Pacquiao to build villa in high-end enclave in Albay

CAGRARAY ISLAND, Philippines—Manny Pacquaio is set to buy a 1,000-square-meter lot worth P12 million and build a vacation villa at the luxurious Misibis Bay Resort on this island in Albay.

Pacquiao, awed by the luxury and privacy of the resort that is a 25-minute ride by fastcraft from Legazpi City, said he intends to build a villa in the exclusive enclave where he and his family can take a break in between his gruelling boxing commitments and work as a member of the House of Representative representing his province of Sarangani.

“Nagustuhan ko itong lugar, tahimik at maganda (I like this place. It’s beautiful and very private). Upon my arrival here on Thursday I was able to sleep for a straight 16 hours,” he said on Saturday. “I’d like to build a small vacation villa here so that I can frequently visit Albay.”

Pacquiao said he and his and wife Jinky have toured the five-hectare resort, located within the 5,000-hectare Cagraray Island, and were impressed by the resort’s facilities.

Elizaldy Co, president and chief executive officer of Sunwest Group that operates Misibis Bay Resort, Embarcadero Mall and a string of  hotels here and in Manila, offered Pacquiao the 1,000-sq. m.  lot at the resorts’  retirement and vacation village.

Pacquiao, Jinky and some  members of the Team Pacquiao led by Boboy Fernandez, his boxing trainer who is a resident of Polangui, Albay, flew in from Manila on Thursday on a private plane.

His presence in Legazpi was on the invitation of his colleagues in Congress—AKB party list Representative Alfredo Garbin and Albay 2nd district Representative Al Francis Bichara—and Co.

On arrival in Legazpi, Pacquiao paid a courtesy call on Mayor Geraldine Rosal and obliged her request to hold a motorcade and tour the city’s main thoroughfares, which brought out thousands of residents who gave the boxing idol a rousing welcome.

Pacquiao said the province had a lot to offer, with the beautiful scenery providing a lush backdrop to tourist establishments.

“Despite being a typhoon prone area, the area remains impressively scenic, and attractive,” said Pacquiao, adding that he would promote Albay in future trips abroad.

Pacquiao on Thursday also rode an all-terrain vehicle and visited  Mount Mayon’s lava dome at Barangay Mabinit in Legazpi City and was stunned by the sight of a four-story-tall lava front spewed by the volcano during its 2004 eruption.

At the Misibis Resort, he and his team engaged in jet skiing and scuba diving in the waters of Albay Gulf facing the Pacific Ocean. They also  rode the zipline at the resort’s EcoPark.

Pacquiao and his entourage ended their three-day visit here Saturday and boarded his chartered plane at noon for General Santos City, his hometown.