BIZ BUZZ: No Bulacan airport reclamation

Amid the issues surrounding Manila Bay reclamation works, San Miguel Corp. clarified that no reclamation is involved in its New Manila International Airport project in Bulacan, stressing it was redeveloping the existing land that had been inundated by flooding.

“The project site has existing, valid land titles indicating its original status as land. Due to natural processes over time, this land had become prone to regular inundation,” San Miguel president and CEO Ramon Ang said, stressing that the project site consists of legitimately titled properties, which he had been slowly buying over the past few years.

Apart from flooding, he said that fish pond conversion and over-extraction of groundwater in the property made it “more susceptible to land subsidence.”

“Instead of creating new land, we are redeveloping it to its former state, ensuring its productive and sustainable use for the future,” the billionaire said.

The land redevelopment is being conducted by San Miguel with international experts and partners, including global maritime services expert Royal Boskalis.

— Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

Imported vs. local chicken

No doubt that this home-grown food chain has been a runaway success both here and overseas, and it doesn’t hesitate to toot its own horn on this front.

But many of its workers are said to be unhappy because of their relatively low wages relative to the company’s success.

Now, there’s another issue that the firm’s rivals and less-than-satisfied business partners are harping on: This local chain apparently prefers importing chickens instead of patronizing local ones, sacrificing taste for higher profit margins.

Indeed, customers have noticed of late that the fried chicken this chain serves — one of its flagship products —has become slightly drier and more bland.

Ironically, their staunchest rival, an international chain, continues to buy from local chicken farmers to keep the high quality of its fried chicken and its customers happy.

So the question is: will this popular food chain respond positively to the popular clamor for it to return to its local chicken sources? Or will the shortsighted profit motive prevail? Abangan!

— Daxim L. Lucas