General Santos City Datawatch provides important data of barangays in General Santos City.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Landmarks in General Santos City


Mansilla Residence (Heritage House)

GSC Alternative International Airport

Plaza Heneral Santos

St. Vincent Strambi Home for the Aged

Gensan's Legislative Building

Red Trellis Asian Fusion Cuisine

Notre Dame of Dadiangas University - IBED

Mindanao Medical Center

Santiago Boulevard, Barangay Dadiangas East/Lagao

St. Peter and Paul Parish Church, Barangay Lagao

SOCSARGEN County Hospital, Barangay Lagao

Robinson's Place, Barangay Lagao

Lagao Central Elementary School, Barangay Lagao

St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church, Barangay City Heights

General Santos First Step Learning Center, San Isidro

General Santos City Gymnasium Church, Barangay Lagao

Jose Catolico Sr. Elementary School, Barangay Lagao

General Santos City Water District Building, Barangay Lagao

Monday, February 15, 2010

Big time Investors in Gensan

INVESTMENT ENTRANTS IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS

Since 2004, General Santos City has attracted a number of big-time investors from Manila and Cebu. Fuelled by strong business confidence, these major players are the following:


Landco Pacific Corporation


Landco Pacific Corporation is a major, multi-product real estate development firm engaged in high-end residential resorts, leisure farms, first-home residential developments, shopping centers and CBD’s and memorial parks. In General Santos City, it manages a 19 hectare, first modern memorial park, boasting of sprawling nature inspired states called the Forest Lake Garden San Carlos at Barangay Apopong.

Robinsons Land Corporation will soon operate a mall in the city right at its 8 hectare property in Barangay Lagao. Its masterplan puts special attention to the world-class facilities and amenities in the mall, resulting in the safety, security, comfort, convenience, fun and entertainment of all its patrons and visitors.

Toyota

Toyota General Santos is the 27th Toyota outlet nationwide, and is the third dealership in Mindanao. The facility located at the national highway, Barangay City Heights stands in a 5,000 square meter property which features a 5-vehicle display showroom, information counter, service and parts counter, finance and customer relations offices. Its service bays include four (4) quick service stalls, 12 general job bays, and nine (9) body and paint stalls.

Cosmopolitan Memorial Chapels

The 53-year-old Cosmopolitan Memorial Chapels which started in Cebu and has branched out to Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Valencia cities has also established its presence in General Santos City. This high-end funeral service provider has a building along national highway, Barangay Labangal.

Incorporated in May 2002 in Davao City, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. has grown from a simple family venture to one of the most successful businesses in Davao and the Southern Mindanao area. Today, Phoenix Petroleum is engaged in the business of trading refined petroleum products, lubricants and other chemical products, operation of oil depots and storage facilities, and allied services, mainly in Southern Philippines. Its products and services are distributed and marketed under the "Phoenix Fuels Life " trademark. In General Santos City, it has three (3) branches.

Vista Land Company and Sta.Lucia Realty


General Santos’s landscape will soon be taking a more defined shape with the entry of Vista Land Company (Camella Homes/Grenadines) and Sta.Lucia Realty (Colinas Verdes) latest real estate development in the south.

Camella Homes splendidly set over 12 hectares of flat terrain located along the NLSA Road in Barangay San Isidro, Lagao, the Grenadines is only 2.8 kilometres from the National Highway and approximately one to two kilometres away from major schools, churches, hospitals, markets and malls, and 15 kilometres from the airport. The first prime subdivision in General Santos City, with a Caribbean-inspired theme that is reflected in the community’s environs: lush tropical greens and blooms in vibrant and rich hues, wide open spaces that give you room to breathe and unwind, and a laid-back atmosphere that gives you that relaxing vacation feel.

Located in Barangay Lagao, the 11 hectare Colinas Verdes, named after a successful property project in Manila, will have amenities like a multi-purpose clubhouse, pool, concrete road network, paved sidewalks with concrete curbs and gutters, underground storm drainage system, and centralized water system, among others.

Eco-Globals Bio-Oils Inc.

Cashing in on new alternative energy source, the South Korean firm Eco-Global Bio-Oils Inc., has initially spent US$4.0-million for its 6.8 hectares Jatropha Oil Extraction Plant Site (formerly the London Beach Resort) at Brgy. Bawing, General Santos City.

Historical Snapshots of General Santos City

On February 27, 1939, General Paulino Santos landed on the shores of the beautiful Sarangani Bay with 62 first batchers of Christian settlers under the National Land Settlement Administration (NLSA) program of then President Manuel L. Quezon

Ireneo L Santiago was elected in November 1947 as municipal mayor of Buayan. His administration was credited for the establishment of the basic institutions and infrastructures like the wharf, the municipal building costing P19, 700.00, public school buildings, and a constabulary barracks.

The administration of Mayor Pedro Acharon, Sr. concerned itself with the barrio programs of President Magsaysay. Through the PACD (Presidential Assistance for Community Development), feeder roads connecting the remote barrios to the national highways were built. Artesian wells were established to solve the problem of water supply among the rural folks. Likewise, he finished the projects started by Mayor Santiago particularly Makar Wharf which was declared an open port of entry in 1959. The Buayan airport was also rehabilitated from the ruins of the war during his term.

Dr. Jorge Royeca’s administration emphasized cleanliness, beautification and health services. During his administration, General Santos Municipality was declared the cleanest town in the province of Cotabato. Anti-littering law was strictly implemented, stray animals were impounded, trees were planted along the national highway, and the continuous beautification of parks and the public plaza were pursued. Worth mentioning was the successful relocation of the squatters found along the beaches into Alunan Street.



During Mayor Lucio Velayo's term, the place saw the establishment of the following projects: the first two public secondary schools: one in Bula and the other in Conel; the establishment of the fire department; the concretization of the Philippine National Bank; and the establishment of deep wells in different barangays particularly in Klinan, Conel, and Tinagakan. Multi-national companies such as Standard Fruits Company (STANFILCO), the Coca-Cola Bottling Company were established in the municipality. The administration of Mayor Velayo also saw rapid stride in the field of media communication with the publication of the first local newspaper, the Southern Review, and the establishment of the first radio station, DXGS. Economic growth gained a very significant leap during Mayor Velayo's term. Multi-million agri-based corporations such as Dole-Philippines, General Milling Corporation and UDAGRI begun operating in the area. This time, the municipality qualified as a fourth class city prompting Congressman Salipada Pendatun to file House Bill 5862 converting General Santos Municipality into a city and renaming it Rajah Buayan City. Unfortunately, the residents in a plebiscite called for the purpose rejected this bill. The failure to convert General Santos Municipality into a city, however, occurred not in the halls of Congress but in the hollowed halls of the Supreme Court in recognition of the people's "rejection" of their cityhood.

Thru the efforts of Congressman James Chiongbian, the passage of Republic Act (RA) 5412 transforming the Municipality of General Santos into a city made Antonio Acharon the last municipal mayor and the first city mayor of General Santos. A more enduring testament to the magnanimity of the Acharon-Cahilsot family are the land donations to the government which include the present sports complex (10 hectares); PC Barracks (9 hectares); Pedro Acharon Elementary School (1/2hectare); Romana Cahilsot Elementary School; the Bliss Project in Calumpang; the City Cemetery; and what is now Silway area. The educational needs of the city were given emphasis during Acharon's time with the opening of several public elementary schools in six barangays (Apopong, Sinawal, Upper Labay, Labangal, Dadiangas Heights Lagao and Sitio Uhaw, Tambler). Two existing public elementary schools in the poblacion area, Dadiangas West and Dadiangas South, were divided and gave rise to two additional public elementary schools, the Pedro Acharon Elementary School and the Ireneo Santiago Elementary School. During Mayor Antonio Acharon's incumbency, other important infrastructure projects implemented were: government hospital, a new public market, concreting of major city streets and highways, building of bridges and dikes, the improvement of Makar Wharf, and the start of the construction of a modern City Hall. The economic growth of the city was undeniable with its declaration by the Department of Finance as a first class city based on its income in 1975. Mayor Antonio Acharon's term is the longest spanning almost two decades.


After the peaceful People Power Revolution in 1986, Atty. Dominador Lagare, one of the persistent opposition leaders who fought and opposed the Marcos regime, was appointed the officer-in-charge of the city. Just like his predecessor, Atty. Lagare was a Mindanaon having been born in Barangay Conel in 1943. The incumbency of Atty. Lagare was too short to fully appreciate his impact to the development of General Santos City. It was during Atty. Lagare's term that the construction of the unfinished city hall was completed in time for the Foundation Day Celebration of the city on February 27, 1987.

Appointed as an OIC mayor vice Atty. Lagare starting March 1, 1987, Mayor Rosalita Nuñez is credited for the adoption of the symbolic slogan "boomtown Dadiangas" as a catchword to create an image of feverish economic growth in the post-Edsa period. But more than a manifestation of the pioneering spirit of the people, the term assumed significance as a socially constructed word - born of the people, promoted and developed across time by the conscious efforts of the various segments of the community particularly the business sector and the local media. The government's adoption of the term as a strategy for development was explained in the 1991 publication by the city government: "It formulated a strategy to promote General Santos City as a "Boom Town" aimed at creating an image or even an atmosphere of feverish economic growth. In this, it has won the support of the private sector to embark on a program to attract foreign and domestic investors to the city. Furthermore, through private sector efforts, continuous lobby pressure is exerted on the National Government to push through with its plans and programs for the city at the soonest possible time." The city caught the attention of foreign leaders involved in the Philippine Aid Plan (PAP) who selected General Santos City as one of their first pilot projects. Under the city's $2.2 billion development plan are two components financed by PAP. One includes agroport (fishport complex), telecommunications, airport expansion, and seaport expansion; another encompasses industrial estates, road networks, pro-people organizations, and environment. The development plan made General Santos City the "concentration of the largest infrastructure projects in the country today", a natural result of its crucial role in both the SOCSARGEN growth area and SOCSARGEN'S role in the East ASEAN Growth Area (EAGA).


With the assumption of Mayor Adelbert W. Antonino, who won the May 11, 1992 election, the city continued to develop as a major economic center. This is further boosted by the implementation of the Philippine Assistance Projects (PAP) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). These include the international standard General Santos Airport, the Makar Wharf, Fishport Complex and the Agro-Processing Center. General Santos City's incessant march to the 21st millennium is undeniable at the end of Mayor Antonino's first term which is also marked by improvements in organizational structure.


Mayor Nuñez was back at the helm of local governance in 1995. The city was host to the Palarong Pambansa and the 1st BIMP-EAGA FRIENDSHIP GAMES in 1996 which highlighted the city's capability for social and economic growth and as an active partner in national development endeavors. The EAGA Games was participated by the 8 focus areas of the BIMP-EAGA member countries namely: Brunei Darussalam; East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, North Sulawesi of Indonesia; Labuan, Sarawak, Sabah of Malaysia and Mindanao-Palawan of Philippines. These events were economic development "boosters" which has a net effect of promoting the city as a tourist destination and investor's haven for manufacturing, exports, services and real estate.

In the May 11, 1998 elections, Mayor Adelbert W. Antonino returned as City Mayor of General Santos. His administration was guided by Project FIRST - Fast Integrated Reform for Social Transformation. This concept anchored on improving accessibility to basic social services and ensuring that development becomes sustainable. The vehicle was the Shelter, Health, Education, Environment and Peace and Order or SHEEP Program. Antonino’s second term saw the computerization of city’s operations (time management system, Tax Revenue Assessment & Collection System, among others). The Most Competitive City in the Philippines award was given by the Asian Institute of Management to the city in recognition to its rapid growth and business friendliness.


Vice-Mayor Pedro B. Acharon, Jr. assumed the mayoral position when Mayor Adelbert W. Antonino resigned nearing the end of his term. Mayor Jun Acharon handily won the May 2001 elections with overwhelming margin and landed him in the city’s history as the third elected Mayor Acharon. His running mate, the second-generation Antonino scion -- Darlene Magnolia Antonino-Custodio -- won lopsidedly as representative for the 1st District of South Cotabato and Gen. Santos City. Bullish economic prospects particularly in the service industry have paved for the establishments of three higher educational institutions ACLC, General Santos Doctors’ Medical School Foundation, and Brokenshire College SOCCSKSARGEN.

The city airport has served as connecting flight hub of Indonesian airline – Merapati -- for its General Santos-Davao-Manado circuit. In May 2004, Mayor Acharon and his 11 partymates were successfully re-elected including Rep. Darlene A. Custodio. This second term has opened new economic opportunities for the whole constituents with the re-establishment of the KCC Mall and the expansion of Gaisano Mall. The 2nd Yaman Gensan and 5th National Tuna festivals saw renewed confidence from the local economic players and visitors. Major city thoroughfares were expanded. The Population and Basic Services (PBA) Integrated Survey were held in the later part of the year.