Dinner with Du30

No, it’s not me who will be having dinner with the President but the country’s taipans and tycoons.

As what happened early this year, they are again trying to arrange a dinner with President Duterte soon after 2018 starts.

It’s to take stock of the year that was and how they can help the Duterte administration as it enters another year, said the indefatigable Joey Concepcion, presidential adviser on entrepreneurship. Over breakfast recently, Concepcion told me that the businessmen who are behind some of the biggest conglomerates hope to sit down with the President again to discuss what they can do and perhaps sound off their concerns.

This will be a redux of the Jan. 17 dinner in Malacañang where they met President Duterte, some of them for the first time. Among the tycoons who joined that meeting were Manuel V. Pangilinan, GT Capital’s Alfred Ty, LT Group’s Michael Tan, Megaworld’s Kevin Tan, Ayala’s Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Jollibee’s Tony Tan Caktiong, Double Dragon’s Injap Sia, SM’s Hans Sy and ports tycoon Enrique Razon.

Concepcion, chairman of RFM, is trying to arrange another meeting with more or less the same group.

How, I asked Concepcion, does this reconcile with Duterte’s anti-oligarchy stance?

Concepcion believes that’s not really the case. What Duterte really wants to see are businessmen who can help the country.

If you want to get on President Duterte’s good side, you really have to help the country, said Concepcion.

There are after all a lot of work that needs to be done, he said. Infrastructure is just one.

The taipans and tycoons, for instance, are expected to present to the President the plan to redevelop the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay.

Seven conglomerates have formed a super consortium to submit an unsolicited proposal for the ambitious, but much needed project.

There are other infrastructure projects in mind – subways, railways and the Mindanao link.

As in last year, the businessmen are also expected to offer their support to achieve inclusive growth.

Concepcion’s advocacy of big brother mentoring for small, medium and micro enterprises is consistent with this.

Kudos to Joey for bringing these businessmen together to indeed help small businessmen.

The unity isn’t fake or for show, he said. Businessmen, believe it or not, do want to help move the country forward. I truly hope so.

I told him they should help get rid of the 5-6 system in the country and improve credit access to the smallest of the small entrepreneurs – the sari-sari stores.

He said they are working on it. Of course like last year there are some who won’t be at that dinner, not because they’re not important, but perhaps because they don’t see the need. We have yet to wait and see if Ramon “RSA” Ang will join the dinner. He was invited last year, but sources said he had a birthday celebration at the time of the dinner. Ang turned 63 last Jan. 14, a few days before the Malacañang event.

But Ang is already close to Duterte, dinner or no dinner. One tycoon joked last year that some of those absent during the 2017 dinner didn’t really need to meet with Du30. They are already in the “inner circle.”

Lance Gokongwei, whom Duterte has praised and described as a friend, was also not in the first dinner.

From B3 Another absent tycoon was Manny Villar.

When I asked why, he simply smiled and said he is always ready to help the President in anyway he can.

It’s no secret that Villar was among those who believed in Duterte whom he calls a friend, very early in the day, when almost no one else did.

Did you convince him to run? He said he doesn’t like to take credit for that because there were others.

The two go a long way, indeed. When Villar was Speaker of the House of the 11th Congress, Duterte was the representative of the 1st District of Davao City. They also travelled overseas together for personal trips.

Villar was also on the plane with the President to Russia. And Duterte appointed his son Mark Villar as secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

He is also in touch with the President regularly.

So it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Villar decides to just skip the dinner.

Villar’s sipag at tiyaga

Speaking of Villar or MBV as he is called, the real estate and mall tycoon dismissed rumors he would run for mayor of the City of Manila next year.

He said the rumor only started when he visited Tondo where he was born and raised, and met with some barangay officials. It was a usual tete-a-tete, he said, – no agenda.

These days, Villar is simply happy growing his conglomerate. He has been introducing Filipino brands instead of franchising foreign names. His fast growing cozy and hip The Coffee Project chain is just one example. There will be more, he said.

Isn’t it difficult to build a brand? I asked him.

“Kelangan magaling ka,” he said with a smile. “And sipag at tiyaga.”