Angara remains as revamp rumors fade

Education Secretary Sonny Angara has dodged a bullet.

There will be no Cabinet revamp, as Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said. At least for now – because you never really know what happens next when you’re in government. One serves at the pleasure of the President, which could sometimes mean one serves at the pleasure – or should I say displeasure – of political foes in the halls of power.

‘That’s crazy’

But in the case of Angara, no less than President Marcos himself seemed in disbelief over the grapevine talk that his education secretary would vacate his post. At the Likhang Filipino exhibit opening last Jan. 15, Marcos told Angara, “Magre-resign ka daw? That’s crazy!”

Marcos then jested to the reporters shadowing them that perhaps all the talk was coming from them, the media.

Angara was among the Cabinet members rumored to be revamped, along with several others.

The truth, I’m told, is that there really was a group within President Marcos’ circle who wanted the education chief out so they could put their candidate instead. But when the grapevine started buzzing about it, various groups voiced their support for Angara. In short, public support for the education chief was too strong to ignore.

In fact, a recent non-commissioned Tangere satisfaction and trust survey showed that Angara ranked highest among President Marcos’ Cabinet members with 52.71 percent satisfaction rating and 53.95 percent trust rating.

The survey was conducted among 1,600 respondents from Jan. 7 to 10.

Completing the top 10 Cabinet secretaries are Rex Gatchalian of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Renato Solidum Jr. of Science and Technology, Hans Cacdac of Migrant Workers, Conrado Estrella III of Agrarian Reform, Gilberto Teodoro Jr. of National Defense, Henry Aguda of Information and Communications Technology, Ma. Theresa Lazaro of Foreign Affairs, Teodoro Herbosa of Health and Vince Dizon of Public Works and Highways.

Against this backdrop, it doesn’t look like another Cabinet shake-up is happening soon.

This means the forces who wanted the changes did not succeed – at least for now.

Even former Philippine Airlines president Capt. Stanley Ng seemed surprised when asked if there was any truth to coffeeshop talk that he would be replacing Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco.

Perhaps, President Marcos realized that now is not a good time to rock the boat yet again after last year’s Cabinet rigodon.

Just the same, the Marcos administration must work overtime for its promised big, bold reforms to really happen.

In case he doesn’t know it yet, 2026 is a make-or-break year for President Marcos. If he manages to recover his trust ratings and popularity, he, too, may dodge a bullet or, in his case, one impeachment complaint after another.

Hotel101 Global beefs up war chest

Speaking of big and bold, tycoon Edgar “Injap” Sia II shared with me more big news about his Hotel101 Global Holdings Corp. which, as we’re seeing, is in fact really going global.

Hotel101 said its board of directors has approved a plan to raise up to $300 million in perpetual convertible preferred shares.

The proposed transaction is expected to raise funds for further expansion of Hotel101, a prop-tech, asset-light business model that is gearing up for worldwide expansion.

“For 2026, the company is targeting to secure commitments for a substantial portfolio of rooms across multiple countries, primarily via joint ventures and licensing agreements with established local partners. This approach enables efficient, scalable growth while leveraging regional expertise,” it said.

These milestones form a key part of Hotel101 Global’s long-term vision toward its goal to eventually establish and operate one million Hotel101 rooms across 100 countries.

And by the looks of it, the company is on track toward its goal.

Just last week, Hotel101 Global announced the signing of binding agreements to develop a 766-room Hotel101 in Melbourne’s Central Business District at 540 Flinders Lane, Australia.

The project marks a milestone in the company’s global expansion, bringing its standardized “condotel” model to one of Australia’s most dynamic cities, with completion targeted for 2029.

Currently, Hotel101 hotels are rising in Niseko, Madrid, Los Angeles, Milan, Saudi Arabia and Cambodia.

‘The Filipino can’

Sia said the Filipino definitely can have a global hotel brand, joining other hotel brands known worldwide – Shangri-La from Malaysia, Jinjiang from China, Dusit and Banyan from Thailand, Holiday Inn from the US, Ibis from France, Okura from Japan and Ascott from Singapore.

“The Filipino can do this, too. The Hotel 101 brand is a business model for export from the Philippines to the world,” he said.

Bagets The Musical: A must-see

Philippine theater is alive and well, and I again found this to be true after watching Bagets The Musical, the play adaptation of the hit and iconic ’80s movie, Bagets.

In the musical, this coming-of-age and rite of passage story that revolves around five boy characters – Adie, Arnel, Gilbert, Tonton and Topee – comes alive with superb performances, with of course, the Bagets hit songs from the ’80s.

It is a production of Newport World Resorts with The STAR and Viva Communications. Staged by PETA and presented in cooperation with Sun Life Philippines, the show runs until March 2026.

I brought my mother with me, who I’m sure must have seen my younger, teenage self in the notorious and troublesome characters in the musical.

But still, she left the theater with a smile.

Anyone looking to enjoy a night at the theater should watch the show.

*      *      *

Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.