FORMER Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis ?Chavit? Singson has just won another battle, this time over at the Supreme Court.

The high tribunal?s Third Division last week threw out a petition for certiorari filed by a losing bidder seeking to stop Poro Point Management Corp. from awarding a P565-million project to extend the runway of the San Fernando, La Union airport to Satrap Construction, a company controlled by the colorful Ilocos politician.

Ponente Justice Antonio Nachura said the losing bidder, First United Constructors Corp., had not only filed the petition late, but that it should have filed the case first with the Regional Trial Court.

In any case, the high court victory may just now be academic, since the airport project?extending the runway from 1,320 meters to 2,120 meters, long enough to accommodate regional-range jets such as Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s?had been practically finished as of the Christmas holidays.

RJ rocks Palawan

There apparently is still room for growth for FM radio stations in this age of iPods and on-demand Internet music and, surprisingly for this part of the world, even a market for rock-and-roll music.

Ramon ?RJ? Jacinto is expanding his dzRJ network with another station in Puerto Princesa next month, and is even marking the event with a rock-and-roll concert in the Palawan provincial capital on March 4, in cooperation with Mayor Edward Hagedorn.

On the jazz front, the Chick Corea and John McLaughlin concert scheduled for Feb. 13 at the Sofitel had unfortunately been canceled, after the organizers failed to scrape enough funds even for the deposit.

Manila was not really in the Asian tour itinerary of the jazz duo; nevertheless, the two artists had agreed to squeeze in a one-night gig in the Philippines between the Feb. 11 show in Hong Kong and the Feb. 15 start of their Australian swing at Perth.

Money-go-round

? Ayala CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II is so far the lone Philippine business leader who has agreed to participate in this year?s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Joining him for the Jan. 27-Feb. 1 annual meeting is Maria Villalba, founder and director of Unlad Kabayan Migrant Services Foundation, the lone ?social entrepreneur? invited from the Philippines.

From the government side, President Arroyo would be going, along with Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.

? The Singapore clothing brand Raoul is coming to the Philippines by way of Rustan?s, which has signed a franchise agreement to open four dedicated stores from now until 2011.

? The Italian luxe suit-maker Brioni, which closed down its Shangri-La Plaza shop after its most famous local client, Joseph Estrada, was forced out of Malaca?ang, has introduced the $43,000 (over P2 million) Vanquish II, a made-to-measure suit from rare fibers such as vicuna, pashmina, and Qiviuk (musk ox).

Heard through the grapevine

The Philippine Daily Inquirer has shelved, at least for now, the ?convergence? of the newspaper with its Web site, Inquirer.net, apparently as a result of the falling-out between cousins Paolo Prieto, the Inquirer.net president, and JV Rufino, until lately Inquirer.net?s editor-in-chief.

Both the newspaper and Web venture have already announced the decision to their respective staffs, an unexpected turnabout since the owners Rufino-Prietos, to a man (and to a woman), had long been convinced that convergence was the key to the long-term survival of the newspaper industry.

(Website: www.cocktales.ph; email: cocktales_mst@yahoo.com)