Biz buzz: Next for Manny Villar: An amusement park

For a property tycoon with raw land in a hundred cities and municipalities around the country, what else can retired politician Manny Villar do apart from building housing, shopping malls, offices, hotels, resorts and memorial parks?

Don’t be surprised if sometime in the foreseeable future, you hear about Manny Villar building an amusement park. This is one business that the conventional property developer will think of, as compared to the “sure ball” model of building a shopping mall, for instance. That’s probably why the Philippines only has a few of such amusement parks like Enchanted Kingdom and the smaller Star City.

It turned out that developing an amusement park had already crossed Villar’s mind. He said he has already looked at the possibility of building one, but noted that this should be something more suitable to Philippine climate conditions. It should be something that will remain viable even during the wet season.

The model that Villar looked at is Lotte World in Seoul, Korea, which has the world’s biggest indoor amusement park that is open all-year round and an outdoor component. The indoor component is weather-proof and makes use of natural sunlight.

If ever Villar proceeds with the plan to develop an amusement park, we can only speculate that will most likely be closer to Metro Manila, maybe along his Daang Hari estate where lifestyle center Evia now operates. —DORIS DUMLAO-ABADILLA

‘Death care’ ramps up

Speaking of the Villars, newly listed “death care” service provider Golden Haven Memorial Park is ramping up its expansion program by building 12 new memorial parks each year. This is an acceleration from its earlier program of building seven new parks annually.

In three years’ time, Golden Haven will thus have a total of 50 memorial parks. It will enter new markets like Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Iloilo, Bulacan, Cavite, Pampanga, Batangas, Bataan and Nueva Viscaya. It will also open one to two columbarium facilities every year, targeting areas where cremation has become acceptable.

Since it caters to a business that never runs out of clients as a demographic certainty, Golden Haven is the first company to go public in the aftermath of the May presidential elections (a master of timing, some say). —DORIS DUMLAO-ABADILLA

Clark raid

Last week, elements of the National Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) swooped down on Fontana Resort inside the former Clark Air Base in Pampanga.

Their target: Hundreds of suspected Chinese illegals working in unlicensed online gambling dens.

According to eyewitness reports, as soon as the joint NBI/BID team raided the premises, hundreds of workers started scampering in different directions. Some went to the roof, others hid in the surrounding bushes. Still, more than 1,300 were detained.

Initial reports from the raiding team indicate that all those apprehended could not show working permits or visas. Most were holding tourist visas with arrival dates as recent as one month ago.

But a few days after the raid, conflicting reports started surfacing. One published article said all the apprehended Chinese had legal papers. Still, another report claimed that only 19 out of the more than 1,300 were verified to be overstaying.

Such contradictory reports gave rise to rumors that there are ongoing negotiations to either free the detained workers or justify their stay. It’s as if “unseen hands” were working double time to free the illegal aliens.

Even Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said reports reaching his office indicate that bribe money ranging from P200,000 to P250,000 is being offered per head. Aguirre allegedly ordered the raid following numerous sightings of Chinese-speaking nationals inside Clark.

Even the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) allegedly started complaining about the proliferation of unauthorized/unlicensed online gambling operations inside the ecozone.

Biz Buzz sources inside the gaming agency claimed that a certain “Jack Lam” is licensed to operate a land-based casino inside the Clark facility, but not online gambling dens. More on this in our next Biz Buzz column. —DAXIM L. LUCAS

A general named ‘Jagger’

Who is going to be the next chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines?
Current commander of Eastern Mindanao Command Lt. Gen. Rey Leonardo “Jagger” B. Guerrero, according to military insiders, fits all the criteria of a CS that President Duterte needed to replace Gen. Ricardo Visaya, who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on Dec. 8.
Of course, it helped that Guerrero, a 1984 graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, had served as chief of Task Force Davao and that Eastmincom has Davao under its jurisdiction. Duterte’s preference for Davaoeños, Mindanaoans and those who had worked in Davao is not exactly a secret.

As Commander in Chief, President Duterte can choose from any star-ranked officers and even from among the colonels, if he wants to go into deep-selection. So far, media reports have named Army chief Lt. Gen. Ed Año and AFP vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda, among the contenders. —FE ZAMORA

‘Duterte Youth’

To those asking for the name and the background of the leader of the pro-Marcos “Duterte Youth,” here are some facts:

The “chair” of the group is Ronald Gian Carlo Cardema, a political officer at the House of Representatives since 2010 and go-to guy for all matters at the House. You need a speech, a draft resolution or background material on current issues? “Cardema can be relied to produce it on short notice. It’s like a business for him,” Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano told the Inquirer.

Before he worked at the House, Cardema was a student at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. He was also the commander of the Vanguards, the UP-ROTC cadet corps, in 2009.

The military background goes back to 2006, when Cardema joined Philippine Military Academy (PMA) as a plebe. But it was not meant to be, it would seem. Before the year was over, Cardema was dismissed after he wrote an open letter condemning the military for the death of his uncle, Noli Capulong, who was then a ranking officer of the leftist Bayan in Southern Tagalog. Cardema, according to some reports, was an activist in UP Los Baños before he was accepted to the PMA.

In his grey bush-jacket, Cardema can be snappy and smart. But his unabashed adoration of Marcos and Duterte made people squirm in their seats. Even his mentor at the House was aghast. “When Cardema asked permission to join the Duterte Youth, I said go ahead, maybe he could learn a thing or two. I did not expect him to go that far,” Rep. Alejano said. —FE ZAMORA

Italian dining in Cebu

Filipino athlete-turned-actor Gianmatteo “Matteo” Fernan Guidicelli has been known to bring some of that Italian flair to the local show biz industry, given his mixed heritage. It appears his own family is doing the same in the country’s culinary scene. Their initial foray is, of course, in Cebu, where they opened Trattoria da Gianni.

There are plenty of Italian restos, of course, but Trattoria da Gianni sets itself apart with its uncompromising take on authentic ingredients and recipes. Imported fresh black truffles and lemon sorbet all the way from Italy, for example, are mainstays on its menu.

Pricey ingredients are unusual for the Cebu market, a well-known barometer for what Filipinos might be willing to pay, given their fierce reputation for “value.”

Those in Metro Manila seeking a taste might soon get their chance. Gianluca Guidicelli, aka Matteo’s dad, told Biz Buzz recently that they’re exploring the possibility of bringing this concept to the Alabang area. Should that come to pass, we’re certain it would be a hit. And should the establishment fail to lure crowds for its perfectly cooked pasta, a little celebrity star power could always provide that necessary lift. —MIGUEL R. CAMUS