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A GROUP
of young professionals who call themselves “The Hints”
is paying good money for an overnight stay sometime this
month at the Manila Film Center (MFC). For this group
who want to experience new things, the idea is to hold a
spookfest and see who chickens out before dawn.
As
everybody knows, there were 48 workers who died during
the construction of MFC in the early 1980s. More
“sensitive” people who have visited MFC claim the number
of disembodied beings has since tripled to also shelter
those lost at sea or murdered along the stretch of
reclaimed land before it was developed.
By the
way, the ladies washroom is said to be the place with
the most action—day or night.
****
Did you
know 1:
Government workers complain that their loan
applications—whether for salary or housing loans—with
the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) have not
been moving as quickly as they should because of
so-called glitches in the pension fund’s computer
system.
On the
contrary, the Union Bank of the Philippines, which
manages GSIS’s computer system, claims everything is
fine and running.
Did you
know 2:
Development Bank of the Philippines president Reynaldo
David insisted on having the last say at the
rather-serious Senate hearing on the exposure of local
banks in collapsed Lehman Brothers.
He
greeted chairman Sen. Ed Angara a “happy birthday” on
behalf of all the bankers. Naturally, everybody cracked
up and the hearing ended with everybody smiling.
Did you
know 3:
Megaworld’s negotiations to enter a joint-venture
agreement with Nayong Pilipino (NP) inside the
Entertainment City project of the Philippine Amusement
and Gaming Corp. is still ongoing.
You see,
NP head Charito Planas wants the theme park to be
operational by this Christmas even if that means that
Megaworld Corp. chairman Andrew Tan has to authorize
three shifts of workers to work on the project round the
clock.
In
exchange, Megaworld wants to put up a building of its
own from which it can generate income.
Meanwhile, there’s a group which wants to rent the
man-made lake inside the old Nayong Pilipino near the
international airport. Here’s the business concept:
no-charge fishing unless you want to have your catch
cooked.
****
AIG’s
decision to sell its profitable Philippine operation
will not only cover The Philippine-American General and
Life Insurance Co. and valuable real estate such as the
head office on Paseo de Roxas in Makati, the old
sprawling headquarters on UN Avenue in Manila, and
Philamlife president Jose Cuisia Jr.’s favorite office
near his Alabang home.
AIG also
has a savings bank, which rebranded only late last year
under former Citibank consumer banker Joven Reyes.
And
there are also AIG’s investments, including those in
Shopwise (the hypermarket concept of the Tantoco Group
of Rustan’s) and in Stradcom (at least for the Land
Transportation Office’s computerization project). |
