Golden Bay’s Chief Operations Officer, Jardin Wong, on serving the freshest real estate deals for a hopeful new world.
A Glittering Tomorrow
Inspired by the alluring image of Manila Bay’s sunset, the name “Golden Bay” was a moniker chosen by its founders both as an homage to the land and as a commitment to a glittering tomorrow. And as sure as gold has been an icon for wealth, stability, and abundance — young Jardin Wong strives to continue his predecessors’ untarnished legacy along the same lines of prosperity they’ve achieved.
Yet while his clan has been skilled at navigating the currents of the food industry, the shift to real estate has been years in the making. “The group was eyeing investments in the property sector for a while before making a firm commitment,” shares Jardin, “the result is our maiden project: Aspire Corporate Plaza, a modern office building that redefined the office for-sale segment in the Macapagal Central Business District.”
Aspire’s Sky Garden is designed to be a refuge for corporate employees and visitors alike. Its double floor feature, live outdoor plants and alfresco seating add to the nature-inspired design that will be the anchor on the life-work balance the developers want to achieve with the development.
Buoyed by this first success, Jardin sets his sights on broader horizons for the industry. When asked about his take on other, more established players, the De la Salle political science major doesn’t bat an eye, “What we are greatly proud of is our commitment to our legacy,” he enjoins, “we try to build value for money and high impact projects that can stand the test of time.” And he hopes to deliver to the customers’ satisfaction as he would any gourmet dish — through creative concepts, proper planning, and precise execution. “It helps that being a boutique developer allows us to think outside the box.” It’s an innovative spirit his generation of optimistic individuals seems to innately embody.
A Skyline Kind of Life
As privileged as his life may have been growing up, Jardin remains a very grounded individual. “I love basketball. I had a couple of Nike shirts which had the words ‘basketball is my girlfriend,’ growing up,” he says, chuckling. The De la Salle political science graduate also enjoys coffee on slow Sunday mornings, drives to clear his head, and loves sending food to his friends-at-home. “I also look forward to buying bread for my mom and dad…does this qualify?” Adds this delightfully simple-pleasured aspiring captain of industry.
“I consider myself a social person,” he says, enjoying conversations regardless of demographic, age, race, or political affinity. “I like to connect and learn every single time,” and not just with those around him. Jardin considers the voices of those that have gone before to guide him — through books he often exchanges with friends — “to gain a peek inside how they think, feel and connect.” This habit isn’t by accident; however, as he is aware that being a millennial leader has its challenges and benefits. “From the beginning, I knew that my age would somewhat be a handicap, especially when you are dealing with established partners,” he remembers, “I think the primary training I got from my parents, working as early as 6 years old, eased my transition from being a mid-level manager to an operations head.” Being instilled the values of honesty, fairness, and a genuine desire to learn and improve, Jardin’s parents gifted him with something money cannot buy — a legacy of hard work, dedication, and being strategic. “This, combined with millennials’ often being nimble, passionate, and full of ideas — it’s the best of both worlds, really.”
Yet even as a neophyte in the property sector, where the thought of building multi-billion peso projects scare even veterans, Jardin remains undaunted to start, execute and finish not just from past training or by having his parents’ guidance available. He is also capable of leading a company from the front, by drawing on what he learned within.
A Real Stake in the Future
To say that this youth has fresh ideas is an understatement. “I would say that I’ve always had a natural endowment and love for real estate,” Jardin shares, “growing up, I had a lot of the vivid memories of looking at and experiencing various city skylines and buildings in various locations in the world.” With his childhood sprinkled with experiences of trips from Xiamen to Hong Kong, and Singapore to India, Japan, Korea, the USA, and Eastern Europe — a cosmopolitan view informs Jardin’s vision for the local scene.
“Our ASEAN neighbors have started elevating their architectural realm by building modern masterpieces that can be icons for generations to come,” he claims, with just a healthy hint of envy, “On the design side I think Filipinos are ready.” Believing in Filipinos being innately artists at heart— inspired and moved by the elements of nature — Jardin thinks his countrymen have the potential to be at the forefront of modern design and craftsmanship.
Like any good structure, however, he seeks balance — in this case, in both form and function. “I want to see fundamental and eye-catching, but also functional buildings.”
For despite the oft-cited disadvantages of Manila, including EDSA traffic, political criticism, and slow adaptation to technology, Jardin still believes the Philippines is the best place to live in. “The Philippines is home, it’s family, it’s your strict parents and their nightly (almost) nags, it’s your friends and the weekly stories you share with them, it’s the smell of sinangag in the morning and the aroma of sinigang when its time to cure my hangover.” Chaos, but life, and Jardin embodies a bold new view on how architects, planners, and purveyors should tread carefully between design and functionality. “The government should also take an active role in encouraging and revitalizing cities across the country,” Jardin says, ascribing to a multi-sectoral approach.
The pandemic of 2020 may have brought with it many terrible things, but it did bring to light problems people can work on, and the dreams people would hold most dear. “It brought about many theories and misconceptions about how we perceive life in general,” ruminates the young business leader, “but fundamentally speaking the general public sees real estate as a valuable part of their ecosystem.” People will always buy homes, offices, and places to gather for after the pandemic is dealt with. It is only a matter of “when.” And by that time, Jardin Wong offers Golden Bay’s real-estate opportunities for a hopeful new world of plenty.
Get in touch with Jardin and the Golden Bay Landholdings Inc. through jardinwong@gmail.com.
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