How to maintain a business district

For the estate management team of Bonifacio Global City, a sapling is more than what it seems.

To them, the young tree will provide the shade and foliage needed to make this emerging business district a place conducive to walking some years from now. "Even before the business district is substantially built up, you want the trees and the rest of the greens to be in place," says Robert Rivera, a manager of Ayala Property Management Corp. (APMC), which has a management contract with Bonifacio Estate Services Corp. (BESC).

APMC, Ayala Land’s property management arm, has 28 years of experience in property management. When the Ayala-Campos group invested in Bonifacio Global City in 2003, APMC was brought in to strengthen the operational capabilities of BESC.

Well-maintained landscaping, clean and tidy streets, efficient traffic management and security and the provision of emergency assistance are among the services provided by the BESC. Commissioned by the association of lot owners in the area, BESC is guided by its mission to ensure that Bonifacio Global City will be attractive to foreign and local investors, office locators, homeowners, employees as well as visitors now and in the future.

It takes nine supervisors and managers to run the daily operations of BESC, 30 personnel to maintain the grounds and roadways and another 30 trained personnel to handle security. Security personnel are also trained to handle emergencies such as road accidents and fires.

Bonifacio Global City is equipped with its own state-of-the art fire truck that can pump water through a building’s sprinkler system up to the 55th floor. BESC also has an ambulance to service accidents and medical emergencies in the area. Meanwhile, security and police assistance centers have been located close to the business district’s entry and exit points for the benefit of residents and visitors. K-9 units have also been deployed in strategic areas to further augment the security force.

Given Bonifacio Global City’s area of 240 hectares, one can imagine the amount of grass that easily grows in vacant lots, especially during rainy season; the kilometers of roadway that must be swept clean of litter, trash and dirt; and the trees and plants that must be watered especially in the summer. Although it would seem that a very large work force would be required to do the job, Rivera points out that with systems in place, BESC’s tasks can easily be handled.

In the over all scheme of things, such tasks may seem insignificant. Nevertheless, clean streets, well maintained greens, a reliable security force and strict enforcement of rules and restrictions not only makes Bonifacio Global City more attractive today, but protects and contributes to the appreciation of property values in the future.