A glimpse of the future, todAy
During the mid ‘80s, the Philippine economy experienced a considerable downturn; there was higher inflation, interest rates were picking up, and underemployment affected major sectors. After the People Power Revolution made headlines around the world, the fortune of the country started its road to a healthy recovery. Economic growth slowly revived in 1986, and the GDP growth eventually reached a bullish 6.2 percent in 1989.
It was in this kind of environment that Filipino architect, urban planner and visionary Felino ‘Jun’ Palafox Jr. found himself in. He felt that the time was ripe to open up a new business. Taking a big leap of faith, Palafox started his own architecture firm in July 1989. And Palafox Associates was born.
the early years
An Architecture graduate from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) who pursued post-graduate studies in Environmental Planning at the University of the Philippines (UP) with the help of a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) scholarship, Palafox worked under the Department of Public Works and Highways during the Martial Law years. Later on, he took up an Advanced Management Development Program for Real Estate at Harvard University and attended seven other special courses to foster his desire for continuing education.
His great contribution to government efforts on urban planning led his path to the Emirate of Dubai, where the ruling monarch envisioned of establishing a modern Garden City of the Persian Gulf. “In 1977, I was only 27 when I started working as senior architect and planner for then municipality of Dubai. I was one of the first Asians and the first Filipino to take root there. The ruling Emir recognized that soon, the oil resources would all dry up and the government must find ways to establish a modern Dubai. The vision was to be a self-reliant global city, the business and tourism hub of the Middle East. Today, it’s home to the world’s largest manmade harbor, tallest buildings, biggest airports. All these, Dubai achieved within 10 years, can you imagine,” Palafox recalls. He was first Filipino architect/urban planner who mapped out the master plan for Dubai.
It was also during this time that he met and befriended Henry Sy Sr. Later encouraged by Sy to go back the country in 1981, Palafox took on several projects, and upon the establishment of his own firm, captured the eye of the big names in the Philippine business community. Among his clients were Henry Sy of SM Malls, the Lopezes of the Lopez Group, Enrique Zobel of Ayala Land and the John Gokongwei of Robinsons Malls. A string of successes followed.
protecting the environment
Palafox led and managed his firms — Palafox Associates and Palafox Architecture — in the planning of more than 17 billion square meters of land and the design and architecture of more than 12 million square meters of building floor area in 39 countries. Aside from taking on urban projects, Palafox is also instrumental in planning and developing green spaces. Particularly worthy of note are the La Mesa Ecopark, the redevelopment of the Quezon Memorial Circle, the streets and open areas in Makati City and Ortigas Center and the Pandacan Linear Park, among others.
A leading name in urban planning and architectural design, Palafox reveals that he holds key tenets, a simple set of elements or requirements that he follows when deciding if a project is worthy of being pursued. “In making development plans, one must put People first, taking into consideration both the present and future generations. Then, Planet Earth, or the environment. Third is Profit, the prosperity or economic growth. Fourth is culture, history and heritage, followed by Faith and Spirituality. If one of them is missing, we don’t take the project,” he explains. He was referring to an incident back in 2008, where he was commissioned to do a hotel and casino development within Subic Bay Freeport. However, the clients insisted on cutting down more than 300 trees within the vicinity. He refused, and promptly returned the $1,000,000 professional fee that the project was worth. In doing so, he gained the respect of his peers, made the public aware of the value in protecting the environment.
davao: A glimpse of the future
After being a key player in molding the Metro, Palafox looks at the untapped potential of the regions as the next high-growth area. Particular example is Davao, which will serve as counter magnet to NCR. Palafox presented his vision to transform these two into a sustainable, pedestrian- and transitoriented, technologically innovative, livable and resilient hubs in the country.
Metropolitan Davao is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Philippines and will be the centerpiece for the emergence of the Davao megalopolis — one of the missing pieces that will bring the Philippines to the Top 20 economies of the world. The urbanization of Metropolitan Davao will continue to rapidly grow in the next decades. With more investments and infrastructure projects coming in the next few years, it is in no doubt that development in the region and the metropolis will evolve.
“In the next 20 years, the population of Metropolitan Davao will at least double to 4.4 million citizens, excluding factors of migration from neighboring cities. To be able to maintain the quality of life that Dabaweños are enjoying today, it is important that planning for the 2040 scenario be done today. Metropolitan Davao has the opportunity to become a model,” Palafox stresses.
road to progress
In almost three decades, Palafox Associates has spearheaded a social and environmental renaissance by the exemplary use of innovative, sustainable and exemplary practices in architecture, planning, engineering and design. The myriad of projects and long list of satisfied clients both here and abroad are a lasting testament that pursuing progress need not come at the expense of the environment — proving that a sustainable future that benefits mankind is very much possible.