A hairy one for Mar Roxas

Bank notes 1: Citibank NA corporate country manager Catherine Weir is quietly clearing her desk (figuratively, that is, since almost everything is done online). Cathy Weir is soon moving on to her next regional assignment.

As for her replacement, well, there’s no word yet.

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Bank notes 2: They call themselves "the unemployed" – a major factor why they are ruthless in collecting their winnings from golfing bets.

These are former Allied Banking Corp. president Peter Favila, former Solid Banking Corp. president Deogracias Vistan, and former Far East Bank and Trust Co. president Octavio Espiritu.

While no longer directly involved in banking, the three manage to keep busy by offering their skills and network to others in the business community.

Mr. Favila is an economic consultant of House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and an independent director of the Philippine Stock Exchange. Sonny Vistan is a presidential advisor on housing and chairman of Vistan & Associates.

OV Espiritu is chairman of the Delphi Group (which was deliberately taken from the oracle dedicated to the Greek sun god.)

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Bank notes 3: The incoming officers of the Chamber of Thrift Banks led by Insular Savings Bank president Susan Figueras are supposed to be inducted this Friday by President Macapagal-Arroyo. The President has, however, other things to do and has assigned the job to Trade Secretary Manuel Roxas II.

Mar Roxas is going to have one tight schedule this Friday – it could be harier if Friday were the 13th instead of the 14th. You see, Mr. Roxas has already committed to spending the day talking to and, more important, listening to small-and medium-sized entrepreneurs participating in the five-day National Trade Fair that ends this Sunday.

As it is, Mr. Roxas would probably have to take the MRT–which he swears he regularly takes, anyway, with his security–from the Ayala station (after he delivers the lunchtime speech of the President and inducts the CTB officers in Makati) to SM Megamall (where the trade fair is being held.

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Bank notes 4: Development Bank of the Philippines Chairman Vitaliano Nañagas II is on top of the roll on, roll off nautical highway that government is putting up, pronto.

As everybody knows, DBP is handling the money component, with funding coming from such bilateral sources as Norway’s export-import bank for ship-related industries.

Lanny Nañagas is part of the group organizing the RORO caravan – whichwill basically follow the western spine of the country as opposed to the national highway, which is on the eastern side – that the President will inspect sometimes next month.

Unlike ports, the basic component for the RORO to be operational is a ramp. The RORO project is expected to cut down on the cost of delivering goods from one part of the country to another. Right now, it costs more to ship goods from Davao to Manila than from Bangkok to Manila.