Philippine Real Estate Broker

Typhoon Ondoy taught us that even residential areas in Metro Manila that we thought were flood-proof can get devastated by floodwaters given a large amount of rain. For this reason, you need to make sure that your home insurance policy covers “Acts of God” or “Acts of Nature”, which means that they are liable for natural phenomena like floods, lightning strikes, earthquakes, and other freak natural occurrences that can’t be prevented. In the event that your home gets damaged by a flood or similar nature, you can get your insurance provider to compensate for the repairs.

During disaster-free years, you might get the impression that paying for home insurance and the additional costs of the Acts of God clause are a waste of money. After all, the very nature of the Acts of God clause is that these natural disasters are unpredictable and unexpected. You may not think of your street as flood-prone, but you never know. It’s best to stay protected and stay covered because you may regret being under-insured in the future.

So the next time you speak with your insurance provider, make sure it is clear what situations are considered to be an “Act of God.” Ask them to be very clear about what specific natural disasters are covered by your insurer so that you can have the peace of mind knowing that all will not be lost during freak occurrences.

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Last weekend, a number of residential neighborhoods in Metro Manila had to contend with the worst flood in 50 years. Now that Typhoon Ondoy has passed, those who were affected by the flood are now busy cleaning up the house and their personal belonging. Here are some tips and techniques for cleaning flooded items and sanitizing the house after a flood.

General cleaning

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We all expect luxury condominiums to have modern architectural design, spacious units, and a host of amenities to make life comfortable and worth living. However, the latest project of Robinson’s Land offers far more than just luxury living; it’s also a living work of art. Called Signa Designer Residences, the 29-storey, two-tower high rise condominium development will come to fruition through the artistic vision of three renowned names in Philippine design and architecture: architect Royal Pineda, furniture and space designer Antonio “Budji” Layug, and furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue. This is the first residential project in the country with an exclusively Filipino design team, giving its future residents something beyond what is usually offered by other luxury residential developments.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the names, Royal Pineda graduated from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and honed his architectural skills at the prestigious firm of the late Leandro Locsin, National Artist for Architecture. Pineda has worked with Budji Layug to create a number of luxury projects including Discovery Shores of Boracay, The Trees in bangkok, The Copper in Kuala Lumpur, and Grand Napalai in Phuket. Budji Layug, meanwhile, has been a celebrated furniture designer all over Asia and United States thirty years after designing his first collection of bamboo furniture. He has showrooms in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and was the first Filipino designer to be featured in Bloomingdale’s China Exhibit, where his Giant Bamboo designs were featured. Kevin Cobonpue is also an internationally-recognized furniture designer, having won the 2005 Design for Asia Award of Hong Kong, Asia’s highest award. He was a graduate of industrial design at New York’s Pratt Institute and took up furniture marketing and production at the Export-Akademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany. After apprenticing for a leather and wood workshop in Florence, Italy, his furniture had won him 12 Mugna Awards and four Katha Awards.

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