ECJ’s birthday gift

Business tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. or ECJ celebrated his birthday with close friends, relatives and the management and staff of San Miguel Corp. who warmly greeted their chairman during the party they hosted at Makati Shangri-La the other night.  But the highlight of the evening was the former Ambassador’s “birthday gift” to his alma mater form of a P250-million endowment to the De La Salle University with no preconditions whatsoever, with DLSU at liberty to use the funds in any manner it sees fit.

Contrary to reports, ECJ is in good health at 78, continuing to devote a lot of time to farming and his other passion – basketball. He has always been supportive of sports, in particular basketball as many have seen over the years with such teams as Northern Cement and of course, San Miguel. With ECJ’s support, La Salle’s sports program has been infused with new energy and vigor, with many hoping to see the Green Archers make it to the UAAP championship in the near future.

There is a Latin dictum that goes “mens sana in corpore sano” (a healthy mind in a healthy body), which is why “Boss Danding” has always been a strong supporter of sports as well as education. His foundation provides not only scholarships for students but most importantly, to teachers, knowing the importance of “educating the educator” in order to uplift the standard of education in this country.

Rapid bus transit a solution to traffic chaos

Businessman and Philtrak president and CEO Francis Yuseco gave us an update on their “Rapid Bus Transit” project, saying a feasibility study has already been submitted to the DOTC, NEDA, the PPP Center and the Office of the President. Francis has long been a proponent of the bus rapid transit (BRT) system which has the potential not only to decongest traffic and rid the streets of “killer buses” due to irresponsible drivers hired by unscrupulous operators, but also lessen the level of pollution in Metro Manila.

The project involves the use of fully air-conditioned “articulated bus fleets” powered by Euro 3 pusher diesel engines that can transport a maximum of 180 passengers non-stop 24/7, with rates as low as that of non-aircon buses. The scheme is rather technical and involves the construction of elevated stations equipped with elevators, escalators including express banking facilities and convenience stores. Stored-value tickets can be obtained not only from stations but in schools, gas stations, malls and other convenience outlets.

The plan involves several loops covering EDSA (circling to the Mall of Asia and to several junctions that include Macapagal Avenue and Taft) with the total travel time per direction estimated to take a little over 10 minutes at a speed of 48 kilometers per hour. That’s a far cry from the snail-paced traffic along EDSA and other choke points in Metro Manila.

The BRT was first broached during the time of President Cory Aquino but was turned down by then Transportation Secretary Oscar Orbos for being “unproven,” disclosed Yuseco. It was unfortunate that search engines (like Google) were not available at the time, otherwise, it would have been easy to prove that a similar scheme was already operating with success in Brazil, the entrepreneur-inventor said. The Asian financial crisis in 1997 also temporarily derailed the project (which by then has already been recognized by FVR).

Francis is hoping that this time, the “matuwid na daan” of President Noy will see the trailblazing path that Philtrak’s Rapid Bus Transit can provide. Among other things, the project can supposedly free the government from the cumbersome burden of assuming subsidies equivalent to P65 per passenger per day with the use of the EDSA MRT-3 line. The plan can also empower bus and jeepney drivers as it does not employ the onerous boundary system, granted that host cities will be willing to do away with the old, dilapidated and not to mention pollution-spewing jeepneys and old buses that continue to ply the streets (and for some reason are able to pass emission tests prior to registration). The brand new shuttle buses can be co-owned by the drivers and the residents in cities where Philtrak will operate, Francis disclosed. Better still, the project can be operational within 18 months from the date of approval by the DOTC, he said.

Power lunch at Raffles

Raffles Makati Hotel’s director of communications Monique Toda and managing director Tom Meyer recently hosted a “power lunch” for a group of businessmen and executives at the Long Bar restaurant. Monique and Tom are hoping busy executives and businessmen will find Long Bar – patterned after the original restaurant in Raffles Singapore where the famous “Singapore Sling” originated – the perfect place to have sandwiches and quick power lunches with the cozy, laidback and casually chic ambience of the restaurant.

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