BIZ BUZZ: After the (MBC) love has gone . . .

After being on the receiving end of brickbats over his controversial deal to acquire a majority stake in the Malampaya natural gas project, equally controversial Davao businessman Dennis Uy finally broke his silence at the weekend to defend the deal.

But he chose an interesting way of doing it, revealing what sounded like a “tampo” against the Makati Business Club (MBC), which recently joined other business organizations in issuing a statement that assailed the multibillion-peso deal.

In a letter to MBC’s board of trustees, Uy reminded them that “a few years back, you welcomed me, a businessman from Mindanao, as one of your own,” adding that he was humbled by the acceptance by people whom he looked up to for inspiration and mentorship.

But he noted that the Malampaya deal “has come under fire from various sectors, quite recently, and if not more surprisingly, from our respected peers in the business.”

“As far as I know, I am an MBC member in good standing,” he said. “Being a member who would reasonably expect to be treated with fairness and justice, I wonder why I was never contacted nor asked about Malampaya.”

“If the MBC felt strongly about the issues surrounding the business deal, that it even went as far as to lend its esteemed name to call for a Senate probe, then we should have been invited to meet with the MBC leadership to shed light on the concerns. Instead, we had to find out from various stories in the media,” Uy said.

He then proceeded to outline the rationale for the deal and answered, point by point, the accusations against him and the transactions, which critics say will ultimately undermine the country’s energy security.

“I personally have chosen to remain silent amidst the allegations thrown at myself and Udenna (his holding company), as I hoped that the truth about the Malampaya issue will eventually be known,” Uy said.

“But instead, the insinuations have not abated but have, in fact, continued and I, for one, can no longer stay silent on this matter and allow others to further their agenda,” he added.

The businessman reiterated that he, as a member in good standing of the MBC, is available to address all issues raised concerning the Malampaya project.

“Instead of calling on a legislative probe that will take up the precious time of our Senators who should be focusing on the 2022 budget, arguably an important legislation of Congress, a simple meeting with myself and our esteemed MBC leadership would have easily addressed these allegations and concerns,” he said.

And then the clincher: “I was under the assumption, if perhaps wrong or naive, that such is the reason we have a business club in the first place: that our members can have honest and frank conversations, without us having to argue or accuse each other in media or to call for investigations if such concerns raised by some members can be addressed through the good offices of the Makati Business Club.”

“As an organization that prides itself on only accepting members who adhere to the tenets of the MBC, is it not a reasonable assumption that our members act in accordance with the law?” he asked.

Biz Buzz imagines that Uy must now be wondering if the MBC really welcomed him into the fold years ago in the first place.

—Daxim L. Lucas

‘Chief mom officer’

As UK-based meat alternative brand Quorn—which is owned by newly listed Philippine consumer giant Monde Nissin—takes on the vast US market, the group has enlisted actress Drew Barrymore to become the face of the food brand in America.

“Chief mom officer” is the chosen designation for Drew, best known to older consumers as the little girl from E.T. and to younger consumers as one of Charlie’s Angels, alongside her role in a number of memorable romantic comedy flicks like “50 First Dates” and “Wedding Singer.”

“Drew is very very popular and influential,” said Monde chief financial officer Jessie Teo in a media briefing last week, citing her over 14.5 million Instagram followers.

Cited as an embodiment of the “fearless” female, Teo said Drew “represents exactly the target audience that we want to talk to about the message of Quorn.”

As an “uncanny coincidence,” Teo noted Drew’s recent launch of a book that she coauthored with her Filipina private chef Pilar Valdes. He was referring to Drew’s lifestyle and cookbook titled: “Rebel Homemaker: Food, Family, Life.” By the way, Drew also stars in “Santa Clarita Diet,” an American horror-comedy Netflix television series, where she plays a woman who tries to live a normal life in the suburbs with her family even if she has turned into a zombie with a craving for human flesh and a secret stash of human parts and organs in the freezer.

Teo said in jest that hopefully, people won’t mistake zombie chow for Quorn and instead remember Drew more for her other blockbuster films.

—Doris Dumlao-Abadilla INQ

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