Biz Buzz: Litmus test

From an impressive bandwagon of 18, there are now only three potential bidders left standing for the 4-kilometer Daang Hari tollroad project, the first to be auctioned under P-Noy’s public-private partnership (PPP) program.

Our sources said these included the Ayala group in partnership with Spanish engineering consultancy firm Getinsa Ingineieria; DMCI with Malaysian tollroad operator Projek Lintasan Kota; and the San Miguel group.

But if there’s hardly any official buzz on this literally short list—despite the fact that the notice of pre-qualification had been issued as of October 7—it must be because their ranks could shrink further.

From what we gathered, some prospective bidders were worried that the Toll Regulatory Board was unusually out of the picture in this bidding process despite the fact that this was the agency with the expertise and jurisdiction on toll setting.

Concerns were also raised on the array of what critics described as “textbook-based” Western provisions that authorities wove into the terms of reference, which means the potential operator must comply or be penalized for the smallest infractions on pot holes, road roughness or even toll plaza queue and reportorial requirements.

Will Daang Hari set a super-stringent paradigm for PPPs at the expense of feasibility? The success (or absence of it) during the forthcoming bidding in December will speak for itself.—Doris C. Dumlao

Indecent proposal

The late human rights lawyer Wilson Gamboa—who got the Supreme Court to redefine equity in the Philippines for purposes of compliance with the 40-percent constitutional foreign ownership limit on utilities—was laid to rest in Bacolod City last October 21.

In a speech delivered during the necrological services (and now circulating through e-mail), columnist Philip Lustre—a good friend of Gamboa’s who had worked with the late lawyer on the case—claimed that the former parliamentarian received tempting offers in exchange for the withdrawal of the petition when he was still alive.

According to Lustre, the offer price started at P50 million weeks after the petition was filed in 2007 and hit as high as P200 million when the case was progressing. Lustre said he had personal knowledge of the indecent proposal because his friend always apprised him of the latest developments.

The “intermediary” who had approached him thrice was a Negrense like Gamboa who was eager to get a cut had the offer been accepted.

“Ironically, the offers came at a time when doctors gave the diagnosis that his liver ailment was turning for the worse,” Lustre said. “In hindsight, Wilson could have just taken the money and used it to buy his health back.”

But he said Gamboa was a “man of integrity” and rejected all temptations.

But before he passed away, Lustre said Gamboa had mustered enough will power to prepare the pleadings and answer, once and for all, the motions for reconsideration.

“[Gamboa] did not leave any stone unturned, so to speak,” he said.—Doris C. Dumlao

Poor records keeping

Our item last week about the supposed arrears of some prominent businessmen with the Santa Elena Golf and Country Club drew out some reactions from the personalities themselves.

For one, businessman Benjie Bitanga told Biz Buzz that his club share in the exclusive golf club was turned over to Metrobank as early as 2007 in a dacion en pago deal for an earlier loan.

He pointed out that both Metrobank and Sta. Elena were aware of this and said he promptly dispatched his lawyer to the bank and the golf club upon reading his name in last week’s column (Metrobank, he said, agreed to settle the arrears).

Another businessman on the list, restaurateur Carmelo Santiago, told us that he has not set foot on the club for a round of golf in the last seven years since his doctor told him to stop playing due to an eye surgery (detached retina). “Bawal sa akin yumuko,” he said. No picking up of golf balls, in other words.

While conceding that he does have an unsettled account with Sta. Elena, he said he hasn’t used any of its services during the period anyway (he is now a member of the uber exclusive “The Country Club” just across from Sta. Elena).

“They can have my [Sta. Elena] club share if they want,” he said.

Finally, Sta. Elena’s delinquency list also had on it the name of a certain “Ramon Tambunting.” The same Ramon Tambunting who passed away a decade ago? Perhaps the club should clean up its records.—Daxim L. Lucas

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