Gunning for Jakarta

Did you know 1: Kamiseta’s Gonzalo Roque is almost 90 percent sure of putting up a lifestyle outlet in Jakarta. Gunn Roque’s estimated Indonesian investment is P10 million, tops.

Under Indonesia’s foreign investment laws, foreign companies have a 10-year grace period before they are required to sell five percent of their stake in Indonesia to locals.

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Did you know 2: About 700 Filipinos arrive daily at Dubai, from where they move on to other countries in the Middle East in search of jobs. By itself, Dubai – which already hosts 500,000 Filipinos, based on a government survey three months ago – cannot absorb that many more Filipinos.

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Did you know 3: Thanks largely to the effort of Department of Agriculture director and Batangueño Melito Sarmiento, Cordillera has been chosen by the German Development Service as the pilot for the certification of organic coffee growers in the country.

Program coordinator (read: DED’s role is in bringing in a consultant, at its own expense) is Guenther Rapp.

Certification will enable coffee growers to export and sell their coffee beans at a premium in Germany.

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Buenaventura is tentatively expected to visit the Bangko Sentral on Sept. 7, in time for a book launching (it’s supposed to be a better one on the amended 1993 Bangko Sentral Act than the one written by the law’s author, the late Raul Roco) and the first day of the latest economic review of the International Monetary Fund.

This will be the first time that Paeng Buenaventura will visit the Bangko Sentral since Amando Tetangco Jr. succeeded him as governor in early July.

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There’s talk that phase 2 of the skyway project, which involves the Bicutan to Alabang fast lane stretch along South Luzon Expressway, may be speeded up now that Philippine National Construction Corp. head Arthur Aguilar has assumed a concurrent position at PNCC Skyways Corp.

You see, Art Aguilar used to be managing director of National Development Co., a line agency of the Department of Trade and Industry. Under NDC’s supervision is the relatively new Philippine Infrastructure Corp., which is charged with ensuring that major Philippine infrastructure projects get built pronto.

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One of the country’s largest (and most profitable) hogs cooperative, Limcoma, is putting up a P97-million meat processing facility that would serve the needs of 25 cooperative-owned meat shops in Batangas and neighboring provinces.

The cooperative, which is based in Banag-Banag, Batangas (you can easily tell you are nearing the administrative office if you leave your car windows open), is busy integrating its operation from the hogs that it raises, to the feeds that these hogs eat, and now to the stores that will carry the cut and processed meat.

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Consumer watch: Despite having a police sub-station next door and its own security guards, the Wilson branch of McDonald’s remains helpless against vagrants who blatantly beg in front of the ordering and take-out windows of its drive through.

The Wilson branch is a company-owned one. That means Golden Arches Development Corp. managing director Kenneth Yang (yes, his dad is the majority owner of the Philippine master franchise) is probably too busy looking at the bigger picture to bother with such issues as customers having a pleasant eating experience, every time, every day.