P2,200 per kilo for grouper

Did you know 1: Exporters have put up buying stations on the island of Nueva Grande (off Surigao) to buy grouper or lapu-lapu at an average price of, gasp!, P2,200 per kilo.

The project, which includes lobster farming for export, is a joint venture between the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (which is providing the technology) and Quedan Rural Credit and Guaranty Corp. (which is providing the credit).

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Did you know 2: The family of former Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho is busy packing up and will be joining him in Singapore after classes at International School Manila – where four of his six children still study – ends in June.

As everybody knows, Lito Camacho is now with First Boston Credit Suisse and is again the boss of Philippine head Simon Paterno, who used to be president and chief executive officer of the Development Bank of the Philippines.

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Did you know 3: It took close to nine months of headhunting before DHL Express Philippines chose Singapore-based Lawrence Liamzon as country manager. Larry Liamzon’s American wife and children will be joining him here after school breaks for the summer.

One of Larry Liamzon’s bigger projects since he took over the job three months ago is the re-launch of the "Import Express" facility, which enables manufacturing companies to import raw materials from 218 countries and to know where those goods are at any point in time.

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Ortigas & Co., Limited Partnership’s Frontera Verde has increased its flea market or tiangge from the original 13 villages or tiendesitas to 15.

Unlike tiangge tenants in Greenhills Shopping Center, the Frontera Verde tenants have a longer lease period of up to six months, largely because OCLP chief operating officer Rex Drilon II envisions the villages to be incubation areas for starting entrepreneurs as well as for those based in the provinces who want to enter the highly lucrative Metro Manila market.

The villages will be managed by the Greenhills group headed by Joey Santos, which means that if the tenants do well, they will probably be given space priority in Greenhills’ long waiting list of applicants.

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New food venture 1: Bistro Holdings chairman and president William Stelton, who holds the Philippine franchises for Friday’s, Italianni’s, and Outback, will soon be launching another food concept.

This time around, it is a Singapore chain that specializes in fish (but Bill Stelton has gotten the head office approval to add some chicken dishes for the Philippine market).

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New food venture 2: Two months after it opened its first branch of The Pizza Co. in Market! Market! (out of a projected 50 in five years all over the country), Alpha 8 Foods Holdings Corp. president Efrain Pelaez Jr. is already thinking of bringing in an American ice-cream concept.

Hint? The world franchises for the pizza and the ice cream brands are held by the same company.