MANILA, July 4 (PNA) -- In support of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's tourism program, the Filipiniana Resorts Development Corp., Inc. (FRDC) will come out with a total Filipino design resort project in Tagaytay.

Committed to boost tourism even in the international market, the project Filipiniana Tagaytay is dubbed as "Alay sa Lahing Pilipino".

Rep. Rodolfo G. Valencia of Oriental Mindoro said the project aims to awaken people on the value of the environment as well as promote and showcase the Filipino culture, heritage and tradition.

He said that with such unique and distinctly Filipino concept of a project, Filipiniana Tagaytay will become a beacon in encouraging visitors, tourists, retirees, investors and travelers to rediscover the Philippines.

Filipiniana Tagaytay will be the first 100 percent ever Filipino design considering that as of date all projects recorded have delved on western, Asian of European theme.

"The project will showcase the best of the Filipino culture from the building design, international structure, while its master plan blended with man-made wonders is integrated with modern amenities such as hotel, condotel, town center, eco-parks and theaters, among others.

However, the ultimate boost to tourism is the celebration of all festivities such as the Moriones, Sinulog, Ati-atihan, Masskara and others for which the country has been known for.

"Promotion of such events doubly makes Filipiniana Tagaytay project a business and leisure, and a major tourist attraction for the country," Valencia said.

Valencia said the idea of coming up with this unique resort complex has been prodded by many Filipino-Americans' desire to go back to the country after many years of working abroad and are just eager to settle in a cool place like Baguio City or Tagaytay City but are tired to see the usual tourist destinations found in other countries.

Filipiniana Tagaytay forms part of the 20-hectare property with 200-meter long frontage along Tagaytay National Highway in Laurel, Batangas' kilometer 69.

It will utilize about 60 percent of the 20-hectare estate as building footprint for constructing the various buildings, structures and facilities while 40 percent will be garden, parks and greenery.

To serve as focal attraction to provide owners with sports recreation and restaurant facilities, a town center will be constructed at the middle of the project site with clubhouse for the unit owner's exclusive use.

An optional membership to the country's biggest theme park to be known as Fantasy World located nearby will be accorded the unit owners.

Divided into three phases -- Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao -- project's main attraction aside the green mountain ridge is the majestic Taal Lake and combined with the all-year round cool climate of Tagaytay.

Designed to become an integrated, mixed-sea world class vacation resort, the project will comprise of a first class hotel-restaurant built at the front of the property, condotel buildings, garden apartments, villa clusters, duplexes and quadruplexes.

Majority of these buildings wil be built facing the lake with most units designed to have a grand view of majestic Taal.

The construction will be done in three phases: Luzon wing, Visayas wing and Mindanao wing.

For the Luzon wing, construction willl consist of hotel/restaurants, 144 condotel units, four to six-storey low rise condotel (12 buildings) and six-storey Bellview hotel/condotel.

The Visayas wing will consist of four-storey condominiums (12 buildings), two-storey garden apartment (two buildings), typical villa cluster (17) units -- two-storey quadruplexes (17 buildings), and quadruplexes (197).

At the moment, Mindanao wing is still in the planning stage. (PNA)