STAR employees’ housing underway

Employees of The STAR Group of Publications have reason to rejoice anew following the company’s announcement that two housing projects for its employees were now underway.

Last June 8 and 9, the new housing projects for employees were finalized through the formal signing of separate agreements with two developers, namely P.A. Alvarez Properties Development Corp. and Silverstar Homebuilders Inc.

P.A. Alvarez Properties is the developer of St. Joseph Village 9 in San Pedro, Laguna while Silverstar Homebuilders Inc. is building homes for STAR employees in General Trias, Cavite.

According to STAR president and CEO Miguel Belmonte, the housing project is one of the many employee benefits that the company is eager to provide. "It’s important for people to have a home that one can be happy and proud of that’s why I thought that this housing project will be a good benefit," he said.

Silverstar president and CEO Celedonio Pile Jr. shares Belmonte’s view. "It’s the aspiration of families to have their own home. That’s why we made it a point to provide affordable housing that will fit the needs of Filipinos," he elaborated.

Silverstar Homebuilders’ Tarragona and Pontevedra project in Gen. Trias, Cavite features not only homes but also a community that includes recreational areas such as basketball courts, swimming pools, clubhouses and more. Over 130 units in the area have been reserved for employees of The STAR.

On the other hand, the units available at St. Joseph Village 9 boast of lavish architectural designs and safe and good communities.

"The townhouses are designed to fit the needs of STAR employees. The villages are located in towns that are very accessible," P.A. Alvarez Properties Development Corp. president and CEO Romarico Alvarez said. The St. Joseph Village 9 project will be home to some 90 families of STAR employees.

Although a housing benefit is what most Filipino employees need, such benefit extended by companies is rare, Pag-IBIG Fund president and CEO Atty. Romero Quimbo said. Pag-IBIG Fund is the lead government agency that would bankroll the housing project to extend payment terms of up to 25 years.

Company guard Rey Ocana, who has worked for The STAR in the last eight years, says the housing project is the fulfillment of a life-long dream for himself and wife Jessie, who works as a bookkeeper in the accounting department.

"Natutuwa ako dahil pagkakataon na namin magkaroon ng bahay naming sarili," he said. "Kung hindi sa tulong ng STAR at dahil na rin sa stable na trabaho ko dito, hindi kami magkakaroon ng sarili naming tirahan." The Ocana couple, married for 15 years, is blessed with three children.

"It is very important for companies to provide shelter for its employees because a home is the biggest investment anyone will ever make. If there are more companies like The Philippine STAR, more Filipinos would probably have their own homes now," Quimbo explained.

The project, however, is not the first for STAR. More than a decade ago, the company was also able to provide more than a hundred homes in Canlubang, Laguna to its employees.