In the 1500s, when the Spanish government restricted Chinese migrants in Manila to live in Binondo, they gravitated toward trade, commerce and craftsmanship in the district’s streets such as Calle Sacrista, named after the sacristy of the Binondo Church.

In 1915, Calle Sacrista was renamed as Ongpin, in honor of Don Roman Ongpin, a wealthy Chinese-Filipino businessman, philanthropist and patriot who helped fun the Philippine revolution against Spain and the United States of America.

As Binondo rose to become Manila’s financial and trading center, local Chinese artisans began crafting and selling precious metals in Ongpin. Over time, these trading stalls gave way to today’s family-owned jewelry shops, still frequented today not only for gold but also for feng shui charms such as “Ongpin Roll,” a stack of gold coins or small bars traditionally given as lucky charms for prosperity, love and security for special occasions such as weddings.

It is this prime location — at the heart of Binondo’s gold industry, trade and commerce — that makes Ongpin Tower, Keen & Worth Properties’ maiden development, “very auspicious,” said principal architect Miguel Ocampo Tan.

“Actually, to tell you the truth, we have several projects in Chinatown, but in this location (Ongpin Tower), we have three corners. One is Ongpin Street and the front of this, one is Gonzalo Puyat and the other one would be F. Torres, OK? Very seldom to see this kind of land. To acquire this kind of luck is very rare only… You cannot find another one anymore, OK? So that’s number 1, prime, prime, prime… representing the three corners.”

Besides its commercial central location, the tower is nearby two famous churches, schools and shopping and business hubs like 168 and 999.

Apart from auspicious location, Ongpin Tower naturally abides by the rules of feng shui, which Tan learned from local and international feng shui masters. He shared some of them:

• Everything must be light and open.

• The stairs should be a balance between the good and the bad, “two combinations and not only one,” or in Filipino culture, must follow the “Oro, Plata, Mata” pattern, but should end in “oro” (gold) or “plata” (silver) and not “mata” (kill or death) to attract good fortune and luck.

• To avoid bad “chong” (luck), there should be “no door facing each other.”

• There should be no water closet at the back of the bed. It should be clear.

• The door should not face a mirror or another door.

• There should be a 360-degree view and ventilation.

The Chinese name for Ongpin Tower, said Keen & Worth Properties chief operating officer Kimberly Klaire K. Wong, means “golden pavilion” in English.

“So actually this also gives a nod to the address because it’s where the historic gold shops are and we really wanted to preserve the heritage and even how we developed it.”