Menarco wins WELL healthy building 'champion award'

Award-winning real estate developer Menarco Development Corporation has received the coveted champion award from the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI).

Menarco founder and chief executive officer Carmen Jimenez-Ong received the award in Taguig on Wednesday, November 4, for the recertification of Menarco Tower in Bonifacio Global City, which is dubbed as the country's "healthiest building."

According to IWBI, the champion award recognized "organizations for impactful storytelling and stakeholder education regarding a specific WELL achievement."

IWBI is a global authority in "transforming health and well-being with a people-first approach to buildings, organizations and communities."

The Menarco Tower received its WELL Gold certification in 2019, and now holds a WELL Core Gold.

Menarco Tower on 32nd Street in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig is the first building in Southeast Asia to receive the Health-Safety Rating from the International Well Building Institute. Courtesy: Menarco Development Corp.

"My dream is for the Philippines to thrive, and this is the way I know how, because this is the space I'm in," Jimenez-Ong said in an interview with GMA News.

"Societal improvements and economic improvements can go together, and that's our goal...If our people are healthy, our country is also healthy. It begins with the people."

IWBI Head of Asia Pacific Jack Noonan also underscored the importance of building healthier spaces, especially in the Philippines.

"If we can build healthier buildings, we're going to have healthier people, healthier communities, healthier societies… We're building more resilient communities," he said. — VDV, GMA News