Who was Lucio Tan’s special date at PAL lunch?

Tycoon Lucio Tan looked like an Oscar and a lotto winner combined on the day he was feted by the board of directors of Philippine Airlines (PAL) for the honors bestowed on him by the US territory of Guam. Tan, 68, was conferred the order of Chamorri by Guam Gov. Carl Gutierrez, and Nov. 4 each year was declared Lucio Tan Day in Guam.

But since not all the people close to Tan were able to witness his shining moment in Guam, the PAL board gave the testimonial luncheon at the Century Park Hotel ballroom last Sunday. Besides, what good really are awards given you in foreign shores, without applause from people back home?

"This recognition makes more meaningful all the awards I received earlier in Guam. This brings closer to home the honor and prestige bestowed on me by the kind and generous people of Guam," Tan said.

Tan’s special guests were his relatives, and his special date was a lady named Chua King Ha. Knowing how close the lady is to the tycoon, the photographers swarmed around her the minute she entered the ballroom and took her place in the presidential table. Tan sat close to her the whole afternoon, and whispered sweet nothings in her ear–and his wife Carmen did not seem to mind! He even gently fed her whenever she had difficulty with her meal.

Chua King Ha is 88 years old. Lucio thinks the world of her, his mother. According to an article from BizNews Asia, Tan’s mother fell ill in 1993. "Although he had to attend to numerous affairs every day, he always took time to be with her every chance he got. He would hold her hands and together they would recite Zhuge Liang’s famous work, Tribute to the King on Dispatching Troops, which was first taught to him by his mother when he was young.

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A man of few words, Tan told his well-wishers that he is in business for one purpose: "To create employment, and of course, to earn some money."

His honesty drew laughter from the audience. According to PAL president Avelino Zapanta, The Lucio Tan Group of Companies (which include 100 firms like Allied Bank, Asia Brewery, Tanduay Distillers, Fortune Tobacco, Century Park Hotel, etc.) employ some 50,000 people, while one million farmers are dependent on Tan’s businesses for their livelihood.

Tan said he thought the awards he got from the people of Guam "are traced to one humanitarian gesture that benefited the people." He was referring perhaps to the aid he sent to the US territory after it was devastated by a killer typhoon a few years ago.

"They should remind us to continue sharing the fruits of our labor with the community," he added.

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Is Imelda Marcos a victim or a villain?

At a recent lunch hosted by someone who used to travel a lot in the name of culture with the former first lady, our conversation eventually touched on the Marcos widow’s fallout with her "loyalists" Rita Gaddi Baltazar, Cherry Cobarrubias, Anthony Violago et. al. They were among her most rabid supporters, and they were now crying "Betrayal!"

They said Imelda was only after money in whatever she did, and placed little importance on friendships.

One guest said the loyalists’ disenchantment with Imelda began when they were bumped off from her entourage during a junket to Shanghai, during which she took with her a different set of friends. The loyalists were reportedly humiliated, especially since this came at a time when Imelda was supposedly more prosperous (Imelda denied to another friend that she is P2 billion richer).

At a dinner with prominent Bulakeños the other night at the Westin Philippine Plaza, a former project consultant of Imelda (who asked not to be named inquired about how she was doing, and she told him, "I’ve woken up!"

"From what ma’am?" he asked her.

And she said, "To the reality that there is no such thing as loyalty in this world."

Imelda then told her former consultant, "You know, I can take it when my opponents hit me left and right. That’s to be expected. That’s part of the game. But when your friends hit you, friends who’ve lived with you, traveled with you, wept with you… that really hurts."

According to the ex-Imelda consultant, the former first lady claimed that her disenchanted friends "were after a portion" of the money "they thought I had." She again denied the P2-billion settlement she allegedly received.

"She is really hurting, because she realizes that all the while, she believed in a delusion," says the source.

Now, who really betrayed whom? Whether you’re a taxi driver who suddenly hit the lotto jackpot, a loyal, unassuming friend or one of the world’s richest women, remember: Money is always a bait for betrayal.

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