Good Living in Philippines
…and a Halloween Party!
As a foreigner in Philippines now 10 months I have been very fortunate to meet so many wonderful people and discover quality living accommodations here. One such place where I love to spend time is Kingsville Hill Subdivision (KHS) in Antipolo, which is in Baragay San Isidro Province of Rizal. On October 31 I had the opportunity to interview the administrator of this community, Jesus T Sugui, and later that evening I attended the village Halloween Party put on by the Homeowner’s Association Board of Trustees.
It was a wonderful community event.
Anyone considering moving to Philippines should consider residing in such a community as this.
Q: How many homes are there in Kingsville Hills Subdivision?
A: About 400, and new ones are being built on almost every street. We have many foreigners from Japan, Germany, USA, who marry Filipina women here.
Q: You have a board of directors that hires you and you have duties to make sure the village is safe and working properly. How do you see your job?
A: I have lived here more than 20 years and seen how it is run. I have been observant of how different groups have different ideas about how to make this a better community, what we should spend our money on, or whether we should only save money.
Q: In the past year in this position what have you established as priorities for funding?
A: Perimeter Fences required upgrading, with razor wire around the top. We cannot have people just coming in without going through the gate. They cannot come here and steal our fruits—mango, avocado, bananas. Security is important. We have only one gate. That's the entry point and the exit point. It's very secure that way.
Any vehicle coming to the gate must allow their driver's license to be scanned. The tricycle, the motorcycles, jeepneys, autos all must have licenses scanned when passing through the gate. If there is a problem, we can have that information.
Q: In fact, you have installed a new security system for the whole village, right?
A: Yes, we call that CCTV, beginning from the guardhouse and distributed in several strategic areas in the residences where these cameras will serve as a safety net to see any kind of untoward incident that may come or robbery or vandalism.
We also have better lighting. Before we could not contact the guards directly but we have cell phones and walkie-talkies now.
Q: With all of the construction going on here how do you know if persons with criminal intent are not coming in to work as laborers?
A: We require construction companies to post a bond to make them responsible for illegal acts of workers. And we require workers to wear yellow shirts and undergo regular drug tests. If they are caught not wearing the required yellow shirt, we fine them 500 pesos. The bond is refundable if the company completes the project according to the specified plans.
Q: Did you have any special things you wanted to do when you took the position?
A: The overlooking area is about one kilometer from my house and I have often walked there to see the entire Laguna Lake Valley. That was my first project, to turn that into a park with picnic tables and benches. From there we can see the windmills on the far side at Pillila, Rizal and the huge cement plant below.
Residents and their guests can bring a chess board and relax in the sun with steady cooling breezes. We will be putting a coffee shop in there, too.
Q: One thing I have noticed in Philippines since coming here is there is a lot of litter everywhere. Even in this village there seems to be a lot of paper and plastics on the ground.
A: I think it will take putting it into the elementary school curriculum; nobody seems to care, they just throw things down even though we have waste cans everywhere. Additionally, we also are going to build a trash management and recycling facility on Cottonwood Street.
Q: What skills and background do you bring to this position?
A: I worked here in Philippines as a mall warehouse manager. I also worked at Jollibee as a shift manager in the food business. I've been working for 40 years in cost accounting/cost control for construction, going through the Middle East; Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The last stint in that career I worked in accounting at the Afghanistan base. Our company had the concession with the US Army to build the airport and the barracks for Afghan soldiers over about three years. That's an American company.
Q: So you're an example of a highly skilled Filipino person who has gone and worked in many other countries to do things and produce things in those countries? And then, after that career you come back to Philippines as your home?
A: Yes, I helped determine the most efficient way to get things done. We set priorities and we have budgets and we manage costs for best results. That is also what I am doing here as Administrator with the elected board. We have to manage and maintain our resources, and build projects to improve the quality of life for everyone.
Building community is also important, This first Kingsville Hills Halloween Party appeared to be a hit with the families who attended.
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