‘RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT’: ARCHITECT NATI JOINS ACCELSPROUT CEO FOR COLLABORATION TALKS

Design-driven developer Italpinas Development Corporation’s (IDC) Chairman and CEO Architect Romolo V. Nati recently met with AccelSPROUT CEO Glen Villaroman at IDC’s main office in Makati City, Metro Manila for potential collaboration on IDC’s current and future projects.

AccelSPROUT is an agricultural business firm with farm models on urban agricultural developments combined with “strategic planning, farm monitoring, and market linkage”. At the helm is CEO Villaroman who is also the National Mentor for GoNegyoso’s Kapatid Agri Mentor Me Program (KAMMP), an esteemed agripreneur recognized by the ASEAN, aiming to alleviate farmer poverty with goals to guarantee food security in the Philippines.

In a sit-down session, the two CEOs discussed on a possible partnership to explore a synergy that would both make use of Villaroman’s expertise in organic urban farming and to integrate green roofs in IDC’s projects, making this an added feature in its sustainable development. Villaroman added that this planned green haven in the project is also an indirect way to create good community relations with people living in the building.

Arch. Nati said planning will start in the implementation of the green rooftop and orchard in IDC’s projects starting with Primavera City in CDO to follow with Miramonti,  the Luzon project in Sto Tomas, Batangas

“It can be done, it’s just a way when you conceptualize it. I think the rooftops would be great because it’s unutilized space,” said Villaroman, suggesting roofs as an ideal space for urban agricultural development. He then mentioned how IDC and AccelSPROUT share common advocacy in taking care of the environment, raising the issue on food security as a pressing problem in the Philippines, hopeful that his projects may be a solution in decreasing food prices. Arch. Nati shares a similar sentiment on his advocacies.

Villaroman notes the importance of advocacy in his projects, praising how he promotes “responsible development,” growing big businesses as it benefits the progress of a community. “Since we are advocating sustainable development, it’s not only about energy or water but it’s also about food or community. Agricultural activity can bring people together,” Nati adds.

In an article written by Salazar for the Inquirer in 2011, Salazar mentions the difficulty of green roofs or urban green landscaping in the Philippines, compared to Hong Kong or Singapore due to the lack of suppliers and expenses. However, the current real estate development trend in the Philippines sees good potential for urban green development despite its infancy, making Italpinas Development Corporation a possible candidate in pursuing green developments ahead of the curve.