ECJ in isolation

Retired business tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. or ECJ is recovering very well from the kidney transplant he underwent, with the procedure performed locally at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City early in December last year. The 78-year-old businessman told us he gained a few pounds but he says he hopes to lose it just as quickly.

ECJ has been advised by his doctors to keep himself in isolation for the next six months to avoid getting infected by people with coughs or colds. He has been receiving a steady stream of visitors, mostly close personal friends and relatives who regularly drop by and chat with him through an enclosed glass living room.  Visitors are received in the dining area with a glass divider through which they can see ECJ and talk to him through a microphone.

The San Miguel chairman keeps himself busy watching DVDs, getting updated with current events through news reports on television and going over some papers – exactly what a retired business tycoon does. ECJ has left everything including major decisions to his lieutenant (Ramon Ang) who runs San Miguel Corporation and all the other businesses under the SMC Group.

Once he is fully recovered, the founder of the Nationalist People’s Coalition party plans to travel around the country to see how and where he can help fellow Filipinos improve their lives. He told us he will also continue providing scholarships to students through the Eduardo Cojuangco Foundation, with scholars provided with free tuition, stipends, book allowances and job placements after graduation. Scholarship grants are also given to teachers pursuing a master’s degree – in line with the belief of ECJ that it is equally important to educate the educator if we want to uplift educational standards in this country.

Of course, his passion for basketball continues, having been given a very encouraging boost with the La Salle Green Archers winning the UAAP Season 76 championship last year. While it’s likely that he won’t be able to watch the basketball team play when the UAAP Season 77 opens, his commitment to support the Green Archers will continue to be as passionate as ever.

ECJ in isolation exudes a very hopeful and positive aura, saying he is just “grateful for the blessing of life.”

TV5 scores big with Super Bowl

Filipinos were able to witness the opening of the biggest and most watched sporting event in the United States with over 100 million viewers – the Super Bowl – thanks to TV5 that brought the event live on television in tandem with PLDT Home Fibr that streamed it to subscribers. Filipino viewers waited for the halftime show which featured 28-year-old Puerto Rican-Filipino-American pop singing sensation Bruno Mars (Peter Gene Hernandez) who rocked the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey with a number of hit songs like “Just the Way You Are” and “Runaway.”

More than 80,000 fans jumped and danced with Mars and alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers – a fantastic spectacle with a giant shower of fireworks illuminating the stadium. Mars (whose Filipina mother passed away in June last year) will be in Manila to perform at the Mall of Asia Arena on March 22. We’re told the Red Hot Chili Peppers will also be here for another show.

Manny Pangilinan (MVP) certainly scored big with this “coup,” signaling the network’s aggressive moves when it comes to content and offerings, with plans to bring in the Sochi Winter Olympics as well as other sports events.  According to sources, MVP is set to “revolutionize” the way people watch television with PLDT Home’s Tvolution, a small black box that can stream movies and TV shows, music and other entertainment content direct from the Internet. Technology is certainly going to be the big game changer, and the MVP group definitely intends to be at par with the changing times to suit the ever-evolving preferences of Filipino viewers.

A lot of people told us they can’t really understand the reason behind GMA’s stalling as far as the deal with the MVP group is concerned. The way many see it, it’s a no brainer for the Kapuso network to partner with the TV5/Kapatid network considering the latter’s vast communications and technology resources – which could make the scope and reach wider and broader for both networks.

Spy tidbit

Our tocayo Major Homes chairman Mario “Babes” Oreta updated us about the progress of Juez Residences, the first master planned vertical village located in Maysilo in Malabon composed of seven medium rise residential buildings with lush gardens and well-appointed amenities.  Major Homes recently had a top-off ceremony for building one, with the milestone event led by Babes (fourth from left). Joining him were VP for sales Jesusa Arceo, president Quinto Oreta, VP for sales Rose Anne Rovillos and sales directors Francis Cruz and Mico Bagui.

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