Sweet and Sour Woods

Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club chairman Bob Sobrepeña is sweetening the pie by promising Club members he will “no longer seek re-election at the next election” which he also promised will come “sooner than later.” In a letter sent to stockholders and members, Sobrepeña tried to explain why the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting was postponed due to a lack of quorum, admitting that he and several board members opted not to register all their proxies. In the same letter, Sobrepeña – who has been controlling the board for close to two decades – also accused the “Reform Group” of irregularities by allegedly submitting forged proxies. The beleaguered Club chairman is also asking for more time to institute a code of conduct for the next elections (as to when that will be held is still unclear to many). Some are even allegedly accusing Sobrepeña of stalling for time so he could rig the elections.

 Disgruntled members that include the group of Fred Campos believe Sobrepeña is intent to remain in power and that his assurances are “pure hogwash.” Reforms have been too long in coming and so many disappointed shareholders and members are just raring to get out. Spy Bits sources also disclosed that the share price for Southwoods has dipped to one-tenth of its original price due to the controversies hounding the leadership of Sobrepeña and his group. Accusations of mismanagement including allegations of tax evasion, questionable contracts on security personnel including golf carts and ground maintenance have been some of the causes of disgruntlement among members, with legal action being contemplated against certain individuals deemed accountable, sources also disclosed,.

 Despite Bob’s sweet words and promises, Southwoods may still end up as “Sourwoods” if the many grievances of its members are not addressed “sooner than later.”

Tighter US visa laws

 Many people told us a lot of new and renewal visa applications are currently being denied by the US Embassy here in Manila but the fact is, the denials are happening not only here in the Philippines but all over the world. The most recent case of rejection is that of Jitendra Singh, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India’s second biggest political party, who was supposed to attend a meeting in Washington organized by the Republican National Institute. Singh was the second BJP politician denied entry to the US after an earlier refusal issued to Narendra Modi, the chief minister of the State of Gujarat implicated in the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in Godhra.

Immigration reform advocates in the US are condemning what they describe as “out of date” policies that have resulted in the rejection of “tier 1” applicants especially for the H-1B category like skilled IT professionals recruited by US firms. Chemical engineers, scientists and academics’ entry into graduate school programs have likewise been endangered by bureaucratic delays in the US immigration system. The tightened visa laws came about after 9-11 which has really changed the American way of life any which way you look at it.

The financial crisis has hobbled the US economy and left hundreds of thousands jobless with the unemployment rate still at a high 10 percent and in some parts of the United States, as high as 25 percent. Nonetheless, a lot more people from virtually all parts of the world – from Ukraine to Nigeria, still want to set foot in the land of milk and honey, hoping to live the “American dream” – only to see their hopes dashed into pieces. Such was the situation for some 22,000 people who were notified early in May that they won in the annual “Diversity Visa Lottery” – a free-for-all where names of immigration visa applicants are chosen randomly via computer – only to be told a week later that results were invalidated due to a “computer glitch.”

The recent furor over the discovery of some American companies using “creative” means to expedite the visas of needed employees (mostly Indian) has given “protectionist” politicians added ammunition to introduce stricter legislation that would make it even harder to obtain visas. Called the Immigration Driving Entrepreneurship in America (IDEA) Act of 2011, the bill calls for H-1B visa applications that pay the biggest salaries to be prioritized, and also mandates companies to pay prevailing salary rates to workers on L-1 visas while strengthening wage protection for US citizens. In effect, the proposed bill will make companies pay more for hiring foreign workers over American nationals – certainly not very attractive for many US businesses.  

Another US Senator who has filed bills limiting the number of business visas has urged US State Secretary Hillary Clinton and Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano to investigate the B-1 visa program to make sure this is not abused by employers who want to get around the annual caps and wage requirements. One thing about America is that although there are instances where people have been able to bend the rules just a little, more often than not the regulations are strictly followed to the letter – no ifs and buts. Something we Filipinos have never practiced.

Spy tidbit

–– Philippines Inc. chairman Antonio Cojuangco and Philippines Inc. president Antonio Lopa together with the newly elected board members including this columnist will be sworn in today by President Noynoy Aquino in Malacañang.  Philippines Inc. was originally known as Team Philippines, organized during the time of FVR to help promote the Philippines as a viable business destination. The new board of trustees are Jesus “Susing” Pineda Jr., Fausto Preysler, Alfredo Yao, Miguel Varela, Eusebio Tanco, Tony Tan Caktiong, Manuel “Beaver” Lopez Jr., Tony Tuviera, Aurelio “Gigi” Montinola, Elizabeth Lee, Justo Ortiz, Annie Tan Yee and business tycoon Ricky Razon.

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Email: [email protected].