Pioneer House building to rise at Business Park

As a testament to their commitment to the public and all their stakeholders, the Pioneer Group of Companies will soon open an eight-story office building at the Cebu Business Park to be called as the Pioneer House Cebu.

Led by its flagship company Pioneer Insurance and Surety Corporation (PISC) and Pioneer Life Inc. (PLI) together with its construction team Freyssinet Phils., Arkitektii Phils., Davis Langdon and Seah Phils. (DLS), and Eduardo Arrojado & Associates (ECAA), a topping out was held recently last November 10 to signify the completion of the project.

The Pioneer House Cebu will have two ground floors and mezzanine floors that will house the branch offices of the Pioneer Group here in Cebu strengthening the operations of Pioneer Insurance and Pioneer Life under one roof. The construction started just last June of this year and by the second quarter of 2007 it will provide 6,500 square meters of office space that is targeted to meet the increased requirements of the Cebu business district. Next to the branches in Manila and the head office in Makati, it will be the third Pioneer House to be built in the whole country.

The Pioneer Group has an extensive network around the Philippines. Pioneer Insurance operates 16 branches while Pioneer Life has another 13 and three shared branches throughout the country which includes: Manila, Subic, Lipa, Cabanatuan, San Fernando, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, Tacloban, Dagupan, Davao, Iligan, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga. With an office in Hong Kong, it remains as the only active non-life company writing business in China's Special Administrative Region.

Pioneer Insurance and Surety Corporation was established in May 1954 and since then, they have created history with landmark coverage throughout the decades. Pioneer's operations first expanded outside Manila in 1961 with the establishment of a branch office here in Cebu. It is a top player in the Philippine non-life industry, which has consistently charted insurance milestone for over half a century. Its market leadership is highlighted by its strong position in all the general insurance line including Marine Hull, Cargo, Bonds, Aviation, General Accident, Engineering, Fire (Property), and Motor. Backed by equity of over Php2B and managing assets of almost Php5B, it had generated Gross Written Premiums of over Php2B in the year 2004.

Its life affiliate, Pioneer Life Assurance Corporation was established in 1964 and after a venture with Allianz AG of Germany in 1997 it had moved forward to its next phase and has became known as Pioneer Life Inc today. It offers a wide range of products whether group or individual coverage that includes: accident, critical illness, education, hospital cash, investment, protection, retirement, and travel insurance.

Pioneer Group is the only insurance group in the country that has a company dedicated to non-traditional product development with their non-life subsidiary Pioneer Intercontinental Insurance Corporation that was set up in 1966. Breaking new grounds, it offers competitively priced products that cater to the specific needs of clients and is complemented by innovative ways of service delivery through its professional sales force and creative team. It is backed by the financial resources and wealth of experience of the country's life insurers. It aims to build expertise in areas that majority of the players in the local insurance industry does not focus on. And in doing so, Pioneer Intercon is able to give clients more choices for individualized products or customized packages.

Pioneer believes in the importance of service excellence towards all clients balancing pursuit of market share by maintaining underwriting standards, offering competitive pricing and providing WOW! service. The purpose of building the Pioneer House is not only to get recognition for the company, according to Mr. Uvilfredo J. Agor, Pioneer Insurance and Surety Corporation's Senior Vice President; "we want to contribute to the growth of the insurance business here in Cebu. Recognition is only a by-product of our project. We want people to recognize us by what we do, not because of the structure that we built…"

In line with their vision of becoming a model Filipino enterprise, they strive to remain mindful of their social responsibility as a corporate citizen. "We want the Pioneer House Cebu to be the testament of our commitment to the public, to all the people of Cebu, the local government and all our stakeholders…

Once you have a building, you are already part of the community and will be here for years. We hope that we will be able to earn the people's trust and confidence through the services of our company for us to establish lasting and meaningful relationships."

The Pioneer House Cebu is expected to be in full operation on the second quarter of next year. For further information about the Pioneer Group of Insurance Companies and details on lease for office space at the Pioneer House Cebu, contact: Pioneer Insurance and Surety Corporation at telephone number: 032 253 2579 and 032 255 2325 (fax) or you may visit their website at www.pioneer.com.ph.