Fore-scores

A new assignee of a Swiss-based multinational company to the Manila Golf Club probably thought he was in the Swiss Alps. This man, who is of South Asian descent, was obviously rushing his golf game and despite having been warned by his caddy that there were still players in the green, just kept hitting the ball without as much as even shouting "fore!" and almost hit two of the players in front of him in the process. Unfortunately for this ill-mannered foreigner, the two men have been members of the Manila Golf Club for over 20 years and obviously have strong ties with the Club mafia. To even the score, the men have demanded that the assignee be completely expelled from the exclusive Club. Unfortunately for the foreign executive, ungentlemanly behavior will never be tolerated at the Manila Golf Club. The word is, he will be most likely expelled.

Defective ATMs

Spybiz received several complaints concerning defective ATM machines that fail to dispense cash but record the transaction as successful. One such case involves a reader who went to the trouble of looking for his bank’s own ATM terminal because they dispense up to P10,000 per transaction as well as to avoid extra charges for using other bank ATMs. He keyed in his transaction to withdraw P10,000 but to his surprise, the machine only dispensed a single, crumpled P500 bill, and did not issue a transaction receipt as well. Despite calling the bank’s hotline and getting the assurance that it will be sorted out once the machine is audited, the reader still has to get his money back, with insinuations that he just made up the whole story. It would be a wise precaution to check the account balance first and have the transaction printed out, since this may be the only proof a client may have for such instances when ATMs fail to dispense the keyed-in amount.

NAT neat at all

The dismal results of the National Achievement Test (NAT) administered by the Department of Education (DepEd) last March underscores the sorry state of education in this country. Sixth graders and high school students fared poorly in Math, Science, English, Filipino and Hekasi (social studies, civics and geography) registering average test scores of 54.66 percent for grade six and 44.33 percent for high school. This is certainly going to be a big challenge to Education Secretary Jesli Lapus, who called the results a "wake-up call" and has asked for more support for the education sector. What came as a surprise to many is the fact that rural scores outperformed their urban counterparts, a trend consistent with last year’s NAT results. Ten public elementary schools located in fifth-class municipalities in Leyte topped the tests both in the grade six and high school levels. Secretary Lapus, however, is hopeful that "recovery is within reach," and has set a number of solutions, including improved training and development of school administrators, believing that principals are integral in uplifting the quality of education in the country. Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, on the other hand, is batting for the establishment of a free, two-level compulsory public pre-school program for kids below six years old to make them competitive even at an early age. Free pre-schooling at present is limited to day care centers in barangays — which badly need highly competent pre-school teachers themselves.

New beauty hub on the block

Mega businessman Al Tengco has partnered with former decathlete David Bunevacz to put up a top class cosmetic surgery and beauty clinic along the 6750 Ayala Avenue block. The partners will be bringing in a renowned Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon who could turn ordinary looking women into million- dollar beauties. At least now Metro Manila will not be swamped with look-alike socialites who have the same noses, cheekbones and other facial features. A number of cosmetic surgeons here obviously need to learn about new kinds of lifts and cuts that would best suit an individual’s distinctive bone structure. Word has it that the Beverly Hills doc is so talented he can replicate hot Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie’s full and sultry pouting lips. Move over, Vicki Belo!

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