If things do not miscarry and the deal pushes through with finality, then this knockout of a three-story house is going to be the pad of world boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, his wife Jinkee and their four children.
Of 1,200 square meters in floor area, the Anton Mendoza-designed house in North Forbes Park looks straight out of a Banyan Tree resort — sans the ocean (there is an infinity pool, however, and several ponds whose running water drowns the noises from nearby EDSA). Originally built for a banker, the house is predominantly of glass and wood even as its façade is of solid stone.
Construction on the house, which nestles on a 1,600-square-meter lot that sits back to back with a house-and-lot reportedly owned by Richard Gomez, began three years ago, and the banker was in no particular hurry to move in. But he already started landscaping the property and sprucing it up with tropical plants — hence the property was lush with greens even as the house was still being built.
The banker reportedly told his aides to tell onlookers — later to include Jinkee Pacquiao and her friend Dianne Castillejo of ABS-CBN — who would drop by his unfinished house that it wasn’t for sale.
Neighbors would see Jinkee drop by at least thrice — she reportedly fell in love with the banker’s house at first sight, and especially loved the entertainment area by the pool. One day, even Manny Pacquiao dropped by.
The offer made by the Pacquiaos was very attractive — P388 million, reportedly over seven times more than the original amount the banker paid to acquire the property. According to reliable sources, the banker found the P388M “lucky” because of the double 8 in the figure. (The banker is a believer in the tenets of feng shui. Even the sizes of the windows in the house conform to a lucky number combination.)
Perhaps it was part of the banker’s good fortune that Jinkee Pacquiao was so enamored of his dream house. An initial deposit of P108 million was reportedly paid, followed by P200 million, which reportedly cleared last week. The remaining P80 million would seal the deal, as the house is due to be turned over by the contractors to the banker by Aug. 31.
The house is something Manny Pacquiao can well afford. His latest Statement of Assets and Liabilities puts his net worth at P1.1 billion, with no liabilities. He earned at least $20 million (P865 million) from his fight with Shane Mosley.
The same source revealed that ultimately, it wasn’t just money that bent the banker’s will not to sell the house. The source said a Middle Eastern diplomat offered the banker P400 million for the same house, but the latter turned it down.
“He would rather sell his dream house to a Filipino national hero,” the source said.
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I once toured the house, which is a reflection of the banker’s good taste and the architect’s creative genius. It isn’t an opulent house — it is a well-crafted house. Oozing with a tropical resort feel, it is a sanctuary in the city.
The façade doesn’t tell the entire story of the house, as every step you take in it is like a chapter unfolding. The high-ceilinged main living room is like a glass-encased pavilion with a dome of local narra tiles. It overlooks the multi-tiered garden. Beige Italian stone slabs cut to the size of plywood planks (8 x 4 ft.) blanket the living room floor.
The dining room has glass walls on two sides, and it overlooks the infinity pool, which is surrounded by a recreation area with beige travertine tiles. The recreation area includes a bar and a billiards room, all of which have accordion-type glass doors.
The banker, without knowing that the house could someday end up with an athlete, had a personal gym, sauna and spa installed. In the spa room is a one-ton marble bathtub carved from a single slab of stone from Indonesia. It comfortably can accommodate only one person.
Even the bathrooms in the house have a view, either of plants or of water features.
The guest bathroom near the living room has a sink and wash basin made of onyx, while the other bathrooms have Italian granite for their sink. Instead of tiles and marble, the bathroom floors are of Indonesian teak, which isn’t slippery when wet. All the bathrooms have this very Asian feel.
The main kitchen is on the first floor, and the “dirty” kitchen, in the basement. There is a “dumb waiter” that connects both kitchens and the second floor family room, just in case the family prefers to have dinner upstairs.
The master bedroom is just the type of place where a weary boxer can retreat from the blows and punches of the world at the end of the day. For the lady of the house, it is just the place where she can keep an eye on her precious kingdom. Of glass walls, the room has a view of virtually the entire house, the garden, the recreation area. Sixteen-inch-wide narra planks add that warm and cozy feel to the room.
According to sources, one of the rooms Pacman personally checked was the drivers’ quarters. He reportedly found it too small and plans to extend the room.
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I remember the feeling I had when I left the house. I started spinning dreams in my mind, of owning such a house that was not just beautiful but also interesting. That night, my husband bought a lotto ticket. After all, if dreams came true for the banker and the boxer, they can come true for me.
(You may e-mail me at joanneraeramirez@yahoo.com)