The stray cats of Forbes Park

Signs of the time 1: Despite the recent Korea travel advisory against the Philippines, those Korean honeymooners aren’t canceling their trips. You see, the no-refund bookings were made three months ago.

It is the Korean honeymoon business that is keeping alive local resorts

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Signs of the time 2: It seems smugglers have called it a year and have already closed their books.

After all, it doesn’t make sense to smuggle some more when inventory as old as six months ago isn’t moving.

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Signs of the time 3: For the first time in his career as principal of a Binondo-based school, this man has had to write letters to the parent of many of the students.

When all the face-saving phrases are taken out, each of the letters ask parents to please complete payment of the tuition for the current schoolyear.

As it is, all Binondo-based schools have agreed this year to accept tuition down payments, the balance to follow shortly after school started in June. This is a first for the community where tuition is paid in its entirely upon enrollment.

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As everybody knows, the Taal Vista Lodge is currently being renovated, including the area that used to house the casino. (The casino has moved across the street to a property which is also owned by Henry Sy).

When it reopens, Taal Vista will be managed by a foreign hotel group, which has a strong presence in Spain and in Latin America.

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Have you noticed that Zoe Broadcasting – Channel 11 is back showing religious shows on primetime?

It seems CNBC has pulled out, in part because the Jesus is Lord member-managers at Channel 11 can’t seem to understand why the broadcasting of the opening of the US financial markets has to be shown on real time instead of on a delayed telecast.

CNBC, which remains on cable, entered into a joint venture with Zoe Broadcasting last year to develop the regular TV market. Following suit, government-owned National Broadcasting Network-Channel 4 clinched a similar deal with cable channel, Fox.

As everybody knows, Zoe is owned by JIL, which is headed by Eduardo Villanueva.

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With the new list of accredited car emission-testing centers now in place, the certification from these centers will be Land Transportation Office requirement (under the Clear Air Act) starting next month.

This new requirement applies to car owners with license plates ending in zero or those who need to register their cars in October.

The first batch of accredited center had to be nullified by Trade Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr., after a closer look at the application forms of these centers-they were all newly registered companies which submitted the same flow charts.

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Bank notes 1: The reassignment of HSBC (Phils.), president and chief executive officer Paul Lawrence to Singapore isn’t going to make it easier for him and his wife to fly to London and visit his two older children in boarding school.

It is, however, a promotion for Lawrence, who at 41, will be the youngest CEO the Singapore office will ever have. Mr. Lawrence will be leaving the country in December after he has introduced the guy who’s replacing him, Warner Manning, to bank clients and after his wife has found new homes for the stray cats she has rescued from the streets of Forbes Park.