My wife and I went over to Taipei over the weekend for some respite from the summer heat and the maddening crowd of Metro Manila. We were both pleasantly surprised about the Taipei we saw over 20 years ago when we were guests of the late Tan Yu at the Asiaworld Hotel.

I saw Taipei the first time in the late ?50s when together with some newsmen, I was invited by the late Ralph Nubla who was then Philippine representative of the Koumintang Party. We stayed at the President Hotel, which was owned by the late Johnny Cheng of La Perla Cigarettes. Taipei was like Cebu 20 years ago.

It was at the President Hotel where I first met Carmen Pate?a, who was then only 16 years old singing at the cocktail lounge of Johnny Cheng?s hotel where most Chinese-Filipinos stayed. Carmen, believe it or not, was the hotel?s calendar girl in a very revealing swimsuit.

Now, Taipei is bristling with activity where signs of economic slowdown, much less recession, hitting almost all of Asia are not felt. Santa Banana, even if the cost of commodities here are high-end, Taiwan seems to be recession-proof.

There?s of course ?101,? the tallest building in the world at one time until the Arabs built a taller skyscraper in Dubai. The erstwhile Peitou, which was well-known to many Filipinos for years, is no longer there. It?s now a high-end development area.

My trip to Taipei is an eye opener; I don?t regret going back after two decades.

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A dampener in any nostalgic trip to Taipei are the many overseas Filipino workers being laid off from work because of worldwide economic slowdown, which is also being felt in Taiwan.

If you want to see Filipinos, go to a Catholic church on a Sunday, when Filipino domestics, salespersons, hotel employees, nurses, caregivers, musicians and factory workers congregate and compare notes. It?s the same refrain?that work is getting scarce and within the year, there?ll be more layoffs and unemployment. The bright side to it is that Filipinos are still preferred over other nationalities?they are patient, hardworking and easy to get along with, especially by the Chinese, who want English-speaking domestics to teach their children English.

Taiwan, like Hong Kong and Singapore, are the preferred destination of migrants. It is very near the Philippines and the workers, on average, get salaries equivalent to between P20,000 and P40,000 a month. No wonder, there are so many teacher graduates here who prefer to work as either salespersons or domestics.

The Meco or Manila Economic and Cultural Office, which passes off as the Philippine Embassy in Taiwan, records some 100,000 migrants there. This number may dwindle a bit this year, but Taiwanese are still hiring Filipino workers. I met a Filipino saleslady in Taipei who claims to have worked there in the past 20 years. When I asked why she didn?t come home, she told me that her family was already in Taiwan and that her children were studying in a Catholic school.

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If there?s one area where corruption is nil in the Philippines, it?s at the Philippine Economic Zone Authority where lawyer Lilia de Lima presides as director general.

I got this confirmation from no less than the many Filipino and foreign locators who crowded the Hotel Intercontinental Hotel ballroom a couple of weeks ago to listen to the Peza chief lay out her agency?s vision. She also tracked its progress since 1994.

Santa Banana, whenever Ms. De Lima speaks before the Manila Overseas Press Club, it?s a full house. During an open forum, I asked this question: ?Why is it that when it?s MOPC?s Peza night, we get a full crowd?? I got an answer from the floor:

?Because we love and respect Ms. De Lima for making Peza graft and corrupt-free!?

The record of the agency under De Lima is indeed outstanding, and that?s no exaggeration. With an area scattered nationwide of 6,661.63 hectares for industrial and information technology ventures, Peza has a lean-and-mean workforce of 618 officers and personnel, down from 1,006 officers and personnel way back in 1995.

And the fact that De Lima has been under three, I repeat three, Presidents attests to her track record of efficiency and integrity. After 14 years of economic zone investments, Peza has a record of 38 times bigger. My gulay, that?s outstanding, to say the least.

With Ms. De Lima?s new thrusts in medical tourism and tourism itself in agriculture and retirement parks this year, I won?t be surprised that the next President after President Arroyo will keep her as the best proof that the Philippines remains a premier investment destination.

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In spite of economic slowdown and despite massive layoffs of workers this year, Director De Lima sees no drastic drop in value of investments in the country?s export zone, which boasts of one-stop-shop, within-24-hours efficiency. Thanks to her new focus on areas, like IT, tourism, agriculture, medical services and private development of economic zones.

Medical tourism is a booming business and growth will be explosive. That?s no exaggeration?over the next three to five years. It?s expected within the next few years to be a $100-billion-a-year global business worldwide. In fact, as of 2005, the Philippines got a slice of the pie worth $200 million.

While there are reports of shutdowns and retrenchments in some businesses and industries, Peza reported a 35-percent increase in registered investments to P8.44 billion for January 2009; these are fresh investments that can generate as many as 4,855 jobs once they are fully operational.

Ms. De Lima?s call for investments is, ?Jump in, the water is fine!? And indeed, my gulay, with Peza being corruption-free, as a Filipino, I say the perception that the Philippines is the most corrupt country in Southeast Asia is baloney. Peza under Ms. De Lima is the living proof.

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Reports have it that former President Erap Estrada is finalizing his Senate slate to be headed by no less than Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who are both re-electionists.

There are also reports that Erap is inclined to choose Gina de Venecia, wife of former Speaker Jose de Venecia, over the Speaker?s son by a former marriage?ZTE national broadband network whistleblower Joey de Venecia, who has been following Erap behind, for good reason. Gina is the Imelda of JdV, minus the thousands of shoes and the borloloys. The truth of the matter is that Gina has been largely responsible for JdV?s staying power in the House because she knows how to get along with other congressional spouses and even recalcitrant congressmen. And she?s a great campaigner.

Recall also that Gina Vera Perez de Venecia belongs to a powerful political clan in Bicol?the Veras, who were at one time members of the Senate. I?d say that Erap?s choice of Gina is an excellent one.

Others in the yet-to-be-finalized Erap Senate slate are movie icon Fernando Poe Jr.?s adopted daughter, Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares, and lawyer Adel Tamano. Mary Grace is Erap?s accommodation in deference to FPJ, who was his best friend. As for Adel Tamano, he is more than qualified to be a senator with his background, and a son of the late Mamintal Tamano, who was also a senator. Mary Grace Poe, however, is not winnable, and Erap knows it.

Three other probables in Erap?s Senate slate?former Senator Serge Osme?a, former Senator Butz Aquino and Rep. Roilo Golez are winnables in my book. But, with so many senatorial hopefuls coming out of the woodwork, and with only five or six slots open (there are at least eight re-electionists), the Senate race is anybody?s game.

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People have been wondering why Senator Ping Lacson has suddenly become very defensive after it was reported that Cesar Mancao, a suspect in the Dacer-Corbito killing years ago, was ready to be extradited, and in fact, was ready to name the real masterminds of the killings.

In a television interview when asked what was his reaction to Mancao?s statement that he was ready to ?tell all,? he said he welcomed it but stated that he hoped that Mancao will tell the truth.

I?m not deducing anything, but I?ve been asking myself?why is Lacson so defensive? This raises the question about his alleged involvement, a question that has to be answered by Mancao.