Scalper’s price

Expect the same scalper’s prices for next Saturday’s championship game between De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University.

In last Sunday’s game–where La Salle creamed Ateneo by eight points–an upper box ticket, which normally retailed for P100 went for between P1,000 and P1,500.

At the La Salle Alumni Association office, that same P100 ticket was sold for P200, the alumni being told that the 100 percent jack up was his/her voluntary donation to alumni projects.

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These days, Avon Phils. sells more underwear than cosmetics. Fact is, Avon sells more brassieres these days than its nearest competitor, Triumph.

Everything Avon sells is made in the country, except for eyebrow pencils, which are imported from Germany. Some of these Philippine-made brassieres are exported to nearby countries like Thailand (which is, of course, the job of area vice-president for Southern Asia Jose Mari Franco).

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As part of the celebration of Consumer Month, Trade Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. has revived the recognition of consumer welfare desks nationwide. This year, the "Best of the Best" is the Cebu branch of the Tantoco-owned Rustan’s Supermarket.

In one instance, Rustan’s people went to the aid of a four-year-old who fell from the second floor of the mall to the ground floor near the landing area of its escalator.

Although clearly the responsibility of the building owner–Rustan’s is only a lessee – it was the store’s first aid person who quickly assessed that child could be moved and helped rush the child to the emergency room of a hospital.

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Banks notes 1: It’s not surprising that Bangko Sentral Governor Rafael Buenaventura brought along Deputy Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. to the annual International Monetary Fund-World meeting. What was new was the presence of Monetary Board member Antonino Alindogan Jr.

Under a new ruling, Paeng Buenaventura will bring along an MBM during the annual IMF-WB meeting to give them a broader perspective of their job. Who goes with Mr. Buenaventura will be decided alphabetically.

This means, newly appointed MBM Fe Barin will be going next year. Ms. Barin, who spent one year, one month and seven days (based on her own counting) as chairman of the Energy Regulatory Commission, is informally considered the "memory" of the central monetary authority.

Prior to her retirement, she has served five governors starting with late Gregorio Licaros.

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Bank notes 2: Lawyer Janet Chua called last Saturday to clarify the position of Vicente Valdepeñas, who has been verbally reappointed to the Monetary Board for another six years by President Macapagal-Arroyo but whose reappointment papers will be delivered to the Bangko Sentral only this week.

According to Ms. Chua, Mr. Valdepeñas does indeed have a pending case with the Sandiganbayan. It wasn’t because he signed anything (which he didn’t) but because he was "impleaded in his ex-officio capacity."

In short, Mr. Valdepeñas was included in a case because he was then just appointed as director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority. He was never arraigned.

Mr. Valdepeñas didn’t’ even know he had a court case until he was told about it in Kuala Lumpur, where he was doing some work for the regional association of central banks.