'In Between Columns'

Marina Mall

"Personalan na ni." This was the answer of a representative from the camp of Mayor Boy Radaza when asked by a mutual friend to stop its hounding og the Marina mall because this is not doing the mayor any good PR wise.

"If you want to go after the mall for whatever motive, then finish it quickly. But don't think about PR because you will surely be clobbered.

I think what the Radaza camp wanted is help in damage control or at the most in deflecting or diverting the issue.

But the attempt to demolish the mall is front page news. Only the likes of bombings could deflect the issue.

Even then CDN chose to highlight the closure of the mall than the bombing of Glorietta ni Makati city.

As of now, even Gov. Gwen Garcia and the MEPZ have sided with Ephraim Pelaez than Mayor Radaza. With MEPZ, I expect that later PEZA would join the fray and its ally in Malacañang, Sec. Cerge Remonde.

With these forces arrayed against the mayor, i think the mayor should stand down and find the best way out. He can fight Pelaez some other time or in some other way.

In my view, the Marina mall controversy is damaging to Mayor Radaza.

parklane vs. narvasa

An angry Dr. Pek Eng Lim called me up Tuesday complaining about the quote I used in my Sun.Star column that mentioned his name.

You see, I criticized the manager of Parklane International Hotel Mars Benitez for inventing a complaint against a sidewalk vendor named Narvasa.

In his letter-complaint to Camputhaw Barangay Captain Lorenzo Basamot, Benitez alleged that the diarrhea he had that October 7 afternoon was because of Narva's paklay.

Quoting his supposed attending physician Dr. Pek Eng Lim, Benitez said he had a viral infection and amoebiasis after he ate paklay he bought from Narvasa.

However, when Dr. Lim learned I wrote about this in my Sun.Star column, he called me up and in a raised voice asked me why I attributed the statement to him because it placed him in an embarassing situation.

It seems Benitez was just making up his allegation against Narvasa and dropped Dr. Lim's name.

Barangay Captain Basamot unfortunately believed Benitez and had Narvasa's stall demolished.

The move stirred up a hornet's nest of criticisms against both Basamot and Benitez that led to a dialog.

Insisting on his demolition, Basamot disregarded Benitez complaint perhaps after realizing that the guy merely made up his story.

In my view, Benitez should have instead approached the vendor situation in a more humane manner and he could have earned goodwill for himself and his new hotel.