In the recent inauguration of Megaworld’s 1,530-room Grand Westside Hotel in Parañaque City, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed his admiration and support for the property giant’s commitment to boosting tourism and economic growth through innovative and world-class developments.
“Megaworld has shown that it is a true partner in national development and a great builder of dreams and sustainable communities in our society. For that and for all the projects that are underway, you have my utmost gratitude,” said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the inauguration of the Grand Westside Hotel.
With its existing and ongoing developments, Megaworld continues to stand out as a leader in creating integrated urban communities that offer a comprehensive lifestyle experience for residents and businesses alike.
And what better way to prove such a bold statement than by having 35 townships across the country that the company intends to have under its portfolio for the year 2024 to mark the company’s 35 years in the Philippine real estate industry.
Kevin L. Tan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Global Group, Inc., parent company of Megaworld, attributed the feat to the company’s successful collaboration with nearly 400 companies, including over 160 foreign firms, in the company’s various cyberparks all over the country.
“When foreign companies and investors see a government that is open, they feel safe and secure, and they are motivated to invest more in a country like ours. We have seen massive interest from foreign investors wanting to locate and open up in our townships across the Philippines,” said Tan in his speech during the Mactan Expo Center capsule-laying ceremony last April.
Partner in economic growth
This 2024, Tan emphasized consolidating their core businesses and ensuring stability while preparing for future growth opportunities.
“We hope to finish 2024 with 35 townships to coincide with our 35 years in the industry,” said Tan.
“This is actually the most number of townships we are launching in any given year. In doing so, this will catalyze economic growth and generate a massive amount of jobs, from construction workers, BPO employees, and in the hotel and tourism sector, as well as through small to medium enterprises,” he added.
Currently, there are around 200,000 BPO employees who work in Megaworld’s various townships.
The company also generates employment to around 20,000 construction workers, while also employing more than 3,000 hospitality employees, and thousands of other SMEs — all working within Megaworld’s township developments across the country.
iTownships
Part of Megaworld’s strategy to forge stability and consolidate its strengths in the past began years ago when it started future-proofing its developments with the launch of its iTownships initiative. The main goal of this program is to create ‘townships of the future’ by integrating design, safety, smart technology, connectivity, energy efficiency, and talent development into the very blueprint of Megaworld’s township developments.
Today, one of the game-changing and innovative programs being implemented in Megaworld’s township developments is its Township Analytics and Technology Lab (TAT) Lab and Command Center. This program, known as the first-ever data science lab spearheaded by a property development company in Asia, was a product of ramping up Megaworld’s use of data science and technology innovations.
The TAT Lab is designed to develop, deploy, and improve machine learning models and artificial intelligence aimed at increasing the level of safety and security among Megaworld townships nationwide.
Megaworld’s TAT Lab was integrated into the company’s Township Command Center, a state-of-the-art surveillance facility that monitors and consolidates situation reports across all of Megaworld's townships nationwide.
Another innovation that brings a leveled up experience for those living within Megaworld’s townships is the Integrated First Oceanic Property Management, Inc. (FOPM) Automated Experience (iFAE). This program, which revolutionized condo living for owners and tenants in First Oceanic Property Management, Inc. (FOPM)-serviced properties, is integrated into a variety of essential services and functions into one convenient platform.
These FOPM-serviced properties paved the way for an efficient merging of the physical and virtual worlds, something that truly became a game-changer for lots of communities, particularly during the pandemic. The technology has virtually allowed people to do everything they need whenever and wherever they may be using their personal devices. The tasks include paying bills, filling out documents and request forms, keeping track of expected visitors, and receiving deliveries. It also has Accident Detection and Incident Dashboards capabilities.
Maximizing the power of AI
Another initiative in Megaworld’s current township development is TAT Lab’s Accident Detection program—an AI-powered software designed to detect vehicular accidents seconds before it happens. Once activated, the program alerts personnel based in Megaworld’s township command centers, to trigger a faster and safer response, particularly for people in distress.
This program utilizes Incident Dashboards that analyze and model possible incidents that may likely happen in townships to help prevent emergency situations.
The implementation of these two innovations, according to a study by the TAT Lab team, led to a 93% decrease in the number of accidents within Megaworld’s townships.
“Utilizing computer vision technology, the program effectively detects vehicular collisions and significantly shortens the response time. The system involves marshalls monitoring CCTV feeds and coordinating swift responses to incidents,” the study revealed.
Another AI-powered innovation is the Traffic Counting program, which is designed to stimulate and plan township routes to decongest thoroughfares, particularly during peak hours.
“This innovation alerts township officers to implement strategies and manage traffic congestion within their covered area,” the study added.
Both the Accident Detection and Traffic Counting programs are already being implemented at McKinley Hill, McKinley West, and Uptown Bonifacio in Taguig City, as well as Southwoods City in Biñan, Laguna and Carmona, Cavite, and at Iloilo Business Park in Iloilo City.
Weather analytics
Nowadays, people are sensitive to the prevailing weather system in the country, especially since the Philippines is frequented by typhoons, most of which are aggravated by climate change.
This was the inspiration behind another innovative Megaworld township program they call Localized Weather Analytics, a weather analyzing software that detects geographically-specific weather patterns. These weather findings are then sent out to residents and workers in Megaworld’s townships through dedicated group chats, allowing people and even businesses to plan their routines and operations for the day ahead of time.
The goal is to come up with specialized actions and reminders after detecting and predicting weather patterns. An example of which is when poor air quality is detected in a particular area. In such cases, property management offices are notified to distribute facemasks to people within the township.
This program is fully and partially operational in all townships within and outside Metro
Manila.
There’s also the Drone with Crowd-Monitoring and Counting program, which is implemented to track crowd density and ensure increased levels of safety, particularly during township events.
This program was an offshoot of a customized drone that was developed at Megaworld’s TAT Lab, which was fitted with a carbon fiber frame and equipped with flight controller electronics, motors, propellers, batteries, and a camera. The drone captures videos from various points of views, showcasing its versatility and advanced capabilities in aerial video capture.
Innovations for the future
Some of these innovations have already been implemented in various Megaworld townships since 2018 while some are estimated to be implemented some time next year.
One of the innovations is the Township Navigation (Way-Finding) Kiosks, which are digital kiosks that provide maps and other features that allow users to search for establishments and facilities within the townships. This program includes assisting township visitors to relevant points of interest as they explore Megaworld townships, such as EV Charging Stations.
Speaking of this EV charging facility, this innovation from Megaworld Lifestyle Malls was actually the Philippines’ first-ever mall-based electric vehicle-charging station for all types of vehicles. It currently has four stations located at Uptown Bonifacio and Forbes Town in Taguig, Eastwood City in Quezon City, and ArcoVia City in Pasig.
“All kinds of electric vehicles can charge in these EV stations, but this is also subject to the different needs of the township. For example, a place with residential E-Bikes will accommodate this for the township’s specific charging station,” Megaworld said.
Megaworld also initiated the implementation of the Panic Button for Emergencies, an electronic device that can easily be activated to request help during an emergency where danger to people or property exists. These alarms are connected to the Township Command Center, and activated by Estate Security or Health Officers to respond to any distress signal.
Meanwhile, the company also implements Digital Signages already found within McKinley Hill. Aside from carrying advertisements, these signages also share weather and climate updates, and advisories to inform the community on when to bring umbrellas, reminders to hydrate due to extreme heat, or wear masks for a sudden decrease in air quality.
The signs also display advisories relating to traffic, township events, and promotions within the community and other nearby developments.
All these innovations paved the way for Megaworld to reap various prestigious innovation recognitions. These include the Digital Initiative of the Year-Philippines, Smart Technology of the Year-Philippines, and Technology Innovation of the Year-Philippines at the Real Estate Asia Awards 2024; a Gold Award for Megaworld Lifestyle Malls’ EV Charging Stations under the Innovation, Energy, and Sustainability category at the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards 2023; and the Sustainability Initiative of the Year award at the International Business Awards (Stevies) 2023, also for its innovative EV Charging Facility.