I could not believe it when I read the dominant broadcast network GMA-7 now has partnered with its foremost competitor ABS-CBN

And with the arrival of high-end jet hydrofoil, Balesin members and their guests could spend a whole day at BIG and return at night.

Santa Banana, with one-minute spots at CNN, Ongpin aimed to attract millionaires and billionaires from Japan, South Korea, and even from China to become members of Balesin.

With Bobby’s midas touch and with Eric Recto’s genius, all this will be realized.

RVO has indeed built a billion dollar fortune from scratch. I must add RVO had guts and a midas touch which many taipans and tycoons do not have.

Bobby’s last vision was to make Balesin the off-weather destination of premier soccer leagues worldwide.

In fact, he had built an entire soccer field area in Balesin where soccer players could play, complete with a grandstand and an entire airconditioned dormitory under it. In fact, he had invited American football players from Laguna to play regularly at Balesin, hoping that he would popularize soccer in the country.

He often told me that Filipinos should play soccer more than basketball, where height is not needed.

Forbes Park of Baguio

Another signature project of Alphaland— the Baguio Mountain Lodges, which I call the Forbes Park of the summer capital, Baguio—is an 8-hectare fully secure community, barely nine kilometers from Baguio central, where Alphaland

Mayor Lacuna, Postal chief Carlos must explain Post Office Building fire to cover the reconstruction cost.

From available indications, the structural shell of the burnt Post Office Building remains intact.

However, some experts say it was too weakened by the nearly day-long fire, and may not be strong enough anymore to accommodate another reconstruction.

The ensuing investigation of the fire indicates that the Post Office Building did not have a sprinkler system. Had a sprinkler system been installed, the fire could have been controlled, and the damage could have been minimal. At the very least, a sprinkler system would have been given postal personnel enough time to evacuate the priceless cultural treasure inside the building.

Why wasn’t a sprinkler system installed in the Post Office Building? Postmaster General Luis Carlos has some explaining to do. So does Manila Mayor Maria Sheilah “Honey” Lacuna.

As the Postmaster General and the visible boss in the Post Office Building itself, Carlos must have been aware of the irreplaceable cultural heritage inside the building, and their sheer vulnerability to fire.

Thus, the least Carlos should have done was to install a sprinkler system inside the building. He did not do so.

A possible excuse is that the water that will be released by the sprinkler system would have destroyed whatever valuable cultural materials are inside the building anyway. That excuse is untenable. The valuable cultural materials are kept inside protective transparent containers, so any damage from water would have been superficial.

What is important is that had a sprinkler system been in place, its operation would have bought postal personnel valuable time to evacuate the priceless artifacts. At the very least, Carlos should have installed an alternative safety system. There are modern fire safety and protection systems that use chemicals, not water. Why wasn’t one installed by Carlos?

Were there sufficient fire extinguishers all over the building? If there were, when were they purchased and installed, and what is the expiration date of the fire extinguishers?

Was there an adequate fire warning system installed at the building to forewarn postal personnel to evacuate the precious cultural heritage materials?

Based on news reports covering the investigation of the fire, there was none.

That said, Carlos may be liable for criminal and administrative raps for gross inexcusable negligence.

As for Mayor Lacuna, she must explain why Manila City Hall allowed the Post Office Building to operate without the installation of a sufficient fire safety and protection system, including a sprinkler system.