Strangely satisfying

Seven hundred delegates, more or less, will attend the national convention of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., which starts tomorrow. Voting in executive vice-president Robin Sy as president will take place on the last day, Sunday.

A couple of days after that, John K.C. Ng (who would then be the former federation president) will represent President Macapagal-Arroyo in the Philippine trade exhibit in Shanghai, the country’s first such trade show in China.

Unlike those who scoff that the trade fair will only make it easier for the Chinese to copy and mass produce Philippine ideas and designs, Johnny Ng believes Philippine exporters can penetrate the China market, particularly its growing middle class. The trick here is not to sell goods which the Chinese can produce cheaper but to sell goods that are unusual and of better quality. In short, a unique selling proposition.

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Oh, dear. Everybody at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club from chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. down is still talking about a horrendous incident that took place Tuesday morning.

That was when a member tried to run down another member with a golf cart, and used his golf club to hit the other member in the thigh.

And it started with one member – who was playing alone – failed to follow golf etiquette by asking the permission of earlier flights if he could go ahead.

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It seems Nestle Phils. Inc.’s marketing head for its ice cream line Ian Donald cannot pass an ice cream outlet (not necessarily those carrying his label) without looking at the flavors available and who is buying what.

Mr. Donald – he’s a good sport about his surname being occasionally mangled and confused with a fastfood brand – is committed to growing not just the brand but the market as well.

As everybody knows, ice cream is one of the first items taken out of supermarket cart when the shopping money is not enough.

For Mr. Donald, one way to grow the market is to increase the number of occasions to eat ice cream – for example, merienda time. One of Nestle’s new merienda products is an ice cream made of glutinous rice or malagkit coated with an ube hard shell and toasted sesame seeds. (Imagine eating frozen buchi. Gross but strangely satisfying).

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Bank notes: It’s a father and son tandem that is helping the Bankers Association of the Philippines put up the fixed income exchange by June this year.

Retired Bank of the Philippine Islands senior vice-president Miguel Andaya is administrative officer of the would-be exchange while son, Joel Andaya, is one of several project consultants.

The BAP–which will put up 20 percent of the P500-million capital required, using shell company, BAP Consulting, Inc., as the incorporating vehicle is expected to submit all the paperwork required next week. Other exchange investors are those specializing in debts and, possibly, groups like the Philippine Stock Exchange.