This Blog is an outlet for the random thoughts of an amateur opinionator.
What's an opinionator?
An opinionator is somebody who has power without responsibility, and the ability to spout off on any subject without worrying too much about the consequences of what comes out of the mouth. All you need is an opinion and the opportunity to voice it.
TV is full of professional opinionators. The internet gives the amateur his chance.
> higHnesS on a bLast
Author: aLmich
Last time we went to Glorietta, JC and I saw this stretch limo just as we were exiting Glorietta 4.
You don't really see limos in Manila. New York, all the time. But here? Not really.
JC thought Beyoncé was there. The driveway was blocked off to accommodate this huge backup/entourage, which was also spotted at Shangri-La mall on Sunday. Finally JC couldn't stand it and asked the guard if Beyoncé was inside the mall.
No it's Bolkiah, said the guard. As in Prince Jefri, also known as His Royal Highness Pengiran Digadong Sahibul Mal Pengiran Muda Hijra Dallal Jefri Bolkiah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haramzada Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien??
Or was it the Sultan?
Were they here because they're building a luxury hotel near Glorietta? Or was he simply taking advantage of the lean crowd in Glorietta?
*Duh.
On the other hand...
Glorietta remains a ghost town, three weeks after the mysterious blast that left 11 dead and more than a hundred injured. Three weeks later we have not heard an official statement of what caused it. I think the public deserves to hear from the mall owners or the government.
Had the blast happened in the US, you can expect any or all of these things to happen:
• some sort of memorial for those who died
• counseling or support for the victims and their families
• financial aid for the victims and their families
• some sort of public outcry
• class-action lawsuits left and right from victims and tenants
What the hell happened to the activist, welga - and petition-loving Filipinos? So quiet all of a sudden?
In some sort of way I think the people have spoken.
We were there for dinner and found a virtual ghost town. Nobody wants to go there because they're afraid. It feels creepy. People died there.There are no answers. Was it terrorism, negligence or an accident? You can still smell some kind of sulfur [I don't really know] near the boarded up site of the blast.
If you have some sort of third eye, there are certain spots near the blast that feel quiet heavy. I've talked to sales staff who talked about dismal sales in November where sales are supposed to go up. One said they would scare each other at closing, cigarette or toilet breaks about ghosts lurking around the mall.
We're just waiting for answers. Meanwhile the mall remains empty. JC and I met up at 7:15 pm and found Rustan's empty.
Our first stop was the food court on G4 where I used to eat all the time. My favorite place is Dencio's which is still there. The food is still so good. But unlike most meal times it wasn't difficult to get a table because it was not that busy, to put it lightly.
It's usually time for some Christmas shopping but the usually busy places were empty:
I had really good service for each store because it was empty. JC and I both enjoyed shopping, no lines at the fitting rooms and cashier, for a change.
We would've gone to Topshop for DJ's bilins but it was boarded up.
In the US, there are PR people you can hire for damage control. I'm just a citizen but I can think up of ways to draw people back into the mall: first of all serious sales, discounts and promos, and I mean really juicy ones not offered in other malls. Just to get people used to going back to Glorietta. Give tenants a break and lower their rent. [*EDIT: I've heard they are being given 20% discount but sales are so bad.] But most importantly issue an apology and statement from the mall.
Tell us what happened. Terrorists or accident? Rectify it. Show us you care. Do it soon.
