I was expecting Figaro to come out saying that it, as a company, had nothing to do with the current anomaly involving one of its franchisees operating inside PAGCOR. Everyone is already well informed of the P1 billion coffee expenditure of PAGCOR in the last 10 years. A franchisee, owned by the wife of a friend of then PAGCOR chairman Ephraim Genuino, solely bagged the contract to operate Figaro coffee shops inside the state owned casinos, apparently without public bidding. Figaro has established itself as one of the first Filipino owned coffee companies, in an industry where imported labels have sprouted all over the country. It is just right that they come out and make it clear that it was not the mother company that operated the casino outlets. It is just right that they protect their good name.
I’ve been thinking about this whole mess, and it really is prudent to observe delicadeza when it comes to dealing with the government, especially if you have ties with people in office. The franchisee in question, Promolabels, owned by Carlota Cristi Manalo-Tan, should never have applied to operate their coffee shops in the casinos, precisely because of her ties with the PAGCOR chair, no matter how distanced she perceived them, thinking that the public would not mind at all. The fact that she registered her company in her maiden name already shows an attempt to hide that acquaintance. An acquaintance that has brought her to the center of this controversy.
Which is also the same reason I am very careful about observing delicadeza. It is no secret that I have current ties to this administration. You’ll never know when something is used against you because of those ties. No amount of money or profit from business can make up for the stigma of being accused of abusing those acquaintances. It just isn’t worth it. But it seems the past administration was running on the principle of ties and acquaintances. Almost all of the controversies coming out today have someone knowing someone, providing him with the leverage to do what benefits himself the most. From ZTE to the Fertilizer Scam, from coffee to PNP choppers, from PCSO to PAGCOR. There is always that tie to someone very high up in government, or at least, married to one. Funny how everything seems to converge towards one man. A man who does not know the meaning of the word, delicadeza.