Avida Land celebrated its 34th anniversary by bringing back Grand Neighbor Day to strengthen community ties and promote sustainable living. This nationwide celebration brought Avida residents together in their respective communities to forge new friendships through activities inspired by the theme, "Connect and thrive: Building stronger communities together.”
"For our 34th anniversary, we seek to make it significant by inviting our residents to participate in this milestone as we bring back Grand Neighbor Day," Nancy Delegencia, customer care and product delivery group head of Avida. “This is the time when all our residents celebrate together in different locations with the common goal of forging stronger community connections dedicated to inspiring lives and fostering a sustainable lifestyle.”
Chief among these events was the grand reveal of each respective community’s entry for the Avida upcycling competition. Each community united together to create a Christmas lantern using upcycled PET bottles and other recyclable materials. To determine the winning designs, Avida Land enlisted a panel of esteemed judges who evaluated the entries. The judging panel included notable figures such as Dr. Carlomar Aracngel Daoana, an award-winning curator, art writer, and published poet; Joshua Limon Palisoc, a talented young visual artist known for his metal sculptures and upcycling projects; Atty. Joseph Gonzales, a prominent art curator and the man behind one of the most progressive galleries in the Philippines; and Petes Gamboa from Ayala Land, Head of Innovation & Design in the Core Residential Business Group.
The contest was joined by several Avida communities nationwide including Avida Towers Vireo and Avida Towers One Union Place in Arca South, Avida Towers Turf in BGC, Avida Towers Vita in Vertis North, Avida Towers Riala in Cebu, Avida Towers Atria in Iloilo, Hillcrest Estates NUVALI and Southfield Settings NUVALI in Laguna, and Serin East Tagaytay and Avida Verra Settings Vermosa in Cavite.
After much deliberation, three winners were finally determined. Team Avida Verra Settings Vermosa was declared the grand winner, followed by Team Avida Towers Riala in second place, and Team Serin East Tagaytay in third place.
Gerryringo L. Lariza, leader of the winning Avida Verra Settings Vermosa (AVSV) team, spoke about the inspiration behind their design. “The AVSV Lantern 2024 landscape flower design aims to create a warm, inviting atmosphere that embodies the Filipino-Verra Christmas spirit. Using vibrant plastics, PET bottles, and construction debris to create flowers, traditional decor, and symbolic lighting elements, this display brings to life the theme of unity and family,” he says. “This design will make the AVSV Lantern 2024 a memorable and heartfelt celebration for the community, truly capturing the essence of ‘Isang Pamilya Tayo Ngayong Pasko.’”
The thread of sustainable creativity ran through other activities available to residents on Grand Neighbor Day as well. Kids and adults alike engaged in arts and crafts with the “Debris to design: Recycling to create home décor.” Here, materials like tissue rolls, cans, and bottles were transformed into custom-made pieces that can happily brighten up any home.
Of course, no Pinoy celebration is complete without a fest either. As Filipinos are known to gather and connect over food, so too did Avida residents share personal favorites with each other in the “A taste of my hometown” activity.
“At Avida, not only do we provide inspired life spaces for our residents, but also how the relationships they nurture enhance their living experience,” said Delegencia. “We’re glad to have hosted yet another successful Grand Neighbor Day that brings our residents closer to each other through the joy of sustainable lifestyle activities.”
Avida Land Corp. is the upper mid-income residential brand of Ayala Land, the Philippines’ leading developer of sustainable estates offering a diverse mix of properties such as residential, retail, office, hotels, and leisure developments that support local economic growth and nation-building.