Red money envelopes

Baltazar Endriga will be named president of the University of the East this June, when schoolyear 2003-2004 starts.

Bal Endriga, who almost became deputy governor of the Bangko Sentral until he went through a bypass, currently heads academic affairs for the university that is majority owned by Lucio Tan.

Mr. Endriga’s MBA from Harvard (mind you, you can technically call yourself a Harvard man/woman even if you just took a 15-hour short course at its Cambridge campus) is expected to add value to the UE education. Many of UE’s students are children of overseas Filipino workers.

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It’s no secret that Customs Commissioner Antonio Bernardo has twice run (unsuccessfully) as vice mayor of Mandaluyong.

Nor is it a secret that Tony Bernardo is eyeing the congressional seat of three-term Rep. Neptali Gonzalez Jr. and has, therefore, maintained his home near City Hall even if he is currently residing in Valle Verde (for security reasons, you understand).

Here’s one possible hitch to Mr. Bernardo’s 2004 plan.

It seems Boyet Gonzalez has reached an agreement with Mayor Benjamin Abalos Jr. to switch places. As everybody knows, Benhur Abalos’s dad, Benjamin Abalos Sr., is a former Mandaluyong mayor and is the current chairman of the Commission on Elections.

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Golden Arches Development Corp. managing director Joseph Lau has come up with another creative way to push the McDonald’s franchise.

It’s a money envelope traditionally given by Chinese fathers to their children and by the chairman of companies with strong Chinese ties to their loyal employees during the New Year.

Inside the red envelope, which wishes "prosperity in the year of the ram", are discount coupons for McDonald’s products. The promo ends on Feb. 15, well beyond this year’s Chinese New Year which is celebrated in the first three days of February. (But who’s complaining, huh?)

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National Transmission Co. president Alan Ortiz has been a James Bond fan longer than he has been in energy.

Mr. Ortiz has the requisite collection of Bond movies from Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan, from "Dr. No" to "Die Another Day", but, sigh, has yet to start his own collection of the big boy toys as well.

Mr. Ortiz’s major strength is marketing. He is impressive in roadshows, which could prove to be an advantage when Transco looks for a private sector partner to fund its operations.

Then again, Mr. Ortiz is said to a poor administrator, which may not be a total disaster since he will have to deal mainly with the National Power Corp.