Fil-Ams give P-Noy a warm welcome at Seafood City at Seasons Marketplace in Milpitas


President Aquino (center) with Milpitas Mayor Robert Livengood (2nd from right), Ayala Corp. President & CEO Fernando Zobel (2nd from left), Seafood City CEO Carlos Go (right) and Ayala Foundation President Vicky Garchitorena (left).President Aquino (center) with Milpitas Mayor Robert Livengood (2nd from right), Ayala Corp. President & CEO Fernando Zobel (2nd from left), Seafood City CEO Carlos Go (right) and Ayala Foundation President Vicky Garchitorena (left).

President Aquino with Seafood City staff
MILPITAS, California (Saturday, Sept. 25) – Philippine President Noynoy Aquino may have been on the other side of the world, but at Seasons Marketplace and inside Seafood City Supermarket in Milpitas, California, he felt right at home. It wasn't just the warm welcome he received from the Filipino community. It was also because the Marketplace is a virtual Filipino center, reminiscent of Makati.

The City of Milpitas is at the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay, also known as "Crossroads of Silicon Valley." It is home to over 70,000 residents, composed of 52% Asians with Filipinos comprising the majority, based on the 2000 Census.

Seasons Marketplace houses some of the most popular Filipino brands, from fastfood chains to a range of merchandise and services, plus the new branch of Seafood City Supermarket. The 90,000-square foot shopping center, AyalaFil's first mixed use retail center project in the United States, is a one-stop dining and shopping destination for Filipino-Americans in the area.

Crowds of excited customers greet President Aquino President Aquino introduced to Seafood City Milpitas within Seasons Marketplace
A deafening cheer from the huge crowd of Seasons and the shoppers at Seafood City welcomed President Noynoy as he stepped into the Marketplace. The President, accompanied by Ayala President & CEO Fernando Zobel, Seafood City CEO Carlos Go, National Federation of Filipino Americans (NaFFAA) National Chair Greg Macabenta, Ayala Foundation President Vicky Garchitorena and Milpitas Mayor Robert Livengood, spent some time at each of the Filipino establishments in the mall.

It was not surprising that the President took great interest in Seafood City Supermarket, where he spent a significant amount of time walking around the aisles of Filipino grocery products, as well as the vast display of fresh seafood, similar to what one finds at wet markets back in the Philippines.

Seafood City is the anchor tenant of Seasons Marketplace, occupying over 34,000 square feet of retail space. Many Filipino-Americans consider it their "home away from home" here in America.

President Aquino also had lunch at Max's of Manila, one of the restaurants at the Marketplace. Fresh from revisiting his taste for New York hotdogs, the President selected the newly opened Max's at Seasons. But not everyone could join him inside the fully-booked restaurant, so the Manila-based reporters repaired to nearby Yellow Cub Pizza while Filipino American reporters dined at Chow King.

The President was in the United States to attend the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly and witnessed the signing of the Millennium Challenge Compact Agreement in New York.
He brought home $2.4 billion in investment commitments from three companies. In media interviews, he said that the investments were indicative of renewed confidence in the Philippines. "The complete details would be revealed upon arrival in Manila," he said, "adding that his goal of generating more than 10,000 jobs would be achieved. The companies involved in this would make the announcements at the appropriate time. The $434-million grant from the Millennium Challenge Corp. will also be a big help when infused into the economy."

Seafood City and Seasons Marketplace is located at 1535 Landess Avenue, Milpitas, California 95035. Business hours are from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

About Seasons

 Seasons is AY-GB's first mixed-use retail center project in the US and has over 90,000 sq ft of retail space. The complex is carefully zoned so that the tenants that fall under one category are in one location are for the convenience of customers. We are committed to delivering a high level of maintenance standards to ensure that our shoppers have a good dining and shopping experience.

Half of the tenants are food establishments, a fourth are in the service business, and and a fifth are devoted to Beauty and Wellness.

For more information, visit: www.theseasonsmarketplace.com

About Seafood City

 Seafood City is the premier full-service supermarket chain of its type in the United States. Seafood City essentially has a mix of Asian and Filipino-influenced offerings with practical products to serve a diverse population. The supermarket features fresh seafood and meat departments, a wide selection of fresh produce, bakery, health and beauty, as well as quick grab-and-go options. It carries a wide selection of Filipino and Asian grocery items, as well as American products that one would normally find in any supermarket.


Seafood City has a total of 20 locations in Southern California, Northern California, Las Vegas Nevada and Seattle, Washington.


For more information, visit www.seafoodcity.com


Media contacts:
Seasons Marketplace: girly.seasons@gmail.com
Seafood City: catherine.quien@seafoodcity.com


    President Noynoy Aquino tours Seafood City at Seasons in Milpitas

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  • P-Noy is accompanied by Seafood City CEO Carlos Go, Ayala Corporation President & CEO Fernando Zobel, Ayala Foundation President Vicky Garchitorena and NaFFA Chairman Greg Macabenta.

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Today, as we find ourselves in the midst of challenging times, Seafood City makes good on its self-appointed role as keeper of the faith, to keep alive the values distinguishes a Filipino wherever he may be.