Empire Avenue | WINVESTMENT

Empire Avenue | WINVESTMENT

About Empire Avenue

Empire Avenue is the fastest and most effective way to expand, engage and evaluate your social networks.

Expand

Empire Avenue's comprehensive social media suite is powered by the Social Stock Market, where you use your virtual currency to expand your social media audience. Your virtual investors will share in your success as they earn valuable currency through your online activity and engagement.

Engage

Use Empire Avenue's powerful Missions to drive traffic and engagement to your online content and social profiles, and to gain relevant new fans, followers and subscribers on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and other networks.

Evaluate

Finally, use the built-in Network Scores and other metrics to gauge the effectiveness and progress of your social media efforts, to pinpoint areas of improvement and to keep an eye on your network growth.

With all of these tools in one place, Empire Avenue is the social media rocket fuel you've been looking for.

Be a Vice President like me or even a CEO on a social networking site like this. Join me on Empire Avenue now! http://www.empireavenue.com/winvestment

PH beats neighbors in PPP readiness, study says

By Jonathan de Santos | Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom – 4 hours ago

The Philippines beat other developing economies in an Asian Development Bank-commissioned study on Public-Private Partnership (PPPs) readiness, coming up behind Japan and China. 

The country ranked higher than Indonesia and Thailand in the 2011 Infrascope study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for ADB. The study was meant to measure "the readiness and capacity of a country to carry out sustainable, long term PPP projects," ADB said in a press statement released with the report.

Of a possible score of 100, the Philippines got an overall score of 47.1, slightly behind China with 49.8. Other Southeast Asian nations in the study were Indonesia (46.1), Thailand (45.3) and Vietnam (26.3) 

Australia topped the 16-nation study with a score of 92.3, followed by the UK (89.7) and the Republic of Korea (71.3). The top three countries as well as Japan and Gujarat sub-state in India were used as benchmarks for the study.

"The Philippines has a long history with PPP projects, and benefits from a good legal framework. However, there are some institutional weakness, and limitations on dispute-resolution and financing," the EIU report said.

The report said "the overall legal framework (for PPPs) is good" but there is a need for specific guidelines on how PPP investors are compensated. "Compensation is currently dealt with by the government on a case-by-case basis," EIU said.

The report also said the bidding process on PPPs is well-structured, but that dispute resolution is a problem since "disputes are usually left to parties to solve between themselves." Arbitration also presents problems because "the courts themselves are not truly independent, although the situation is improving."

EIU noted "emerging economies such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, are moving swiftly to put in place the necessary laws and structures to attract more private investment."

This, as the ADB called for a shift to PPPs to meet the $8 trillion that Asia needs to invest in infrastructure projects in the next decade.

"Public financiers like ADB must undergo a complete change of mindset and shift their focus from sovereign projects to PPPs," Woochong Um, Deputy Director General of ADB’s Regional and Sustainable Development Department, said.

He said the commissioned study "will help our developing member countries address the areas of PPPs that need to be strengthened."

Vista Land is Philippines' largest homebuilder

(The Philippine Star) Updated May 11, 2012 12:00 AM 

Colliers International Philippines, an organization providing investment advisory, consultancy and research to the real estate sector, has published a market report dated March 2012 showing Vista Land and Lifescapes as the largest homebuilder in the Philippines. In a market scan involving 14 major players in the Philippine real estate industry, Vista Land has captured "22 percent share of over 80,000 units of reservation sales in 2011".

Vista Land, the holding company of five business units, namely, Brittany, Crown Asia, Camella Homes, Communities Philippines and Vista Residences, has vertical and horizontal residential projects in over 50 cities and municipalities.

MANILA, Philippines - Manuel B. Villar-led Vista Land & Lifescapes is the Philippines’ largest homebuilder.

This was confirmed by a market report prepared by Colliers International Philippines Inc.

“Based on a market scan of various vertical and horizontal residential projects in the Philippines developed by 14 major players in the real estate industry, Vista Land has captured 22 percent of the over 80,000 units of reservation sales in 2011 with the middle-income as their primary market,” Colliers said in its report dated March 2012. The advantage of Vista Land is that they have a good track record in developing livable communities in the country even before the other players came in.”

Vista Land has condominium and subdivision projects in over 50 cities and municipalities. With this wide coverage, the company is the largest homebuilder in the country.

Company president and chief executive officer Manuel Paolo Villar stated that the company expects continued strong performance in 2012. “We are projecting around 20 percent revenue and earnings growth for 2012 which should result in another record year for our company,” Villar said. “Demand for housing in the Philippines continues to be very strong so we are expecting robust growth in reservation sales given our planned project launches countrywide.”

Vista Land’s planned capital expenditure outlay is projected to exceed P15 billion for 2012.

Vista Land is the holding company of five business units, namely, Brittany, Crown Asia, Camella Homes, Communities Philippines and Vista Residences. The company generated P13.5 billion in revenues and P3.5 billion in net income in 2011. Its consolidated assets totalled P67.6 billion compared to P60.5 billion in 2010. The company has also recently successfully raised P4.5 billion through the issuance of unsecured domestic corporate notes.

Read the Philstar article here: www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=805716&publicationSubCategoryId=66

For more details about Vista Land and Lifescapes, Inc. projects, you may visit our website at

http://www.yourwiseinvestment.com

Villars Listing Starmalls Via Polar

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May 15, 2012, 9:09pm

MANILA, Philippines - The Villar family is listing their mall chain via the backdoor by merging it with the family-controlled Polar Property Holdings Corporation which will be renamed Starmalls Inc.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Polar said its board of directors has approved and authorized the execution of a series of transactions for the purpose of effectively consolidating the resources, businesses and assets of Polar and Manuela Corporation.

Under the plan, Polar will emerge as the holding company for all, or substantially all, of the outstanding shares of Manuela. Manuela is engaged in the business of development, establishment, operation and leasing of commercial malls and office spaces.

The Polar board also approved the change of its corporate name to Starmalls, Inc. and the corresponding amendment of its Articles of Incorporation.

To implement the transactions, the Polar board approved the increase in the authorized capital stock of Polar from P5.5 billion to P17 billion.

It also approved the issuance of up to 3.53 billion common shares out of said capital increase in favor of the shareholders of Manuela in exchange for all or substantially all of the total outstanding shares of Manuela.

The Villars’ Starmall Group is spending P15 billion over the next five years as it embarks on a nationwide expansion which will include the opening of new malls in Visayas and Mindanao.

Kicking off the nationwide expansion is the opening on April 15 of the three-level Starmall San Jose del Monte in the fast-growing “Northern Gateway of Manila.”

Starmall San Jose del Monte, the sixth in the Starmall Group’s growing chain of malls, has a total lot area of 52,522 square meters, which brings the combined area of the group’s malls to 400,000 square meters.

The five other existing malls are Starmall Annex in Las Pinas City. Starmall EDSA Shaw, Starmall Alabang, Starmall Las Pinas and Worldwide Corporate Center.

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/359625/villars-listing-starmalls-via-polar

Remittances hit $1.7B in March

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Manila Bulletin / Business Bulletin
Wednesday, may 16, 2012

Money sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) increased by 5 percent in March to $1.7 billion from $1.61 billion in the same month last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said yesterday.


In a statement, BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr., said the continued increase in remittance flows in March brought the first-quarter level to $4.8 billion, higher by 5.4 percent than $4.6 billion recorded in the same period last year.


At end-March, remittances from land-based OFWs amounted  to $3.7 billion, while sea-based cornered $1.1 billion, registering increases of 2.7 percent and 15.3 percent, respectively.


You may visit our website at http://www.yourwiseinvestment.com

Villar's Vista Land is largest homebuilder in PH: report

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ABS-CBNnews.com

Posted at 05/11/2012 10:16 AM | Updated as of 05/11/2012 10:51 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Vista Land & Lifescapes is the largest homebuilder in the country, according to a property market report by Colliers International Philippines Inc.

"Based on a market scan of various vertical and horizontal residential projects in the Philippines developed by 14 major players in the real estate industry, Vista Land has captured 22% of the over 80,000 units of reservation sales in 2011 with the middle-income as their primary market,” Colliers said in its March 2012 report.

Vista Land,  a property company owned by the family of Sen. Manuel Villar, was cited for its good track record in developing communities even before other property companies come in. The company currently has condominium and subdivision projects in over 50 cities and municipalities around the country.

For 2012, Vista Land is seeing continued strong performance. Manuel Paolo Villar, president and CEO, said the company is projecting around 20% growth in revenues and earnings.

"Demand for housing in the Philippines continues to be very strong so we are expecting robust growth in reservation sales given our planned project launches countrywide," he said.

The company is planning to spend more than P15 billion in capital expenditures for 2012.

Vista Land is the listed holding company of Brittany, Crown Asia, Camella Homes, Communities Philippines and Vista Residences. In 2011, the company generated P13.5 billion in revenues and P3.5 billion in net income.

For information about Vista Land projects, you may visit our website at http://www.yourwiseinvestment.com

Vista Land to start eight condo projects this year

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Business Mirror

Posted at 02/06/2012 7:32 AM | Updated as of 02/06/2012 7:32 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Listed Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., the Philippines’ biggest horizontal homebuilder, is expanding its residential condominium segment as oversupply concerns start to ease given the country’s massive housing backlog.

In a statement, Vista Land said it plans to launch eight residential condominiums this year with a total project value of P10 billion.

“Despite fears of over-expansion in the supply of residential condominiums, our vertical projects were well received by the market and this has encouraged us to develop additional phases of existing projects,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Manuel Paolo Villar.

Vista Land is eyeing five new areas for acquisition where the company intends to build high rise or medium-rise residential projects.

Chief Financial Officer Ricardo Tan Jr. said they are expanding two projects valued at P3 billion with another P7 billion to come from six new projects. In 2011, Vista Land launched seven vertical projects worth P6 billion, the statement showed.

Following Vista Land’s strategy, Villar pointed out that vertical projects are aimed at overseas Filipino workers, which account for more than 60 percent of Vista Land’s sales.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said funds sent home by Filipinos working and living overseas increased 10.6 percent in November 2011 from a year earlier to $1.78 billion.

Existing medium-rise projects include Pinecrest on Aurora Blvd. and Madison in Cubao, Quezon City, Marfori and Presidio at Lakefront in Sucat, Pacific Residences in Taguig City, and Northpoint in Davao City.

Vista Residences serves as the vertical development arm of Vista Land. It markets its horizontal projects under the Brittany, Crown Asia, Camella and Lessandra brands.

Vista Land shares declined 0.32 percent to P3.13 each on Friday’s trading, giving the builder a market value of P26.6 billion. (Miguel Camus)

For more details about Vista Land and Lifescapes, Inc. you may visit our website at http://www.yourwiseinvestment.com