Capitol Commons, Ortigas Land’s 10-hectare mixed-use development in Ortigas Center, Pasig, puts together modern residences, office facilities, commercial areas and open spaces in one site, creating a vibrant community for living, working and playing.

At the heart of Capitol Commons is Estancia, a global lifestyle mall that celebrates the good life with great shopping and dining options. Featuring world-class brands, delightful restaurants and premium services, Estancia offers a luxurious experience for discerning mall goers.

And it just keeps getting better. On Nov. 29, Ortigas Land opened the East wing to complement the already existing mall.

“It feels great, because this is our first new mall concept that blends the best practices that we’ve seen from all sides of the partnership now,” said Jaime E. Ysmael, president and CEO of Ortigas Land, in which property giants OCLP Holdings Inc., SM Prime Holdings and Ayala Land are partners.

The event was also attended by Heart Evangelista-Escudero, Ortigas Malls vice president Architect Renee Bacani vice president, Ayala Land vice chair Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, SM Prime Holdings president Hans Sy.

The festivities kicked off with a Thanksgiving Mass presided by Bishop Mylo Claudio Hubert Vergara of the Diocese of Pasig.

Special guests which included partners, tenants and government representatives like Pasig City Administrator Atty. Jeron Manzanero, who attended on behalf of Mayor Vico Sotto, mingled while the Manila String Machine serenaded everyone with great music.

“We’re very excited because we have a lot of new shops and of course, the anchor store which is The SM Store,” said Ysmael.

The SM Store in Estancia, which offers essentials and extras (they’ve got it all), is the first one outside an SM Mall.

First Ortigas Cinemas

They unveiled the first Ortigas Cinemas, too—and they look great. There are six in total, two of which are more deluxe Screening Room theaters set to open soon. But you already have four theaters to enjoy now. We checked out Cinema 1, Dolby Atmos cinema.

Here’s a tip: you know how people usually don’t like to book frontrow seats at a cinema? You’ll want to make sure you get these seats at Estancia’s Cinema 1. The eight front row seats are bigger and cushier Screening Room reclining seats with trays for all your movie snacks.

But the regular seats are pretty great. We sat on the sofa-like Cinema 2 seats and they were super comfy, with plenty of space and legroom.

Comfy, too, are the lounge areas between the cinemas and in the lobby, perfect for waiting for the next screening to start.

The ticket counter looks sleek and modern but if you purchased your tickets online, you don’t even need to go there. Just drop by the E-Kiosks to print your tickets.

Head over to Reel Bites for movie snacks like popcorn, hotdogs, burgers, nachos and flavored fries. They sell chocolates and chips too.

The cinema is quite exciting in terms of not just the cinematic experience, but also the way the lobby is configured. It’s very modern, very cozy, and the facilities are high tech.

Lucky guests got to be the first to watch movies in Cinemas 1 and 2 which were showing “Knives Out” and “Frozen II.”

Abundance of firsts

You’ll see familiar establishments at the East Wing, tried and trusted places like Starbucks Reserve, Pet Express, Watsons, Miniso, Vision Express and Digital Walker.

But there’s also an abundance of firsts in the four floors of Estancia’s East Wing—establishments you’ll find in a mall for the first time, shops that are opening in Pasig for the first time, even brands that are opening their first-ever stores. Some are already open, many will open within the month, while the rest will be ready for customers by the first quarter of 2020.

Ysmael said, “Estancia definitely offers a lot more in terms of shopping and dining. We also have a lot of activities in store at the mall. We have Meet and Greet Santa, we have a ballet show, a fireworks display, and we also have a nice light exhibit at the park in front of Estancia. So please come, bring your families and friends, and build a lot of memories in the new Estancia.”

Visit www.ortigasmalls.com /estancia and sign up for their newsletter for updates. Follow and like Estancia on Facebook (EstanciaPH), and Instagram (@estanciaph).

To book tickets online, visit: www.ortigascinemas.com.