AYALA LAND BUILDS RP’S “SILICON VALLEY”
Using a strategic 37.5-hectare site along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, ALI ventured into the grand project which aims to build a site that will serve multiple purposes. The project, which was estimated to be worth around P 6 billion, included the construction of 10 low-rise office buildings, the UP Science and Technology office and areas for residential buildings for university employees, faculty and students, a hotel and various commercial spaces. Also included in the project is the proposed construction of the UP North Science & Technology Park. This provision aims to replicate the feel of a tree-lined and walker-friendly campus, which is similar to that of UP itself.
According to architect Edwin Yabut of the Integrated Design Group of ALI, the imposing site was built as a technology center that will serve as a hub for IT-related business operations in the country. This means that the techno hub primarily aims to house the business outsourcing ventures (BPOs), facilities that now employ thousands of Filipinos. However, Yabut stressed the fact that the site was constructed not only for this single purpose, as it also aims to host the operations of local and international hardware and software firms, leading to similarities with the world-famous “Silicon Valley”.
In addition, the undertaking was carried out with the help of the University of the Philippines, which agreed to lease the site to ALI for a very long period. It is a concrete and lifelong tribute to mark the centenary of the university. The project also aims to maximize the ability of the Filipino, in particular, the excellent students of UP, who proponents believe are more than capable to operate facilities more than call centers. In a larger picture, the hub is foreseen as a real-world laboratory for small startup IT firms.
However, the project has also raised a number of eyebrows among the conservatives, especially those among the UP students. Critics view the undertaking as the initial step towards their feared “privatization” concept. Activists believe that the hub would serve as a gateway for private enterprises, who they view as “vultures”, into the unmarked grounds of the university.
In fact, 7 UP students (namely Sandino Nartea, Jerome Cauag, Menard Seguenza, Diana Villaflor, Jessica Javellana, Anna Marilles and Frances Olayon) were arrested after they protested during the techno hub’s inauguration last November 21. The group was subsequently released without charges. The said ceremony was led by no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who said that the venture should serve as one that would jumpstart the country’s long dash to progress. (By: Angelo Miguel M. Calabio)