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Pio
Rosendo Delfin, the president and chief executive
officer of Plus Builders, is a man of many interests. A
graduate of civil engineering in Virginia Polytech in
Blacksburg, Virginia, Delfin has also strong background
in information technology, business development
analysis, carpentry and model-building.
In the
software category, he led the development of the
inventory system for Manila Electric Co.’s (Meralco)
warehouse on stand-alone computer. He was also
responsible for the development of the accounts for
housing and development. From 1992 to 1995, Delfin
established the Delaware Systems Research Inc., serving
as the president and CEO of the company. Delaware was
one of the pioneer developers for the Microsoft Windows
platform.
Printing
is another field where Delfin is passionate about. From
1995 to the present, he is serving as chairman of the
board of Horus Publishers and Printers Inc. As chairman,
he worked for the acquisition of licenses for
publication of music books from Warner Brothers Inc. of
Singapore in the Philippines. He also formed the
technical staff of Horus Publishers and Primers Inc.
Further, he initiated product research for development
of new paper products such as pop-up cards and the paper
toys concepts in the country.
But
Delfin’s finest hour as a skillful manager was when he
transformed Plus Builders to a healthy property
developer from a wobbling business unit. He recalled in
an interview that the company was really in bad shape
because it had no capital to start with when he took
over.
Moreover, Delfin also had to deal with the tenant
problem, which he recalled forced him to craft
out-of-the box solution. This meant dealing with the
tenants directly. “I talked to them and assured them we
will fix this,” he said.
“We
started the Eurotown project with no capital at all. We
started development of the roads. Initially, we took a
P30-million loan for the project but I found out later
that it was not enough. At that time, I had a hard time
selling it,” Delfin added.
Before
the recovery, Delfin had to shell out his own money to
pay for the workers’ salaries. The company also used to
sell scrap materials for additional operating funds.
Now that
the company is back on its feet, Delfin’s goal “is to go
for an ISO certification.”
“Finally, we managed to solve the problem. I worked on
that for two years. After the tenant problem, the
brokers slowly started to come in,” he said.
Through
the ambitious housing and commercial project Eurotown,
Delfin offers more than just a pretty place to live in.
He’s offering a bright future in a progressive and
surprisingly accessible location.
Now that
Plus Builders is on the right track, the Imus-based
Eurotown is currently pursuing the development of
European-inspired homes. The ongoing enclave La Joya
takes after the elegant structures in Spain; Firenze
promises to look traditionally Italian inside and out;
and Marseilles will be typically and stylishly French.
Hampton
Court, Eurotown’s designated commercial area, will adopt
the ambiance and exteriors of a quaint English town from
its cobbled roads, street names, park benches and even
its local parish. Delfin has already sought the approval
of the Imus church to name and pattern Eurotown’s Our
Lady of Mount Carmel after its namesake in Liverpool,
England.
For
Delfin, building homes based on a European motif isn’t
just about offering investors a “pretty place. It’s
about maintaining a continuous motif. When we say our
name is English, we really strive to make it English, to
give people a general feel of being in England.”
It’s
actually working. Friends of clients who have bought one
of the 450 three-level properties in the La Joya are
quite impressed. “After looking at pictures of our
Sevilla [lot area 60 sq m], Majorca [lot area 100 sq m],
and Malaga [lot area 120 sq m] homes, they ask, ‘Where
is that? In Spain?’ It’s very pleasing to hear,” said
Delfin.
For now,
La Joya attracts investors that love the Hispanic
design.
Delfin
hopes later that others will appreciate Eurotown not
only as a beautiful place to live in, but a progressive
area to build one’s future.
Flanked
by the Daang-Hari Highway in Alabang and Coastal Road in
Pasay City, Eurotown is a 15- to 20-minute trip by car
to Ayala Alabang, and an equally short ride away from SM
Mall of Asia on Macapagal Boulevard.
It’s
also a stone’s throw away from the restaurants, golf
courses and other weekend getaways of Tagaytay City.
“There’s also more than 2,000 hectares of raw land
behind us. Right now,” declares Delfin, “is the time to
invest while prices are still affordable.” |
