Nickel pot

Our Spy-ring reported that a known Cebu-retailer, who has two small outlets and a big outlet in the Southern city in partnership with the pioneering RP mall developer, is allegedly having cash flow problems with his Nichols Park housing development. It seems this is his version of a southern Forbes Park. Lately, the retailer has branched out to mall developments in Lucena, Bicol, and C-5. The C-5 project, called Market Market, is in partnership with BCDA. Retailer has committed most of his funds to the C-5 project that all his other commitments are supposedly suffering. The contractors of Nichols Park, for example, have stopped work because they haven’t been paid. Suppliers of his supermarkets are getting paid after six months. Partners, potential clients and suppliers should beware of this retailer. If locators in the Lucena and Bicol malls enter into a pre-pay arrangement, they might regret it. Their money simply won’t be returned said an irate Nichols Park victim. Potential buyers of his residential development are forewarned that the property will soon be under litigation. His Cebu mall partners should have picked better partners. As it is turning out, people won’t find a pot of gold at Nichols Park. Just a pot of nickels.

ntense Blue Eagles-Green Archers rivalry

I The intense rivalry of the Blues and the Greens continues today at the Big Dome. An Eye-spy spotted a lot of alumni from both schools. The intensity of both camps is still there but compared to the rumbles of the 60s and the 70s, it is waged in a more restrained gentlemanly fashion. The security measures are now very strict. The prominent blue shirts in last Tuesday’s game were Dato Arroyo, Sen. Dick Gordon, Sen. Mar Roxas, and Manny Pangilinan. Cheering lustily for the greens were Boy Blue del Rosario, Sen. Ralph Recto, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, and Archer-fanatic Titoy Pardo. Those who went to both Ateneo and La Salle were excited to see so many old and bold classmates. But they could not decide where to sit.

Secret life

Our medical Spy-ring alerted us on the secretly lavish lifestyle of this government bureau chief accountant who doubles as board chairman of a local pharmaceutical company. While he goes to work using an old car model, hidden behind the high walls of his Quezon City home are several luxury cars, including a BMW. Our Spy-ring said the man also has several companies with dummies fronting for him. He allegedly uses his government position to engage in ghost purchases. In spite of his unscrupulous business practices – corrupting doctors and other partners of the pharmaceutical industry – the company’s sales are consistently headed to the south. For maintaining his secret life and bank account, the top brass should throw this man in the brig for disciplinary action.

Oyster perpetual

A Korean tourist almost choked on his oysters when he found out that eating a couple would cost him P3,500. The Korean reportedly made this astonishing discovery during a stay at a well-known beach resort in Mactan, Cebu. Some vendors reportedly offered him a taste of the oysters, and the tourist gamely obliged by eating two. When he asked how much the oysters cost, he was told to pay P350. The man was taken aback, but since he was a "captive" audience of the group of vendors, he shelled out the amount. Upon seeing the Korean’s fat wallet, the vendors insisted the price wasn’t P350, but P3,500. The man paid up, but the experience was enough to turn him off and make him swear not to return. If the price of oysters continues to skyrocket at this rate, tourists will perpetually keep away from this resort.

From the listening post: Tap King

Our Man from Cavendish gathered some interesting information from a group of businessmen talking hush-hush during a cocktail party in a gated community. They disclosed to him the new modus operandi of a criminal syndicate operating in Metro Manila. This involves a crime kingpin, who most members of police and investigative agencies know works closely with foreign organized crime figures. This Tap King reportedly bought a brand new electronic device that could tap into telephone lines and intercept calls from cellular and satellite phones. The street price of the gadget was roughly estimated to be P2-M plus. Cavendish informed us that the device is allegedly being used to plug into government phone lines, intercept police calls and even tap into military intelligence networks. The idea is to be 10 steps ahead of the police. It then comes as no surprise that criminal syndicates slip out of police dragnets no matter how hard Metro Manila’s Finest tries to deny it. The businessmen fear that the proliferation of this tapping device could be used to subvert the country with the breakdown of peace and order. Worse, these syndicates may even enter into an alliance with terrorist groups in the region. Authorities are still looking for the source of the device. This explains why foreign intelligence agents do not use their cellphones anymore as reported here a few weeks ago.

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