Whacked with an umbrella

As far as Aboitiz Transport System, Inc. (formerly WG&A) president Endika Aboitiz is concerned, his biggest competitor is not another shipping company but airline company Cebu Pacific Airways, which is headed by Lance Gokongwei.

You see, the pricing of Aboitiz Transport’s Super Ferry is close to matching the no-frills fares of Cebu Pacific. The main advantage of taking the SuperFerry is, well, you can bring your car with you in areas of the country where the jeepney and the tricycle are the main modes of transportation.

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In a way, PHINMA’s recent sale of crown jewel, Bacnotan, formally closes the era of founder Ramon del Rosario Sr., who started investing in cement companies in the 1960s and 1970s when the country was building homes and factories like crazy.

PHINMA’s current chief executive officer Ramon del Rosario Jr. has been steering the company into the current sunrise industries such as education, specifically in courses such as nursing and IT and preferably outside Metro Manila.

As everybody knows, the younger Mr. Del Rosario (whose mother’s maiden name is also Del Rosario) holds an MBA from Harvard and was the first Finance Secretary under the Ramos administration.

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Did you know 1: Government Service Insurance System president and general manager Winston Garcia is putting up an internet café of sorts at the head office by the end of the third quarter.

The idea here is to teach pensioners and government workers (who are waiting for their papers to be processed) how to handle simple transactions with the pension fund online. The coffee is optional.

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Did you know 1: There’s now an engine conditioner called EC that is available in sachet form at jeepney and tricycle terminals. Each sachet worth P15 can be mixed with five liters of gas to increase mileage and to minimize smoke belching.

EC is an invention of Ramon Posadas.

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Did you know 2: The main door of Minggoy’s restaurant at The Fort is a replica of the main door of the San Agustin Church in Intramuros.

Not many people know that the Minggoy’s brand has been sold by its original owner, Minggoy Jocson, to good friend, Kurt Bachmann.

Mr. Bachmann, a member of the country’s greatest basketball team of all time that includes Carlos Loyzaga, is chairman of Relzbach Ventures, the mother company of Minggoy’s operator, Boca, Inc.

Most NCAA old-timers will, however, remember Mr. Bachmann less for his game than for an incident involving his mom. In an unusually bruising defensive game, Mr. Bachmann’s guard was whacked with an umbrella by his mom, who perceived that her son was being unnecessarily hurt. Mr. Bachmann’s mom was honored together with Mr. Bachmann many years later by Mr. Backmann’s alma mater, De La Salle University.