THE Panlilios of Puerto Azul fame are taking seriously the syndicated estafa case filed against them by Marcos son-in-law Gregorio Araneta III. They have to, since Araneta’s case against them is a non-bailable offense.

According to the grapevine, a team of policemen and NBI agents have been unable to serve the arrest orders during a number of visits to the Dasmariñas Village homes of writer and Zonta leader Erlinda Panlilio and her daughter Nicole, as well as to the Salcedo Village office of Erlinda’s son, Jose Marcel Panlilio.

The case stemmed from the sale by the Panlilios of the historic Luneta Hotel, which Araneta claims as theirs.

According to the grapevine, the police are either not looking hard enough or could not penetrate the gated villages and guarded condos of Makati even though Araneta himself almost bumped into Nicole Panlilio-Morris during a recent society wedding.

In the meantime, as the Panlilios are making themselves unavailable to the law enforcers, their lawyer, Dennis Manicad, is working double-time to have the order issued by Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Amor Reyes quashed.

The hotelier Atienza

A daughter of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Joselito Atienza is proving she has more entrepreneurial genes than her politician-father.

Lani Atienza has just opened a 43-room boutique hotel, Creekside Amorsolo, atop the Mile-Long Arcade along Legaspi Village’s Amorsolo Street, renting what used to be shops and office spaces from the Rufino-Prieto family.

Rates start at a reasonable P1,968 a night, with each fully air-conditioned room outfitted with telephone, flat screen TV, mini refrigerator and en-suite bathroom. There is even free Internet from a bank of computers by the lobby, all for guest use.

According to the grapevine, the hotel was set up to serve an adjoining English language school, apparently also owned by Atienza, targetting Japanese and Korean students here in the country for short-term courses.

The new hotel is quite easy to find. It is right on top of the Pharaoh VIP club.

DBP’s money fountain

The Development Bank of the Philippines is transforming its fountain into a money-spouting venture.

A two-story building is being constructed on the Makati Avenue side of the bank, where the fountain and the covered walkway used to be.

Scheduled to be finished in June, the second floor of the new structure would house the DBP canteen, with the present canteen, currently on the fourth floor of the DBP building, to be converted into office space.

The ground floor, with about 480 square meters, would on the other hand be leased to a fast-food restaurant, a coffee shop and a convenience store, all open to the public.

DBP president Reynaldo David estimates that the building cost would be recovered in just two-and-a-half years from the expected lease income.

(Web site: www.cocktales.ph; e-mail: cocktales_mst@pldtdsl.net)