Forging stronger ties
The famous saying, “love thy neighbor,” is so sacrosanct that it was enshrined in the Bible as one of the “grand commandments,” second only to loving God. “There is none other commandment greater than these,” it goes on to say.
But neighborly love in its most literal sense can feel like a lost value. With people more insular than ever, we often greet our nextdoor neighbors with little more than a nod or a meek “hello”.
Sense of neighborliness
Avida Land’s celebration of “Grand Neighbor Day” in October, however, sought a nationwide revival of this spirit of neighborly values, known more commonly as pakikipagkapwa.
“We are delighted to have hosted once again the Grand Neighbor Day where we were able to further forge a deeper sense of neighborliness among our residents and communities,” explained Avida marketing head, Tess Tatco.
“We believe that fostering good relationships with people who live in the same area is a vi- tal component of what makes a great neighborhood. It’s the formula that allows Avida to flourish and stand out as a real estate developer,” Tatco said.
“Better Together” was thus an obvious choice for the theme of Grand Neighbor Day, now on its second year. Communities, encompassing both condominiums and houses and lots from Avida Towers Vita in Vertis North all the way down to Centrio Tower in Cagayan de Oro, joined the festivities.
Other participating communities were San Rafael Estates and San Antonio Heights in Batangas, Avida Village Northpoint in Bacolod and Avida Towers 9th Ave. in Taguig.
Exciting activities
On its second year now, families and friends turned out in big numbers for an afternoon that transformed strangers into friends—starting with the hallmark tradition of the “Grand Neighbor Pledge,” the jamboree unfolded in bursts of exciting activities like Family Feud, Minute To Win It, and a Halloween Trick or Treat.
Residents were treated to the long lost art of the neighborhood cook-off via Avida’s Datu Puti Perfect Adobo Challenge, a competition that challenged families to use Datu Puti products to fashion their own distinct versions of the classic Filipino fare.
“We hope that the residents have forged a mentality that there’s a neighbor next door that they can count on anytime,” Tatco said.
Avida, one of Ayala’s toptier residential brands, believes the event to be integral to its goal of building sustainable communities. After all, sustainable communities are made up of positive, inspired people, according to Tatco.
When condensed, the Avida vision is simply to turn houses into homes—in all 59 of its live communities, with 30,650 homeowners. That’s thousands of possibilities for neighbors to become friends, or even family—a truly grand fulfilment of the grandest commandment.