Feng shui expert in town

An international feng shui expert arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 yesterday, bringing positive forecasts for President Arroyo and the Philippine economy.

Lillian Too, a Malaysian-Chinese business executive who holds a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University and founded the World of Feng Shui (WOFS) chain of stores selling feng shui merchandise, arrived from Singapore yesterday afternoon via Singapore Airlines.

Too, along with her Filipina protégé Maritess Allen, who is the WOFS-Philippines president and chief executive officer, will hold a two-day feng shui "extravaganza" dubbed "Getting Rich and Staying Safe in the Year of the Fire Boar."

They will hold the event at the Premiere Cinema of the SM Mall of Asia at 2 to 7 p.m. today and at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel from 3 to 7 p.m. tomorrow.

Asked for her forecasts for the coming year — the Chinese lunar calendar indicates that the Year of the Fire Boar or Pig starts on Feb. 18 — Too said she believes this year will be good for the Philippines and the whole Southeast Asian region in general because of the region’s location in the globe.

"There will be a lot of ‘winning luck,’ good luck in this area," Too said. "The economy (of the Philippines ) will continue to be good."

However, Too said the Year of the Fire Boar promises to be a bad year for "patriarchs" or senior males who are heads of families.

Aware that the Philippines will have national elections this May, Too said the upcoming polls could be a dirty one. She explained that in the Year of the Pig, many people — particularly patriarchs — will have a tendency to "find fault and play dirty."

Matriarchs, however, "will be having good luck, they will have wealth, success and recognition," Too said.

Noting that the Philippines has a "matriarch" for a president, she said this year bodes to be a good one for Mrs. Arroyo.

"In situations of conflict, in any fight, women will win," Too said, pointing out that in her analysis of the elements and the Chinese calendar, 2007 falls as a year of the "yin" or the female.

"So 2007 will be a good year for women," she said.

Told that Mrs. Arroyo was born in 1947, also the Year of the Pig, Too said this year will be good for people born in this Chinese zodiac sign.

The Chinese calendar has a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by a certain animal.

While global economic prospects look good for 2007, Too warned that natural disasters will continue to ravage certain countries.

She advised everyone, from highly paid executives to ordinary laborers, to study and learn practical feng shui to improve their luck for 2007.