Makati government says business still brisk despite rallies

The anti-government protests in Makati City have the makings of a brewing class war as the rallies tend to be bad business for the swanky establishments, but good for the ambulant and fast food stalls patronized by the masa.

The city government of Makati disputed yesterday the claims made by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) that businesses in the city have been adversely affected by rallies calling for the resignation of President Arroyo.

City Administrator Nicanor Santiago Jr. said fastfood restaurants, coffeeshops and jollijeeps or street food stalls authorized to sell within the central business district located near the rally site at Paseo de Roxas even reported brisk sales during rallies.

Santiago said reports from the city’s business monitoring teams showed that restaurants and entertainment establishments have not registered a major drop in sales as claimed by ECOP president Rene Soriano.

The business monitoring office, he explained, actually checks the receipts of these Makati establishments on a daily basis.

"We would like to know the basis of Mr. Soriano for saying that businesses were affected, if he can give us some hard figures," Santiago challenged.

"Restaurants and cafes are not the principal business establishments in Makati and, I assume, do not comprise the bulk of the membership of ECOP," he added.

Soriano over the weekend said restaurants and cafes in Makati that used to earn P50,000 to P60,000 a day now barely make P10,000 as people avoided the place due to the rallies.

But Santiago revealed that Makati is home to 40 percent of the country’s top 1,000 corporations, foreign and local banks, financial institutions, and business process outsourcing centers.

Santiago said officials of the Makati Business Club were even quoted as saying the rallies have not disrupted business operations in the city.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay for his part said the inconveniences caused by massive rallies at the heart of the country’s financial district are minimal compared to the damage to the economy wrought by Mrs. Arroyo’s refusal to step down.

"The quickest and the most honorable way to restore political stability in the country is the resignation of Mrs. Arroyo," he said.