BIZ BUZZ: Seeing green

The teams of the Zobel family and billionaire Manuel V. Pangilinan are working together again, this time for a project all the way in Palawan province.
With El Nido’s reputation as a tourist hot spot, you may be thinking that the collaboration involves a new property.
Well, not exactly.
Ayala Land Leisure Estates and Metro Pacific Agro Ventures (MPAV) are actually developing an advanced greenhouse facility within Lio Estate, dubbed an eco-tourism haven.
“Our vision for Lio Estate has always centered on sustainability and community integration,” Ayala Land Leisure Estates group head Cris Zuluaga said in a statement on Tuesday.
The greenhouse—one of the newest ventures of MPAV—will have a 100,000-kilogram capacity and provide fresh, locally grown produce to Lio Estate’s establishments: Seda Lio, Huni and The El Nido Resorts.
For their part, MPAV president and CEO Jovy Hernandez said the project allowed for “cutting-edge farming techniques” and sustainable agriculture to reach “remote locations.”
This is a quick expansion for MPAV, which recently launched the largest greenhouse in Bulacan province.
We’ll keep an eye out for fresh vegetables that could sprout in other tourist spots, too.