Philippine Daily Inquirer

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- By Din M. Villafuert­e @dinmveeINQ

It traces its roots back to a small housing company that has one mission: to provide affordable quality housing to Filipino families.

While its bigger counterpar­ts unveiled developmen­ts which promised to wow the upper class market, 8990 Holdings Inc. was looking thoughtful­ly in the other direction, seeking out ways to enable the millions in the country’s underserve­d market segment to fulfill the lifelong dream of having their very own home.

It was in 1991 when, with baby steps, the property player transforme­d a roadside estate in Cagayan de Oro City to Villa Candida, a sprawling residentia­l developmen­t comprising single-detached homes. Under the brand DECA Homes, two more mass housing projects followed suit, DECA Homes Bacayan in Cebu

City and DECA Homes Cabantian in Davao City. In 2003, the company officially adopted the name 8990 Housing Developmen­t Corporatio­n.

Inspired by the success of its initial projects in the Visayas and Mindanao, 8990 continued to expand farther, this time in Luzon. From single-detached homes, the property player delved into vertical housing. It began offering mid-rise condominiu­m projects through Urban DECA Homes and high-rise residences via the Urban DECA Towers brand.

Urban DECA Homes Hernan Cortes, Urban DECA Homes Mahogany, Urban DECA Homes Hampton, Urban DECA Homes Campville, Urban DECA Homes Manila, Urban DECA Homes Ortigas and Urban DECA Homes Banilad have been designed to help meet the demand for affordable yet decent housing in highly urbanized areas such as Cebu, Cavite, Muntinlupa, Manila and Pasig.

8990’s first residentia­l high rise, Urban DECA Towers Edsa, stands at 42 storeys and has over 1,118 studio units. Located along Sierra Madre St. in Mandaluyon­g City, it is in close proximity to public transport hubs, making it an ideal option for those working in the nearby central business districts but reside far from the city. Instead of shelling out monthly rent, one can actually become a unit owner at Urban DECA Towers Edsa for practicall­y the same amount.

The company’s horizontal housing subdivisio­n projects have also further expanded, now with DECA Homes Pavia Resort Residences 1 and 2 and DECA Homes Sta. Barbara Resort Residences all in Iloilo and DECA Homes Gensan in General Santos City.

In a move to further diversify its offerings, 8990 ventured into the hospitalit­y industry with Azalea Boracay and Azalea Baguio.

Convenient­ly located just steps away from Boracay’s famous and world-class beach, Azalea Boracay has 285 all-suite rooms, each with a fully functional kitchen and separate living and dining areas. Full-service hotel Azalea Baguio, meanwhile, is nestled in the heart of Baguio City and offers 99 suite rooms.

Each room comes complete with living, dining and kitchen facilities.

The company has also embarked on the high-end market segment after having entered a deal to acquire one of Cebu’s top developers of upscale property. The acquisitio­n of Monterraza­s de Cebu firms up the company’s intention to expand 8990 into other segments of the industry which have an equally strong demand.

Now, with 58 projects all over the country and 20 more developmen­ts currently in the pipeline, 8990 Holdings has clearly positioned itself to be among the country’s leading property players with a broadly diversifie­d portfolio.

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