A Brush with Billions

There they were, a mere table away–four of the richest men in the country, whose combined wealth could easily solve this pesky PPA problem, and then some. There was Metrobank and Toyota Philippines’ George S.K. Ty, slouched in his seat, looking almost morose. Next to him sat mall master Henry Sy, placidly inscrutable, possibly thinking of yet another mall. The only one in amerikana was Big John Gokongwei, imposing, threatening almost, with elbows on the table, poised to fight another big-time corporate battle, reported to be his last crack at being truly the biggest of them all. And then there was the Kapitan Lucio Tan himself, with his trademark half-grin and short white barong, the latter–I am told and do not snicker–his "magic barong" much like Mother Lily’s "magic camison". Missing from the taipan’s table was Rizal Commercial Bank and Malayan Insurance’s Alfonso Yuchengco, who was ambassadoring at the United Nations in New York. If AY had been there it would have made for quite a Starting Five.

Although their lifetimes are hardly over, they were the recipients of the Jose Rizal Lifetime Achievement Awards, a new accolade for Chinese-Filipinos or Tsinoys, established this year by presidential friend and newspaper publisher Dante Ang, together with four Tsinoy organizations. Also awarded for lifetime achievement was retired businessman and motel king, building donor and full-time philanthropist Angelo

As I was writing this I received word that my tukayo, Doreen Gamboa-Fernandez, passed away in New York. A prayer chain had been started over a week ago when she was brought to hospital for double pneumonia. She had just given a lecture in San Francisco and was scheduled to do the same in New York when she was rushed to the hospital.

She was the better Doreen, and whenever there was a mix up about Doreens, I always felt I got the better end of the deal being mistaken for her. She lived well, she ate well, she wrote well, she taught well–and she fought well. A kidney transplant and other physical ailments never held her back: you’d as soon hear about her feeling poorly as you would get word that she was off to India somewhere or delighting in yet another new paella concoction.

A life lived as well and as fully as Doreen’s need not be mourned, but she will be sorely and dearly missed.

King and educator Pao Shih Tien, founder of Chiang Kai Shek College which counts four of the lifetime achievement awardees among its alumni.

The naughty chismis that night at the tented Le Pavilion of the Toyota Business Park at the far end of Roxas Blvd. was that if Faisal Marohombsar or Abu Sabaya–at that time not yet floating, sans sunglasses, somewhere in the Sulu Sea–was to swoop in it would be quite a lucrative catch. Aside from the taipans there were many other business people and their families–the most common kidnap victims–in the audience. The rest of us–journalists, educators and community workers–were worth little if anything as kidnap victims, "kasi wala namang tutubos sa atin," someone commented. (The STAR, for the record, has a no-ransom policy.)

There were thankfully and happily no politicians around (politicians might actually be a good kidnap deterrent, for what kidnapper in his right mind would want to hold a politician hostage?). Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte was not there as a politician but as the "Tsinoy’s favorite son-in-law" to receive the posthumous award for STAR founder Betty Go-Belmonte.

And, of course, anti-kidnap crusader Tessy Ang See was there, resplendent in gold. She was not among the awardees–although she most certainly deserves an award–but only because she heads one of the award’s sponsoring organizations, Kaisa Para sa Kaunlaran.

Organizers assured that there was "ample" security, albeit inconspicuous, for taipans and peasants alike, aside from the Presidential Guards there to secure President Arroyo, who gave out the awards and, for the third time this month, addressed the Tsinoy community, this time to cast the challenge of working with incoming PNP chief Hermogenes Ebdane to eliminate kidnapping within one year. If the rash of kidnap incidents in the weeks between Gen. Ebdane’s appointment and his assumption of office on Thursday is any indication, the police chief and the community will have a full plate. Although there is talk that the recent spate of kidnappings–some of which may still be "live" while others were resolved (meaning the victims released) as quickly as less than 48 hours–indicates a last burst of criminal activity before lie-low time when Gen. Ebdane takes over.

There were three other posthumous awardees aside from our own Tita Betty (former Federation president Benjamin Chua, businessman Tan Yu and community worker Lawrence Ong), a special awardee for science (physicist Lorenzo Chan) and ten awardees for excellence from among the crop of "younger" Tsinoys in fields as diverse as the arts, business and management, education, medicine, journalism, community and public service.