Cebu

On the Wall

Aldeguer has several furniture by renowned designer Kenneth Cobonpue, who is also a good friend of his. “Kenneth and I go a long way. We were schoolmates. Even before Brad Pitt bought his furniture... I have always believed in his craft.” There’s a red Yoda at the foyer. I ask why he chose this particular piece. “I’ve never been one to analyze. I judge pieces based on the visual impact either I like it or I don’t like it,” he says. It’s the same criteria he applies to other works of art that adorn his walls.

           

On the wall of the foyer are huge black and white photos that he took while on travels abroad. One wall of the kitchen is almost covered in framed black and white photographs of the London Eye, the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco, a boy shooting a basket into a makeshift hoop somewhere along the Transcentral Highway in Cebu City, and a boy with a toothy smile in Boracay taken some seven or eight years ago. “He must be grown up by now. He must be a boatman by now,” Aldeguer laughs.

The Family Adventures

Artworks by Lindsley, Mia Herbosa, Tito Cuevas, and Elmer Borlongan are on the walls, on a chair. A wide bookshelf covers one wall of his living room. There are books on travel, design, non-fiction, and some fiction books. But there are also miniature cars and furniture pieces. Sculptures by Herbosa, a friend who’s based in New York, and Ramon Orlina are displayed prominently. A Cobonque croissant sits in a sunny corner of the room, where Aldequer loves to lounge and read.

“If not for the fact that my children are growing up so fast, I wouldn’t have minded living at my present home for a long while. But we will soon be moving on to a new home.” The family property extends up to the foot of the hill. “I’m building in a couple of years.” He envisions his new house to be in the same mold as his present home, only bigger to accommodate his family. “I still want to keep the clean structure with clean lines and use a lot of glass, highly inspired by modernist architects Philip Johnson and Mies Van Der Rohe. The house will be built on the fringe of the mountain and will be surrounded by large trees.” Aldeguer has three children: Anton, Andrea, and Ariana. “I spend a lot of time with my kids because they are growing up really fast! We enjoy having meals together. We alternate between nice fancy restaurants.

Photo and Article Source: Inflight Magazine (Seair)

Cebu

Long Drives

Jay Aldeguer

“We go on long drives a lot, during weekends and the afternoons,” he says of bonding time with them. “I come home early from work and if they’re not too busy, we go for a short drive. One of my favorite places is the Transcentral Highway.” The road cuts through most of Cebu and is a perfect way to enjoy Cebu’s mountainside. “We buy corn and vegetables there. There’s also a flower plantation along the way. The whole drive is very picturesque.”

I ask Aldeguer about his car collection, which happens to consist of only Porsches. “I really like cars, and I like driving them a lot. I started collecting about 13 years ago. My first was that white 1974 911S.” I count eight cars from vintage to contemporary. “I’m biased toward Porsche. It’s a hardy car, especially for Cebu since our roads are not the best in the world. They’re rugged but great performers on the road.”

He was instrumental in turning Cobonpue onto vintage cars as well. “About five years ago, Kenneth was curious about cars and he took one [of mine] out for a spin. He got hooked. That’s when we founded PACE.” PACE stands for Performance and Classics Enthusiasts, a very small club of car enthusiasts. “Our main common denominator is that we like to drive, we don’t just park our cars...we drive them inter-island.” They have taken driving trips all the way to Bohol, Boracay, Iloilo, Dumaguete, and Leyte...all via RORO. “It’s pretty convenient,” he says.

Angus Beef Tapa

We walk to the adjacent deck where a huge langka tree provides shade. A balcony provides a nice view of the mountainside. “This is my favorite part of the house. I spend a lot of down time here,” Aldeguer says. “This is where I work early in the morning, where I take meals. I also grill here.”

“I enjoy the businesses I get into. My businesses are almost a hobby for me.” I ask how his day usually goes. “There’s nothing typical about me. Like today, I came from the office in shorts.” He has set aside a few hours for this interview, but he plans to go back to do more work at the office. “There are days when I go straight to Mactan Island to inspect a banca that we are about to acquire, or visit an island that will be part of the island hopping tour that we offer, or there are days when I go to the mall to check on the stores. So there is no typical day for me.”

Photo and Article Source: Inflight Magazine (Seair)