JEDDAH, 17 November 2002 — Only one developer responded to the call of the Philippine government to join a housing fair for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) here in Jeddah early this month. All the rest reportedly backed out for fear of getting stranded in case a shooting war breaks out in Iraq.
But for the lone developer which responded, the mission may yet turn out to be one of the best decisions its officials have ever made. Camella Homes has forged a marketing alliance with Sky Freight Forwarders in hopes of bringing its project directly to OFWs in the Kingdom.
Even in the presence of a competition, Camella Homes plus Sky Freight is easily a winning combination. Camella, after all, is one of five biggest real estate developers in the Philippines, while Sky Freight has a very strong presence in the Gulf region and has direct contact with OFWs.
“We believe that under this tie-up with Camella Homes, many of our kababayan would soon be able to fulfill their wish of acquiring their dream house at home,” said Emy de Guzman, Sky Freight general manager.
Under the Camella Homes — Sky Freight arrangement, while all deals may be prepared and completed in the Gulf area, the papers are to be signed in the Philippines. De Guzman said the beauty of the new program is that OFWs are offered a special discount. Instead of the usual 10 months given by agents in Manila, he said, OFWs will be given 12 months to pay for the down payment at no interest.
Down payment is 20 percent of the contract price, and reservation fees are between P5,000 to P10,000, depending on the unit. There are also special discounts for those who pay in cash.
Carlito S. Copino, country manager for Middle East operations of Camella Homes, said the tie-up offers many advantages.
Foremost is that OFWs (who make purchases through this agreement) deals directly with a developer, not an agent. As in many cases, an agent can only refer a buyer to any developer, but has nothing to do with the buyer after the sale is consummated.
“Because an OFW deals directly with a developer, he can be assured of after sales assistance of Sky Freight and Camella Homes,” stressed Copino.
“In the case of Sky Freight, buyers can always go to our offices in Manila or here in the Saudi Arabia for any complaints they may have,” added de Guzman.
The other advantage is the quality of the units, Copino said. Unlike other developers who downgrade the quality of their units, Camella Homes offer conventional housing units that are built with first grade construction materials. As a standard, Camella Homes uses only load bearing hollow blocks for all its housing projects.
“Conventional units, simply, are units constructed the conventional way... hollow blocks and cement filling. Other developers use pre-fabricated materials to save on cost. These units, however, are expensive to repair when damaged,” Copino told Arab News.
Location
Another feature is that the housing projects of Camella Homes are located in various parts of the Philippines.
In Luzon, Camella’s housing projects are located in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan; Angeles, Pampanga; San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan; San Pedo and Cabuyao, Laguna; and Lipa City, Batangas.
In Metro Manila and its environs there are units in Bagumbong, Novaliches; Commonwealth, Quezon City; Antipolo City; Teresa, Rizal; Alabang; Las Piñas City; Molino, Imus, Dasmarinas, Gen. Trias, Trece Martires and Tanza, in Cavite.
There are also available units in Talisay, Cebu; Pavia, Iloilo; Canituan, Cagayan de Oro; and Talomo, Davao City.
Three packages are available, according to a brochure distributed by representatives of the company during the fair at the Philippine Consulate General.
These are the Camella Homes package, costing from 460,000 pesos to 1 million pesos; Crown Asia, costing P1.5 million; and Brittany, P6 million and over.
Units are available from 60-square-meter lot area with a 31 sq. m floor area to larger more spacious unit, in single or two story plans.
Less hassle
To make it easy for OFWs to apply, requirements have been simplified, Copino said. An interested OFW can just present a copy of his contract or an employment certificate (indicating salary) if a contract is not available, plus copies of his passport and iqama. After paying a reservation fee or down payment, the papers will be sent to Manila (free of charge) for processing.
Copino pointed out that if all requirements were in order, processing of application until the issuance of an option to purchase would take between one to three months. All papers needing signatures will be sent to the concerned parties, anywhere in the Kingdom, free of charge.
De Guzman said applicants may opt to pay through the government housing agency Pag-IBIG, through a bank of their choice, or through Camella’s in-house financing unit.
For more information on Pag-IBIG, applicants may visit its website, http://www.pag-ibig-fund.com, or get brochures from the agency’s representatives in the Kingdom. Application forms for membership could also be found in Speedcash remittance centers.
In Jeddah, representative Espen Timbayan could be reached at the Philippine Consulate.
Sky Freight, on the other hand, could be reached through its offices in the Kingdom, or via e-mail at [email protected].
Sky Freights had also been tapped by the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry as a conduit for the Order Regalo, in which OFWs can order gifts to be delivered to their loved ones at home, and the Order Negosyo, which offers franchising opportunities at home for overseas Filipinos.
