A determined DoJ

Our readers expressed concern over the banner headline of a Metro Manila daily which screamed “DOJ: No escape for Meralco”. 

The story beneath the headline said the “justice department has stepped on the gas against Meralco” and reiterated the determination of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez to arrest and jail some of the country’s top business leaders, warning that “that payment (that is, the refund of meter deposits to Meralco customers starting in November this year) will not extinguish the crime”. 

With all due respect to our colleagues in media, we are constrained to say that this column has for some time now echoed the concern of the business community that the parade of handcuffed Philippine leaders marching to jail in the wake of the syndicated estafa charges against Meralco would not do the investment climate in the country much good. 

When the DOJ waived the P8 million in mandatory filing fees and assigned Cagayan de Oro-based prosecutor Jaime Umpa to the case, many already saw the determination on the part of the DOJ to push the case. 

Of course, it also does not help that the arrest of these Philippine business leaders could take place between this week and the end of the month, very close to today’s 36th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.

The business community does not intend to stop the DOJ chief from doing what he has threatened to do. It just wishes to point out that the prospective arrestees are not your everyday Makati executives – they are pillars of the country’s business sector who have spoken before and closed transactions with the world’s biggest business groups. 

Already, both local and international media are watching developments leading to the implementation of the threat to arrest these Philippine business leaders. 

And once the feared mass arrest of some of the biggest names in Philippine business happens, it is sure to compete for the attention of the viewers of CNN and BBC, and could easily slice some air time off the coverage of the Wall Street crisis and the political scrimmages in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. 

Gonzalez’ latest pronouncements have doused cold water on hopes that there would be some “exemptions” in the mass arrest. In view of the DoJ chief’s pledge that he will also have Iloilo board member Arthur Defensor Jr. arrested despite pressure from party allies and province-mates, hopes dimmed that the Philippine business leaders in the DOJ charge sheet would not be hauled into waiting police vans, finger-printeD and their mug shots taken. 

It is widely believed that the aftermath of the looming mass arrest of Philippine business leaders would be a major coup in the Meralco boardroom. That coup would install the GSIS bloc as the ruling power in Meralco. 

There would be cheers from some quarters when that coup finally takes place. 

But there will be serious nervousness in many nooks and crannies of the country’s already-beleaguered business community. 

Not so hidden agenda

One of Philippine’s largest car rental and fleet management companies, Diamond Rent a Car, celebrated recently its 30th year of operations. Attending their cocktail fete in 1 Esplanade at the SM Business Park in Pasay City are their clients from the largest multinational companies in the country and worldwide.

Diamond’s vice-president for operations Quincy Buenaflor, explains that the 30-year celebration was all a big visualization of their passion to be just the best car servicing company and partner for their clients and business suppliers.

The company started its operations in 1978. Since then, Diamond has grown from a small car rental company with a single vehicle to a full fleet management services provider having a total fleet of close to 1,000 units. Investing heavily in developing its fleet management services Diamond was able to provide clients with services of best quality and being cost-effective at the same time. This is evident with the 3,000 sqm repair facility at Pronto! Auto Services, the auto-servicing arm of Diamond virtually capable of all kinds of repair and maintenance jobs. Pronto! Is expected to open soon a facility in Cebu City and in areas like Makati, Quezon City and Davao. Plans are also afoot to tap the global automotive market.

At present, Diamond has a strong presence in major cities and provinces in the Philippines allowing a nationwide coverage for its fleet management services, a facility many of their customers enjoy.

Diamond is responsible for the management of the fleet requirements of a large number of top companies here in the Philippines like Coca-Cola Export Corp., Ericsson and Unilever. As simple as occasional rentals to long term leases, meaning whether companies need vehicles for just a day or as extensive as supplying them with long-term operating leases for their sales staff and managers through outsourcing, they have entrusted these tasks to Diamond.

And as outsourcing becomes one of the most important breakthroughs in modern management, more companies are starting to realize that fleet management is another function that is not a core competence and therefore should be outsourced.

For more of Diamond, you can visit www.diamondfleetmanagement.com or call 8211081. 

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