“GREAT things are going to happen with GT Town Center” proudly announced Allan Ryan Tan, GT Town Center VP for Real Estate and Land Development, during the new shopping center’s grand opening on July 19 – teasing greater things to come for the property owned by the illustrious Tan family, and that the mall is only the beginning of more development to come.
The two-level mall, located in Ungka 2, Pavia, hosts a slate of predominantly local brands and establishments – with about 80 percent of its tenants being proudly Ilonggo brands, among them LoCo Local Coffee, Grillers Restaurant, Inggo’s Original Lapaz Batchoy, Statlab Medical and Diagnostic Center, and S.S. Gorriceta, among others. But it is also set to carry a handful of national mall staples as well, including SM SaveMore Market, Jollibee and Mercury Drug Store, along with banks Metrobank and Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI).
“GT Town Center is a modern community shopping mall committed to provide the Ilonggos with the highest quality of products and services, by meeting our customer’s needs while also providing a good atmosphere for shopping [coupled] with courtesy and hospitality,” said International Builders Corporation’s (IBC) Jojo Ang.
“It is with great and honor to be given the opportunity to serve the people of Pavia and its progressive municipality through a shopping mall that could bring great investments to Pavia and its neighboring towns, as well as to the city of Iloilo,” added the construction magnate.
The mall is only the first phase of a planned township project, and will soon be followed by business units and a residential development program in the succeeding phases.
Backed by the Tan family’s core business IBC – and led by the family’s patriarch Ilonggo-Chinese mogul Alfonso Tan – the project will open and potentially house business process outsourcing (BPO) companies and business towers in the next phase, to be followed by vertical residential development – all under the tutelage of the urban planning group, Palafox Associates.
The GT brand was coined to honor the Go-Tan grandparents of Allan Ryan Tan – parents of Alfonso Tan – all whom have migrated from China, raised their family in Iloilo, and grew their businesses in the city. This project is a testament of hard work – and evidence to the booming development and progress in Iloilo.
The future project will become one of the showcases of the municipality of Pavia complementing its many housing developments. Subdivision residents will benefit from the convenience of the proximity of the mall which will cater not only to their daily shopping and business and needs but also give them job opportunities. They no longer have to travel to the city for whatever they need but can now just travel nearby.
During the opening ceremony, Allan Ryan Tan added that GT Town Center Pavia will also soon host the offices of several government agencies, among them the National Bureau of Investigation, Land Transportation Office, Social Security System, and Pag-IBIG Fund, to better serve the people of Pavia.
“With GT Town Center, we’re bringing everything closer here, coupled with the best service for the people of Pavia,” said the GT Town Center executive.
GT Town Center Pavia is located along Fernando Lopez Avenue Road, Ungka 2, Pavia, Iloilo. The shopping center is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m./PN
