That’s a lot of halo-halo

HSBC (Phils.) chief executive officer Warner Manning has a new racket. Instead of betting that he could lose weight (that was so-o-o last year). Mr. Manning is betting that he can run the 16-km distance between the Binondo branch (the bank’s first branch, which was set up more than 100 years ago during the Spanish period) to the Fort Bonifacio branch (the bank’s newest branch) on March 25.

If he makes it, then his friends and sponsors will, uh, donate a pre-agreed amount to his designated charity. If he doesn’t, then he takes the money from his own wallet and hands over the pre-agreed amount to his designated charity.

Word of warning to those who have accepted or intend to accept his challenge. Mr. Manning has been training every day by running laps around the Manila Polo Club oval. Right now, he can do a 10-km. run.

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Well, well. It looks like ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. chairman Eugenio Lopez III has finally found a replacement for recently retired president Federico Garcia.

The incoming president (who will report for work starting this April) has oodles of brand marketing in consumer goods but no experience whatsoever in the media industry.

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Maybe because he hails from Bulacan, Chowking Food Corp. president Rufino dela Rosa has a soft spot for the halo-halo, the local dessert that has its beginnings in Bulacan and Pampanga.

Then again, Raffy dela Rosa (that’s his nickname in Manila but he is called Ruping in his home province) doesn’t mind that halo-halo accounted for 12 percent of total revenues last year. Said another way, that’s 11 million servings worth P500 million in sales.

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Maynilad Water Services, Inc.’s new president Fiorello Estuar is said to be a big projects kind of a guy, something he picked up during his stint as Public Works and Highways Secretary.

The problem is there’s not that much money available for that kind of spending where he is right now.

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Pfizer Phils. president and country manager Rey Gerardo Bacarro has an interesting way to celebrate the 50th anniversary this August of his company in the country.

Mr. Bacarro has launched the Heroes for Health award, which will give each of the five awardees – who are not necessarily doctors – P250,000 for their own use and another P250,000 to the organization that the awardee is connected with.

Chances are, none of the awardees will come from Metro Manila. You see, the awardees must show "heroic qualities" in helping improve the quality of health of a great number of people for at least three years.

In this particular case, Pfizer is looking for heroes who have "devoted much of their time, effort and personal resources to their projects, giving up better income and physical comforts, and willing to risk even their very lives, if need be, for the fulfillment of their mission.