RLC opens lifestyle mall in Cebu City
CEBU CITY – Robinsons Land Corporation has opened Robinsons Galleria Cebu, its biggest mall outside Metro Manila and its third largest nationwide to signify the homecoming of taipan John Gokongwei to the Queen City of the South.
The new lifestyle mall sits on a 4.6hectare property at the thriving growth area of Gen. Maxilom Avenue in Cebu City and the complex will soon include a hotel, BPO offices, and residential condominium towers.
In an interview, RLC President Frederick Go said 70 percent of the property is occupied by the mall and a 220 room Summit Hotel with a ballroom will be opened on top of it together with 9,500 square meters of BPO office.
In the remaining 30 percent of the property, Go said they will build three condominium towers and one office building for the BPO sector.
He said the first tower has already been launched and has been wellreceived by the market. It will have 272-units, selling for an average of 3 million per unit, aimed at the upper middle income market.
The next two towers will have 304 and 265 units, respectively.
Go noted that “Cebu is very special to us since the family is from Cebu. John Gokongwei loves Cebu. This mall was built based on his direction that it will be a mall he can be proud of.”
“It’s a beautiful mall! Frederick did a fantastic job here,” said Gokongwei who added that they chose the site because of its ideal location and size.
Go said the mall has a gross floor area of 158,000 square meters and 65,000 sqm of leasable space. “It should help boost trade and commercial activity in Cebu,” he added.
As a young man in the 1940s, Gokongwei built a multi-billion dollar empire by diligently trading basic goods on a bicycle and on board a small boat off the pier of Cebu. He supported his widowed family with sheer hard work while growing to become one of the country’s captains of commerce.
The new Robinsons Galleria Cebu is largely accessible through public transport vehicles and aims to become the urban center where the best of the islands converge, mixing local flavor with the international mindset that has long been attributed to the Cebuanos.
For the more upwardly mobile, Robinsons Galleria Cebu comes equipped with fully-secured and amply-sized parking spaces that have quick, worryfree access to every expanse of the new mall.
And cementing its claim as Cebu’s ultimate lifestyle and leisure gateway, the new Robinsons Galleria Cebu sets itself apart with a well-planned Traveler’s Lounge, which provides efficient and convenient shuttle service to and from the Port of Cebu every half hour.
The Lounge also provides travel ticketing, baggage depository, and concierge services.
Go said the mall was designed with the main goal of sustainability in mind, setting a new green-print for responsible commercial structures to come.
He said they plan to install solar panels on the roof in about six months so they will be using renewable energy.
The mall uses only energy-efficient lighting and air-conditioning system throughout the mall, as well as waterconserving plumbing fixtures among its restrooms, and extends this thoughtful approach to its architecture.