Polo Club: Old rich vs ‘nouveau riche’

Another controversy is brewing at the exclusive Manila Polo Club involving the incumbent board of directors. Many of the old timers are unhappy over the proposed P450-million renovation plans being pushed by the current board, whose composition is a spillover of the old "good governance" team. According to architect Pablo Antonio Jr., the radical design proposals would utterly change the Club’s façade, lobby, ambience and character. Antonio and his group believe that rather than going through a costly and radical architectural change, the board should focus on modernizing the facilities by modifying the interior design, renovating the kitchen, enhancing furniture and equipment, upgrading electrical connections and improving the airconditioning. MPC supposedly has only P80 million set aside for renovations, but the present board is allegedly pushing hard to spend P250 million for the initial phase, with an additional P200 million more for structural alterations. Old members feel that additions (like a glass building that would be attached to the lobby) would be "jarring" because not only would they block the view and destroy natural cross ventilation, but more importantly, the designs would totally go against the characteristic elegance the Club is known for. These gigantic additions would also mean equally gigantic expenses for maintenance and electricity costs — which could mean another substantial hike on Club dues. The Manila Polo Club is one of the oldest and most exclusive clubs in the country, rich with historical and cultural significance. The Club’s main building was designed by Jun Antonio’s father, National Artist for Architecture Pablo Antonio Sr. The structure is considered by many as a masterpiece and an architectural landmark whose heritage value is beyond question. Aside from the fact that this renovation will cost a huge amount of money, funds to sustain such lofty plans will be raised by again selling memberships — meaning there will be more members and therefore more people — which analysts say would ultimately bring down the price of the Club shares. Many lifetime members are aghast at the thought, and Jun Antonio’s group is vehemently opposed to the whole idea. They’re bent on maintaining the integrity of the structure designed by his father, and preserve the heritage that the Manila Polo Club stands for. Ever since the "good governance" team took over, the food and beverage served at the Polo Club has grossly deteriorated, so much so that there are lesser people eating at the Club today. What members would really like to see is an improvement of the Club’s food and services — definitely not a costly structure with a face that is all show with no character or substance. It looks like the old timers want to keep the old rich feel of the Manila Polo Club, while the new members want to incorporate "nouveau riche" elements into the exclusive enclave.

Built-in international rates?

Cellphone subscribers are wondering why text messages always attach ‘+63’ on the originating cell number, even if the sender or recipient has not incorporated it in his address book. Cost-conscious and meticulous subscribers are asking if this ‘+63’ would get them to pay international roaming rates for local text messages. They also want to find out if telecoms providers have built in the ‘+63’ into their system. Spybiz advises cellphone subscribers to call their respective service providers to clarify the matter.

Spy tidbiz: Ant-like wisdom

It’s a popular fable told and retold, especially during grade school, about the ants storing food in preparation for the rainy season while the grasshopper unconcernedly hops. But for University of Florida scientists, this story takes on new dimensions with the discovery that ants also store fat heavily to tide them over when famine strikes. According to the study, ants are capable of passing on fat to another member of the colony or through unfertilized eggs through oral secretions in their tiny bodies. The study involved two ant species, and it was discovered that the darker ones had lean workers but with more fat units per lean mass while the lighter colored ones had more fat soldiers, making their collective fat equal to the darker species.

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