I had gotten wound of this story below by Inquirer columnist Conrad Banal. PGMA was indeed in Bataraza last week for an overnight visit, with the Western Command providing hush-hush security arrangements. Sources said the trip was so private that even local government officials were not apprised what exactly the purpose of the visit was. Speculations like the article below seem to be right on the money, just because in Bataraza, there’s nothing to see but the mines.
Rumor has it that the grandma at the Palace recently paid a very special visit to a rich nickel mine site in Palawan province, southwest of Manila.
If it is true, Palace watchers in business say the Grandma must be working on something.
Supposedly, the mine site was Rio Tuba, owned by the Zamora brothers, mainly by Buddy Zamora.
Playing host to the Grandma in her visit to the mine site, according to the story, was one of the Zamora brothers, Manny.
World prices of nickel have gone up to the stratosphere in recent years, and talk in business is that the Zamoras’ Rio Tuba has made tens of billions of pesos in profits.
In other words, the Zamora group is loaded. Yet, we are not seeing some big investments from it.
One of the brothers, Ronnie, who is the congressman from San Juan City, was the executive secretary of the man named Band… Wrist Band. Remember him? He was the man the Grandma replaced in the Palace back in 2001.
Anyway, it is widely known in business that the two other Zamora brothers, Buddy and Manny, are supporters of the Grandma.
But what is interesting in the Grandma’s visit to Rio Tuba mines was her company. It seems that, aside from First Gentleman Miguel Arroyo, the presidential party included Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and partner.
Just what it was that brought the Grandma and Enrile in one visit to a far-flung place in Palawan, business wags just cannot figure out as yet.
Recently, however, the Grandma and Enrile took turns lambasting business groups over this king-sized headache of ours known as high electricity rates.
The Grandma started with the Lopez group (Manila Electric Co.), and just last week Enrile followed up with an attack on all foreign investors in this country, calling them “carpetbaggers.”
Definitely, something is up.
March 26, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Maybe, PGMA’s visit in Palawan is just one of his plans to help the economy and tourism of the Philippines. Maybe it’s private beacause it is also her summer vacation.
Let us don’t think bad about it.