Put a cap on Yap

With the way Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president Adelberto Yap has been blabbering about Airbus’ plan to set up a maintenance hub in Clark, you’d think he’s hell-bent on derailing GMA’s plans for Clark and Subic in her 10-point program. Even after Airbus issued an official statement denying Yap’s speculations, Yap just kept on yapping. Recall that he played the same trick on Boeing about two months ago. He insisted that of course it was expected of Airbus to deny such talks and keep them private because of "competitive reasons." He even revealed that Airbus’ rival company Boeing is also interested in putting up a similar hub in Clark that’s why Airbus is reluctant to admit such talks because it might jeopardize the whole thing. All these after just one meeting with both aircraft manufacturers? All his noise is meant to gain him pogi points with GMA. Observers note that in Yap’s eagerness to keep his post, he is revealing rival companies’ business plans and, worse, turning off potential investors. As with ships, loose lips can sink airdeals. Private and public sector proponents have been wanting to ask GMA to put a cap on Yap’s trap so she can realize her plan to make Clark-Subic a logistics and service hub for the region. Or she can just appoint a new CIAC chief who knows how to get the job done. Quietly, for once.

Low Morale Plagues Shipping Firm

The woeful tale of this debt-ridden shipping firm continues with many employees sailing off in search of better job opportunities. Since the issue on this firm’s financial problems surfaced, many have started leaving the company and now there are only a handful of its account executives. What’s also keeping morale down is the discovery by employees that their foreign consultants have been raking in as much as $12,000 a month plus other perks like free housing, cars and bodyguards, too! Industry rumors have it that this firm’s principal owner is not willing to infuse any more capital. The principal has already infused billions and now it just wants to wait for the closure order from the court to allow the firm to sink into oblivion.

Hotel Security Reminder

When checking in, be sure to keep that credit card-type hotel room key with you wherever you go. US law enforcement professionals recently discovered that aside from the guest’s name and room number, other information such as partial home address, credit card number and expiration date are also embedded in such cards – which can be accessed through a scanning device. Anybody who gets his hand on such a card can download the information and go shopping at the hotel guest’s expense. So when checking out, make sure you keep the cards or else destroy them because the personal information you provided is not erased until the card, which is just usually placed in a drawer, is issued to the next guest. Better still, take the card with you. The hotel will not charge you for it.

Overpriced ACR Card

We have received reports about the overpriced Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) card being charged by the Bureau of Immigration (BI). At $50 a pop, the card better be lined with gold, fumed the irate reader. According to our BI Eye-spy, a case has been filed with the Ombudsman rregarding this particular ACR card project because of alleged bidding irregularities. Apparently the favored contractor allegedly used very persuasive methods to bag the project. And because the actual cost of the card is reportedly only $25, it shouldn’t be too hard to figure why the fee being charged is twice the said amount.

P3-Billion Libel Suit On ‘Tales Of A Cock’

Our Makati Spy-ring confirmed that Banco Filipino filed a P3-billion libel suit against gossip columnist Victor Cachupoy last July 1. Claiming that Cachupoy hurt the bank’s business and impugned its reputation, two of the bank’s executive vice presidents charged him with "malice and with intent to portray the Bank and its management in bad light and to undermine the faith of the depositing public." Cachupoy maliciously overstated the bank’s past due accounts and erred in saying that the bank had past due DOSRI accounts amounting to P465 million. Docketed as 04-10344, the complainants said Cachupoy purveyed baseless facts "all calculated to destroy the bank." The case has been referred to Prosecutor Nanola but no hearing has yet been set. We have received numerous complaints about this gossip columnist. Many people asked us to help them find a way to get their hands on this character. Our Legaspi Village Spy-ring tailed him and gathered some basic information on him. He stays at the Collonade Residences on 132 Legaspi Street in Makati. He usually has breakfast at the Starbucks in Greenbelt 1 and he hangs out at the Seattle’s Best Coffee in Greenbelt 3 or at Dome in Greenbelt 1. He usually wears a crumpled white barong, of which he only has two, so you can easily identify him. He drives a Honda Civic with license plate: WMR 658. We suggest to our complainants to use legal means, no violence please. Our Spy-ring is also investigating those people feeding him "tales of the fairy kind" and hiding behind this gossip columnist’s skirt. We will expose them soon.

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