THE Philippines continues to be one of the attractive investment destinations for famous foreign brands, one of the most recent of which is Pretty Huge Obstacles (PHO), because of several factors such as consistent above average gross domestic product growth, openness to foreign cultures and the fluency of the English language.
āWhat we see in the Philippines is a population that is waking up, that has more pocket money, eating out often and more health conscious,ā said Chard Kelso, chief strategic officer of PHO, in an interview on the sidelines of the recent launch of the 23,000-square-meter facility hailed as Asiaās largest indoor obstacle course training facility at the SM Aura Premier in the Bonifacio Global City.
Kelso also noted the strong camaraderie and bonding among members of the Filipino family as another factor PHO considered in establishing their first branch. This sterling quality made them more serious to solidify their plan on their health and fitness business facility.
āWhen we first came here to find a venue for the obstacle sports, we saw a community that is extremely strong. This also means it has the right people, professional people with kids, attend church and people who are active in their community. We saw this as amazing,ā Kelso explained.
Thus, the die was cast. PHO proceeded to build an obstacle course facility that aims to provide world-class facilities to obstacle course race athletes and family members who want to pursue a healthy and active lifestyle, as well.
Kelso described the facility as an adult playground with people coming in and realizing that working out is really fun and relaxing and that they donāt feel stressed in burning calories. At the same time, it allows the children to engage in their own physical activities.
In this digital age, he emphasized that PHO is raring to encourage children to pursue a healthy and sporty lifestyle so they will not be young couch potatoes.
In line with its family-centric theme, Kelso said PHO staff are trained to prevent the spread of bullying culture in the facility. āThis will be a bully-free zone,ā he stressed.
Unlike in the typical health facility where the strong is cool, Kelso said the PHO will discourage members in bragging their performance over other members to prove they are the fittest and strongest.
Kelso said PHO is āwashing all the bugsā before it formally opens to the public on March 1 this year. For now, Kelso said the venue for the obstacle training course is being checked to ensure it is safe.
āWe want to stay focused on this and keep up the level needed for the Philippines,ā he said.
Kelso said PHO has plans to open branches in Quezon City, Cebu, Davao and other growth centers in the country but for now, it wants to make a perfect vibe for the whole family.
PHO has a huge number of obstacles configurable to over 100 combinations. It includes both an adult and kid obstacle zones, a 100-meter elevated indoor racetrack, functional and obstacle training classes, five-star level changing rooms and a health food lounge.Ā
Obstacles available in the PHO are quintuple angles steps, monkey bars, 5-foot wall, balance beam, small wheels, 9-foot wall, island-hops, gymnast rings, weaver, cliff-hanger, Tarzan swing and the wave wall.
Image credits: Roy Domingo