to the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Interchange. 

Without a doubt, Brentville International Community’s revamped entryway is a mark of exclusivity and prestige, offering a well-balanced, lush suburban life. With more redevelopment in the pipeline, residents and guests can soon enjoy a lively community with all their needs within reach.

To know more, visit www.brentville.com and for inquiries call0917 854 0121.

Enriching the tourism industry through knowledge-sharing

L-R: Arnold Gonzales, TPB DCOO; San Jeet, DOT market representative for India; Marie Venus Tan, TPB COO; Carlos Mori Rodriguez, EON Stakeholders Relations Group chief innovation officer; and Mohd Akil Bin Mohd Yusof, MATTA deputy president

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the marketing and promotions arm of the Department of Tourism, recently gathered industry stakeholders, tour operators, hotels and resorts, and members of the academe for a one-day discussion on the latest trends in tourism marketing and strategies on how to provide mature and emerging markets an optimal experience to make them stay longer and spend more.

The seminar, themed “Philippine Tourism: Trailblazing Responsible Travel and Inclusive Growth,” is part of this year’s Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX), the biggest travel trade event in the country with over 200 local sellers and 200 international buyers participating.   

Joining the impressive roster of speakers were Thomas Graham, co-founder of MAD (Make A Difference) Travel, who talked about how sustainable tourism is changing the lives of people in communities; Carlos Mori Rodriguez, chief innovation officer of EON The Stakeholders Relations Group, who shared insights about the new breed of OFWs in the UAE; and San Jeet, the Department of Tourism market representative for India, who discussed the needs of the Indian Market. 

Also sharing their expertise were Donald Patrick Lim, country chief executive officer of Dentsu Aegis Network Philippines, who shared shared how the digital age is changing the tourism landscape; Mohd Akil Bin Mohd Yusof, the deputy president of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) and Nelly Nuezca Dillera, deputy executive director of the Philippine Trade Training Center, shared points on how to cater to the Muslim market. 

“With the diversification of UAE industries, there is a growing number of Filipinos who work as professionals in industries outside oil and construction. Unfortunately, these new breed of OFWs with disposable income prefer to travel to other destinations than tour the Philippines,” shares Rodriguez.

By 2020, at least 30-32 million Indians are expected to travel overseas for leisure. According to Jeet, “To capture a chunk of that market, industry stakeholders in the Philippines should customize tours that focus on unique and luxurious experiences, especially since these are spending tourists who are willing to splurge on quality accommodations, sightseeing, relaxation, and shopping.”

For Graham, he sees great opportunity in sustainable tourism as it meets both profitability and viability. “There are a growing number of tourists who are starting to prioritize experiences over material possessions. Sustainable tourism is gaining traction because learning about other cultures, connecting with people, and giving back to local communities provide a one-of-a-kind, meaningful experiences.” 

The educational seminar concluded with back-to-back Halal-related talks where Yusof recommended ways to make establishments and tourist sites in the Philippines Muslim-friendly, while Dillera complemented this by sharing the government’s efforts to help local businesses make their products halal-compliant.   

In closing, TPB COO Venus Tan said, “PHITEX is organized, not only to provide a platform to connect buyers and sellers, but also to build the industry through education and insightful discussions among stakeholders. Hopefully, with these insightful talks, we are able to inspire and encourage them to develop tourism products that would provide unique, meaningful experiences for our visitors, which in turn would make them stay longer, spend more, and be avid ambassadors of the country.”

What’s your Quest? Finally, a journal that gives us freedom than limitations

Doodles there, long texts here, our favorite expressions on the side, stories, plans, and tasks – our journal is indeed our personal space. Yet many times, lines and dividers with dates keep us from storing more memories. They force us to shorten our sentences, or to simply squeeze in some words on the paper margins. Thankfully, Viviamo!, Inc. is back with journals that allow us to be limitless: The Quest Journal 2020 collection. 

Their journals, with no boundaries set on each page, are meant to give you freedom and focus. This is particularly important because a journal has the power to hold precious stories just like the following:

Stories of struggle. We don’t always get to accomplish our plans like how we want them to be. Each task for each day sets different kinds of challenge, and journals are reliable enough to bear those frustrations. It’s like our close friend who knows our weaknesses, and a space where we can vent without any judgment. It’s not like our Instagram feed that needs to be fully curated, so you can let that rough handwriting on a rough day freely fall into place.

Stories of happiness. What’s sweet in every journal is how one can easily track the transition from a bad day to a good memory. They are tools to record those fun moments, may they be as grand as a work promotion, receiving a compliment, or the simple reward of getting a milk tea in the middle of a busy day. Quest journals have refillable fillers perfect for tiny photos, sketches, or snippets, especially when exclamation points couldn’t fully articulate joy. 

Stories of the future. To plan ahead is to help us efficiently manage our decisions. Journals are not only meant for the present moments; they allow us to list down our goals so we can be more motivated to achieve them. Whether you’re targeting to save up for that much-awaited trip, or learning a new skill this 2020, or finally completing that course in school, there’s no little or big goal in this little book authored by you.  Every plan is valid.

Stories of reflection and self-awareness. Journals are made for #nofilter kind of stories - and that’s why we always hold them close to our hearts (both literally, and figuratively). After randomly writing down those challenging and rewarding experiences, you can vividly see where you’re standing at, where you really want to go, who you’re with, and all the learnings or realizations in between. It is a great medium to help us reflect, reassess, and act.

Stories of a well-lived year. Time will come when all those blank pages are finally full of stories to look back on. It may have already turned into a travel or a cooking journal, and that’s great. These are the moments that are not always documented on your social media accounts; this how you lived 365 days of your life. But what’s even more important is that this little journal could help you determine how you’d like to move forward. 

Ready for what 2020 has in store? Get the Quest Journal collection via http://bit.ly/QuestJournal2020. The new line features the minimalist Earth collection in shades of Caribbean, Graphite, and Forest, as well as the Galaxy collection in Space and Stardust hues perfect for those who want a little sparkly texture. Quest Journal also comes in three (3) sizes—mini, medium and travel. As if these vegan leather covers were not enough to inspire us to finally declutter and organize our lives, each journal has PVC pockets for bills and cards, too.

Now, what’s your Quest? Ready, Set, G to new stories!