Green sees red

A lot of people have noticed that the Green Archers haven’t been humble in victory and haven’t been gracious in defeat either. In their second game with Ateneo, Archer Ryan Arana’s Jezebelic belly-dancing rubbed salt on the Blue Eagle’s wounds. In whose harem did he learn to gyrate like that anyway? In the third game, Coach Franz Pumaren unnecessarily called a time-out with just a few seconds left to display his winning team to the fans. And in the first finals game last Thursday, a nationwide audience saw La Salle assistant team manager Manny Salgado’s infamous "batok" on Arwind Santos. FEU coach Bert Flores then chased Salgado who ran like a frightened cat. Our La Salle Greenhills Spy-Ring disclosed that Salgado is from HS Class ’78. In their drive to be champions again, the Green Archers and staff may have forgotten the basics of sportsmanship. Because of this, many have started to root for an FEU victory according to TV surveys taken over the weekend. It’s clearly a case of the greens seeing red then turning purple. Naturally, this has made the Eagles fly high and away from their blues enjoying every minute of their rival’s biggest faux pas.

Just pay Venable

The past few weeks have made "lobbying" and "Venable" familiar terms to Filipinos. Here’s what our Spy-Ring discovered: Of the top 250 lobbying firms in the US, the Interpublic Group of Companies occupied the top spot, followed by WPP Group PLC, Patton Boggs, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary LLP and Akin Gump rounding up the fifth spot. Venable LLP is far below, but still considered tops, at number 63. Interestingly, our Spy-Ring managed to dig up some old files and discovered that as far back as three years ago, "Venable" and "lobbying" were unlikely words to be mentioned in the same sentence. Then a Baltimore-based law firm founded in 1900, Venable started shifting its direction towards lobbying in 2001 when it got former Mortgage Bankers Association lobbyist Michael Ferrel and directed him to "go out and recruit lobbying talent." Ferrel took the job seriously and engaged the services of veteran lobbyists and former government officials to work as "rainmakers and worker bees" for the now DC-based law firm. Venable LLP is now among the top 100 law firms in the US and, thanks largely to National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, it has become very popular in the Philippines. According to the Palace Spy-Ring, rumors are starting to resurface that a beleaguered intel official was one of the political operators who allegedly made millions during the 2004 Presidential elections. Said official allegedly made millions from a Mindanao project, which could partly explain why former MNLF chief and ARMM head Nur Misuari hates him. Maybe he now needs a lobby group to help him keep his post.

New modus operandi by carjackers

Spybiz would like to alert the public about the new modus operandi by carjackers prowling Hemady and Gilmore streets in Quezon City. The criminals, with blinkers and sirens blaring, would chase a victim and cut off the vehicle. A group of men armed with M-16 rifles would then demand the driver and passengers to alight and get in the carjackers’ vehicle. After divesting the victims of jewelry, celphones, cash and IDs, the carjackers would bring the victims to several ATM machines and force them to withdraw from their accounts. They would then be dropped off at an area in the South, with a stern warning that they would be killed if they reported the incident to the authorities. A woman who tried to escape these criminals has been shot. Aside from Hemady and Gilmore, the areas of Katipunan and Blue Ridge are also favorite haunts of the carjackers, and the incidents usually occur from midnight to 2 a.m. The DILG and the PNP should look into this!

Expensive Manila Polo Club mess

A Spybiz informant sent an email disclosing that several interesting emails are being circulated among members of the Manila Polo Club about the mess allegedly created by Club general Manager Nilo Vergara. He is said to be the personal choice of a member of the so-called "good governance team" that previously sat on the board. Vergara allegedly entered into a number of fraudulent contracts with service companies owned by him or his friends without any bidding. An internal auditor of the club reportedly brought the fraudulent transactions before the attention of former Club president Roman Azanza, but these were "swept beneath the carpet," the informant said. In his panic, Vergara started illegally dismissing employees whom he suspected knew of the anomalies and coerced some into falsifying affidavits and depositions. An employee who has served the Club for more than two decades filed a labor case against the club for illegal dismissal. When he refused the "offer" to withdraw the case, the poor employee found himself facing fabricated charges of theft. So now the Manila Polo Club is spending hundreds of thousands for the services of a law firm to handle a case involving the illegal termination of an employee accused of stealing P3,500 worth of scrap wood. Our Spy-Ring is looking into the authenticity of the emails and has been trying to get in touch with the Manila Polo Club management to verify the story.

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