'I will be dead before my enemies get to me'

Several years ago during a conversation we had with then newly appointed Defense Secretary Angie Reyes, he intimated that a lot of people were out to get him primarily because of his role in EDSA Dos. He knew very well then that he had created a lot of enemies. Looking back, something Secretary Reyes said really struck us when news came out about his tragic death. He told us: “I will be dead before my enemies get to me.”

Little did we know that day would actually happen when the former Cabinet official would do what he did – take his own life before his enemies got him. His death adds a tragic twist to the scandal that has blighted the image of the Armed Forces, with allegations of corruption and wrongdoing reaching the highest levels in the military. From the revelations made by retired Commodore Rex Robles, it was apparent that Reyes felt helpless in the face of his “enemies” who he felt were out to “crush him and destroy him,” dragging his family into the fray which in the end he could not possibly accept.

City Club vs Tower Club

Business mogul Bobby Ongpin of Alphaland Development Corp. is pouring close to P3 billion to develop Alphaland Makati Place (AMP) located within a one-hectare property in Malugay St. in the heart of Makati. AMP’s crowning glory will be the “City Club” –touted to be “the first urban club catering to the business, social, wellness, lifestyle and fitness needs” of members. Obviously, the City Club will go head-to-head against the Tower Club whose members come from the elite in business and society.

The Tower Club occupies two storeys at the Philamlife Tower in Paseo de Roxas with restaurants, lounges, boardrooms, and a health club exclusively for its members who are top business executives and leaders. City Club, however, is upping the ante. Located on the 4th, 5th and 6th floors, City Club will be made accessible only by private elevator from the basement parking to the drop off areas – giving it that very private and exclusive feel.

Scheduled to open by the end of 2012, it will offer a host of amenities and facilities, among them seven specialty restaurants; a fully-equipped, state-of-the-art athletic complex plus indoor tennis, basketball and badminton courts; a wellness spa; and exclusive, full-service and fully-wired function rooms for private and corporate meetings. Since Alphaland Makati Place will also have residential towers, the City Club has seen fit to include family “bonding” moments by including a children’s play area, daycare and learning center, a kiddie pool and even a Wii room.

We were told that membership to the City Club is at P2 million per share for its initial offering – which no doubt would go higher once the project goes full blast.

Not so AVID

Universal Motors Corp. COO Elizabeth Lee has done well as president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines or CAMPI, with auto sales showing a high growth rate of 27.2 percent for 2010 with a total of 168,490 units sold. The figures surpassed the 1996 record of 162,000 units sold – an accomplishment that Lee is understandably proud of considering the financial crisis that continues to affect the global economy – plus the shakeup that recently happened in the local automotive industry with news that the distributors of Chevrolet, Hyundai and Volvo have left the umbrella of CAMPI to join the newly-formed Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors or AVID.

What is rather ironic about the whole thing is the fact that the three dealerships that left CAMPI are all owned by Richard Lee – the uncle of Elizabeth. When Beth Lee admitted a month ago that the three have indeed broken away from the fold, she simply said that her uncle has chosen to pursue other “personal interests.”

Spy Bits sources informed us that among Richard Lee’s pursuits reportedly include Fe Perez Agudo, the new CEO of Hyundai Asia Resources Inc., who was allegedly provided a lot of “special perks.”  

Of course, no one would be surprised if CAMPI will not be so avid to welcome the presence of AVID in the picture, with industry observers commenting that Beth Lee needs the new group like it needs a thorn on her side. However, the CAMPI head continues to be optimistic about the auto industry given the renewed investor confidence, a healthier business climate coupled with government’s support for the expansion of local assembly operations that would enable the country to strengthen its participation in the region. 

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