From the Philippines and beyond

The first time I met AppleOne Properties president and CEO Ray Manigsaca was when I visited the Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort on Punta Engaño Road last year.

The Sheraton, owned by AppleOne Pr, is quite a leisure destination – compact yet complete with a relaxing vibe, excellent hospitality and service and delicious food. At the time of my visit, there were mostly families of foreign guests enjoying the outdoor swimming pool and the white-sand beach.

It was also the first time I learned about AppleOne and its businesses. The Cebu-based property company was founded by Ray and his wife Venus some 13 years ago to diversify their then 17-year-old construction company, VenRay, which focused on building roads and bridges.

Fast forward to 2024. On a recent visit to Cebu, I had a chance to catch up with Ray and was pleasantly surprised to learn that AppleOne is now even bigger amid a well-crafted expansion plan.

This is a good indicator that local businessmen like Ray are optimistic about the economy’s trajectory and growth potential.

There’s a lot to look forward to from AppleOne.

For instance, Ray said Mahi Center, the company’s integrated business and leisure destination in Mactan, is slated to open in the first quarter of 2025.

“This will also include the opening of our business hotel, Fairfield by Marriott Cebu Mactan, which is part of the center and in close proximity to the Mactan Cebu International Airport,” Ray told me during our recent chat.

Medical group

AppleOne is also in the hospital business through the AppleOne Medical Group, which has three hospitals – one each in Cebu, Tacloban and Davao.

He also hinted at exploring opportunities for strategic partnerships in the medical portfolio.

Outside Cebu, AppleOne also has upcoming residential and hospitality developments which are progressing quite well.

For instance, the company will bring in the very first JW Marriott brand, JW Marriott Panglao Island Resort and Residences.

This marks the company’s third partnership deal with Marriott International after the Sheraton Cebu and the soon-to-open Fairfield by Marriott Cebu Mactan.

Another project is the upcoming Radisson Blu Hotel & Residences in Cagayan de Oro, which will be the first five-star hotel in the area.

All these projects are a testament to AppleOne’s optimism about the growth of the Visayas and Mindanao.

Eyes on Europe

But wait, there’s more.

Ray said the company is also exploring the possibility of bringing their hospitality business to Europe. Nothing is final yet, but Ray said he is open to opportunities.

“In the future, we are eyeing to develop some hotels, possibly in Europe,” he said.

That’s a big wow, and I fervently hope it happens.

I am all for seeing Filipino companies and brands succeed abroad.

Tycoon Injap Sia II, for instance, is fast establishing his Hotel101 brand abroad with three initial sites: Hotel101 Madrid, Hotel101 Niseko and Hotel101 Los Angeles.

He hopes to open in 25 countries by 2026.

There are other Filipino companies that have grown into giants with their global expansion. Enrique Razon’s ICTSI and Carlos Chan’s Oishi are some examples.

Kudos to AppleOne!

Stories of such global expansion plans are all testaments to Filipino hard work and determination. I hope to see more companies bring their businesses across the globe and hopefully provide more jobs to our OFWs and foreign workers alike.

Celebrating democracy

US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson hosted an Election Watch event yesterday in celebration of election day, which she aptly described as “one of the foundational elements of democracy.”

“We, as US citizens, get to choose our leaders. Here in the Philippines, Filipino citizens also cherish the right to cast their ballots and make their voices heard. Not all people around the world enjoy this basic right,” she said.

She said, however, that elections and the democratic process do not end on election day.

“As the playwright Tom Stoppard famously said, ‘It’s not the voting that’s democracy; it’s the counting.’ And that’s where we are now: as the polls close across the United States, the vote counting begins. Time may be required to count votes and let the electoral process work. Waiting for results is a sign that the process is working as intended, and that all votes are being counted,” the ambassador said.

As I write this, social media posts show Trump leading in the race.

Many Filipinos in the US are among those who voted for Trump and here’s why.

“For four straight years, I experienced paying over three dollars for a gallon of gas. Meanwhile, Republicans are expected to push for more cuts aimed at higher-income earners and businesses. This, in my personal view, is where I am aligned with the Republican’s premise that it can stimulate job creation and boost the economy,” a US-based Filipino health care worker shared with me.

Another kababayan in the US said that his grocery bills have hit the roof in the last few years because of inflation.

As Bill Clinton’s political strategist Jim Carville said in 1992 which still rings true today: “It’s the economy, stupid!”

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.