Philippine Daily Inquirer

Forging stronger ties

- By Matthew Reysio-Cruz @MatthewINQ

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.

 ??  ?? 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 Grand Neighbor Day festivitie­s.
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 Grand Neighbor Day festivitie­s.
 ??  ?? Avida believes that a good relationsh­ip among residents makes for a truly great neighborho­od.
Avida believes that a good relationsh­ip among residents makes for a truly great neighborho­od.
 ??  ?? Grand Neighbor Day’s main objective is to ensure that relationsh­ips are built and ties are further strengthen­ed among Avida residents and communitie­s.
Grand Neighbor Day’s main objective is to ensure that relationsh­ips are built and ties are further strengthen­ed among Avida residents and communitie­s.
 ??  ?? An Avida resident is being serenaded by one of the Grand Neighbor Day’s celebrity guest.
An Avida resident is being serenaded by one of the Grand Neighbor Day’s celebrity guest.

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