Daven Tamayo

Boardroom Tea: When dragon women meet the Marquis of Wu'an

Article (news)

Salve Ibaňez

ABS-CBN News

Today&#x27;s dialogue with ASEAN ambassadors and select representatives, convened in preparation for the ASEAN Trade Expo 2026, was every bit the serious but warm affair you&#x27;d expect from the Women Business Council — as if you were listening to a friend group’s reunion. The Expo is designed to give women-led businesses and MSMEs a platform to showcase woven products, connect with investors, and unlock cross-border opportunities. High stakes. High heels. Apparently, very high aesthetic standards, too.Because mid-dialogue, someone lobbed a cheeky suggestion at the Chinese Embassy&#x27;s Second Secretary Danqiong Chen: if Pursuit of Jade star Zhang Ling He could grace the expo as some kind of cultural ambassador, attendance would be guaranteed.Cue knowing laughter from the self-confessed dragon ladies in the room.The hit C-drama has made the already popular Zhang Ling He, the most buzzed-about Chinese actor in the Philippines as reported by abs-cbn.com — playing Xie Zheng, the Marquis of Wu&#x27;an, a character of valor, unwavering loyalty, and formidable martial prowess. And cheekbones that have apparently transcended geopolitical tensions.PCW Commissioner for Business and Trade Myrna Tang-Yao — Richprime Group CEO, the woman who made Barbie a household name in the Philippines, and a tireless champion of women&#x27;s economic empowerment — reportedly confessed to having binged all 40 episodes. Well, she says, it is because the lady protagonist Tian Xiwei playing Fan Changyu is an empowered woman. We hear you, Commissioner. <div> </div><div>THE BSP-DOF AIRCON WARS</div>Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas quietly decided last week that its employees would work from home on Mondays and Fridays to conserve energy. Fine and good — except BSP shares the EDPC Building with several other offices: DOF-PDMSG, PTA, NTRC, and BLGF, among others. None of whom, apparently, got the memo.So on Monday, those agencies reported for work as normal — only to find the air conditioning had been switched to fan mode. In Manila heat. In April.Chancellor of the Local Government Finance Institute at the Philippine Tax Academy Maria Teresa Habitan captured the chaos with her usual famed wit on social media.“Heto nga ang nangyari dahil walang aircon sa opis. Yung isang meeting ginawa namin sa canteen ng DOF. Malamig. Ang sarap. Yung isang meeting na dapat 2pm, bukas na lang. Kasi after lunch, parang pugon na ang paligid. Di ko na kinaya. May mga umuwi na rin ng maaga. Lumikas na rin ako papuntang DOF. Muntik pa akong magpa-foot spa.” I didn’t even want to cut this quote. Here’s another reason why I love this woman. She tagged a Monetary Board member. And when I asked her if I can quote her, she said: “Of course. I own my crimes.”  In a subsequent exchange, she confirmed the situation has not been fully resolved — and that BSP only met with DOF about it today, after the fact.<div> </div><div>THE FAKE NEWS GAMBIT OF A DIFFERENT KIND</div>An online page has been circulating that looks, at first glance, like one of the top print newspapers in the country. Same masthead aesthetics; same font. The &quot;story&quot; involves the breakup of Richard Gutierrez and Sarah Lahbati, pivoting conveniently to a $700-million income supposedly shielded from legal reach. Buried at the end is a testimonial supposedly from legit reporters claiming that something called &quot;Bantay Fundcrest” has made Richard Gutierrez rich.It is not a legitimate newspaper article. Click any of the navigation links and nothing moves — the page is static. Check the actual URL and it reads: canopyflint.today.Should I repeat this paragraph until my fingers die?The scam is insidious precisely because of its sophistication. It doesn&#x27;t promise guaranteed returns in broken English. It borrows the visual credibility of one of the country&#x27;s most trusted news organizations, wraps it in a celebrity narrative engineered to trigger emotional engagement, and smuggles the investment pitch in as a footnote.This is the new face of financial fraud — not the obvious come-on, but the carefully dressed impersonation. Every media organization — and apparently every government agency — in this country is now a costume for bad actors. And every honest Filipino with or without savings is a target.The rule remains unchanged: if an investment recommendation appears in an article you didn&#x27;t search for, on a URL you don&#x27;t recognize, giving you easy money with no effort — close the tab. Verify with the SEC. And tell me.Boardroom Tea comes out every Wednesday.

If Pursuit of Jade star Zhang Ling He could grace the expo as some kind of cultural ambassador, attendance would be guaranteed.

If Pursuit of Jade star Zhang Ling He could grace the expo as some kind of cultural ambassador, attendance would be guaranteed.