Changeling

An even hundred went last weekend on an all-expenses junket to China, courtesy of Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. president John K.C. Ng.

Supposedly, the travelers – all of whom can well afford to pay their own way but liked it better that somebody else was footing the bill – are making an ocular inspection of one federation project or another.

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Bank notes 1: In a family known for its educators and artists, Development Bank of the Philippines president Simon Paterno must have been considered a changeling.

For example, Mon Paterno has two great grandaunts who were considered pioneers among Filipino female artists. Some of the still life paintings of Paz Paterno, one of two sisters better known for their embroidery that used human hair as thread, have been lent by the Bangko Sentral to the Metropolitan Museum for the ongoing "Kaban" exhibit.

Then again, the personality traits that made Mr. Paterno a very successful investment banker at JP Morgan – being a conformist and, yes, being able to keep a secret – would have been disadvantageous to an artist who must, first and foremost, have a sense of his/her uniqueness to create something both beautiful and timeless.

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Bank notes 2: New HSBC (Phils.) president and chief executive officer Walter Manning spent part of his childhood in Jamaica.

In fact, the family piano – so his mum is fond of recalling – was part of the backdrop in the first James Bond film, "Dr. No". (No, not those scenes with Ursula Andres, aka Honeychile Ryder.)

During his stay in the country, Mr. Manning intends to do a lot of entertaining. Mind you, he intends to invite the people he interacts with – bank employees as well as bank clients – not in restaurants but in his home.

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This is going to be one busy year for Sterling Group chairman and chief executive officer Henry Lim Bon Liong.

For one, the company which started out importing Chinese textbooks is going into the mall business.

The medium-sized mall – the first one will be in Calamba, Laguna – will compete with the likes of Metro Pacific Corp. subsidiary, Landco Pacific, rather than with the giant malls being put up by SM or Robinson’s in large cities with huge purchasing power.

For another, Sterling is committed to the development of hybrid rice. Indicators of Mr. Lim’s commitment? He named the company SL Agritech Corp. after his dad, Lim Seh Leng.

Aside from selling hybrid rice seeds to farmers, SL Agritech also produces and retails its own rice named after his mom, Doña Maria.

The consultant for the hybrid rice seeds being produced by SL Agritech is 2001 Ramon Magsaysay awardee for government service, Yuan Long Ping, who has been instrumental in China’s ability to feed 22 percent of the world’s population (with surplus to spare for exports) on seven percent of the world’s arable land. This is the professor’s first venture outside China.