Ongpin to build a second Balesin near Balesin
Roberto V. Ongpin is pushing 80, but the former Marcos Trade minister still has much entrepreneurial vigor left that he is already laying the groundwork for a second and twicebigger Balesin-type resort.
Located in the neighboring island of Patnanungan, Ongpin is planning a 1,000-hectare resort-hotel complex at the southern tip of the island that like Balesin will have its own runway.
Patnanungan is envisioned to be the international gateway for Balesin since its planned 2.5-kilometer runway, unlike Balesin’s, is long enough for regional Airbus A320 jets to land on, and bypass altogether the clogged Manila airport and roads.
“After some serious study, it became apparent that extending the (1,530-meter) Balesin runway by 500 meters on both ends would not only be a costly undertaking, but more importantly would impact the ecology of our beloved Balesin,” Ongpin said in a letter to the club members.
From Patnanungan, Balesin club members and their guests can be whisked off in 10 minutes by helicopter or by half-hour fast ferry ride to the paradise in the Pacific.
Other than saying that there would be a private lake in the planned resort-hotel complex, Ongpin would not disclose what other attractions are being planned in Patnanungan.
“Patnanungan itself will be open to non-members,” Ongpin said.
Part of the Polillo islands to the north of Balesin, Patnanungan at 14,000 hectares is 13 times bigger than Boracay, but with only less than 20,000 residents.
Over at Balesin itself, Ongpin is having runway lights installed to facilitate night landings and take-offs.
“Despite the fact that this is a rather expensive proposition, we believe that night flights would be a very effective and welcome solution to our aviation problems, as the availability of slots for the nighttime hours (in Manila) are much easier to organize and, in fact, may be welcomed by our members who can fly to Balesin on Friday nights and return on Sunday nights,” Ongpin said.
Balesin now has four aircraft in its fleet, namely, a 68-passenger ATR 72-500, a 19-seater Jetstream 32 and two, nine-passenger Cessna Grand Caravan.
PCGG’s secret Comelec commissioner
One of the PCGG commissioners should perhaps be working at the Commission on Elections like former PCGG chairman, now Comelec chief Andres Bautista.
According to a Commission on Audit report, Ronald Chua was only eight months with the Presidential Commission on Good Government when he flew last year to Mexico to speak not on the challenges of chasing after the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth, but rather on “Voter’s Inequality and Responsibility.”
Chua had actually been slated to fly to St. Petersburg, Russia for a United Nations conference on corruption as part of a Malacanang-approved delegation, but for unclear reasons, the new commissioner instead opted to go to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to attend the 11th International Electoral Affairs Symposium organized by the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies.
The acting PCGG chairman, Richard Amurao, approved the Mexican diversion, signing the travel clearance two days after Chua received the invitation and giving him nearly P120,000 for travel expenses, COA said, questioning the scheme.
“There is another agency tasked by the Constitution...concerning the conduct of elections which would have benefited from the symposium,” the COA report said, trying to sound diplomatic.
Money talks
• The Washington-based US-Philippines Society will hold a tribute concert in the US capital on June 9 to honor outgoing Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. for his exceptional contributions to the diplomatic relations and people-to-people initiatives between the two countries.
• Miguel CuUnjieng, a Boston-based son of investment banker Stephen CuUnjieng, has been named as one of “The 2016 GreenBiz 30 under 30” awardees for his work at SM Prime, Coca-Cola Foundation and now the Ceres non-profit sustainability advocacy organization in Massachusetts.
• Taipan Lucio Tan is getting deeper into the water business. After inaugurating in the first quarter a water treatment plant in Solano, Nueva Viszaya, Tan’s MacroAsia subsidiary is now building a similar facility each for the Mabini, Pangasinan and Maragondon, Cavite local governments.
Heard through the grapevine
And speaking of the PCGG, not only is COA questioning the Mexican adventure of Commissioner Ronald Chua, but the audit agency has also disallowed some P8 million in gifts checks and “goodwill incentives” disbursed by the agency to certain undisclosed recipients.
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