BIZ BUZZ: Dua Lipa adds Rockwell to PH tour

Grammy-winning artist Dua Lipa sure made the most of her short stay in the Philippines.

Aside from strolling along the cobbled streets of the Walled City of Intramuros ahead of the Manila leg of her “Radical Optimism” tour at the Philippine Arena on Nov. 13, Lipa also spent time enjoying the vibrant culinary scene at Rockwell Center in Makati.

Lipa, best known for her hits “Levitating,” “Dance the Night” and “Houdini,” had dinner at modern Japanese fine dining restaurant 12/10 at 8 Rockwell on Nov. 11.

READ: Dua Lipa, BF Callum Turner take a stroll in Intramuros

There, she and her group enjoyed an 11-course omakase spread. They especially enjoyed the scallops and lamb curry dishes, Biz Buzz sources said.

She and her friends went back to Rockwell on Wednesday to have lunch at Grace Park of renowned chef Margarita Fores at One Rockwell, the same restaurant visited in 2019 by U2 front man Bono.

Dua Lipa, who was with her boyfriend, British actor Callum Turner, enjoyed pasta and even tried the Filipino favorite sisig.

Apparently, Turner was eager to try Filipino fare and was not disappointed.

Indeed, Rockwell has turned into a veritable go-to of not just the who’s who of Philippine society but of international celebrities, too. —Tina Arceo-Dumlao

In MPTC-SMC tollway JV, 50:50 is the way to go

The highly anticipated mega tollway venture of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) may take some time before becoming a reality as both parties are still ironing out their deal.

But one thing is for sure: MPTC wants an equal partnership despite reports about SMC potentially gobbling up a majority stake based on asset size.

“For us, it’s 50-50. That’s a very ideal scenario. It’s a balancing act,” MPTC senior executive Arrey Perez told reporters in Indonesia this week during a media tour.

For now, the incoming president of MPTC said they have yet to conclude the tallying of assets to be included in the joint venture (JV).

Perez, who just joined the company last month, said their partnership would bring synergy in their tollway operations.

“It’s easier to manage these things when you have both the experience of both big companies,” he said.

MPTC and SMC have been talking about their joint venture since last year, after they inked the deal to build an 88-kilometer toll road in Southern Tagalog. —Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

Meralco to send nuke scholars to France

While nuclear rollout may not be realized until the early 2030s, Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) of tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan remains pumped up to explore tie-ups with several groups abroad.

This time, officials from the power giant flew to France to team up with top nuclear institutions there, particularly the Université Paris-Saclay (UPS).

Meralco is eyeing to send engineer scholars to UPS by next year under its Filipino Scholars and Interns on Nuclear Engineering (Fission) program.

The company said Fission is “part of its proactive stance to integrate nuclear power in the country’s energy portfolio.”

Meralco, which has been aggressive in pursuing its nuclear dream, has also forged partnerships with universities in the United States, China and Canada.

The Chinese universities—Harbin Engineering University and Tsinghua University—are partners of the nuclear titan China National Nuclear Corp. Overseas Ltd.

Expected to be equipped with top practices on nuclear energy, the scholars would return home by 2028 and take roles in the group’s nuclear power generation unit.

Billionaire Pangilinan previously said Meralco may deploy nuclear power in “eight to 10 years.” —Lisbet K. Esmael