The owners of Privé in BGC are still reeling from the scandal involving one of their partners, which resulted in the dance club’s closure recently.
DJ Boyet Almazan, a Privé business partner who was tapped to manage the place, is being asked to account for cash—“a total of P16 million in 2016,” said a Privé co-owner who requested anonymity due to an ongoing investigation on the case.
Privé, which was put up by 12 business partners, opened in late 2015 and became known for its retro dance nights featuring Almazan as house DJ.
Almazan was invited to be a business partner and was appointed to run Privé “because of his experience as a DJ and his ’80s music fan base,” said the co-owner.
The problem started in July, the co-owner explained, when there wasn’t enough cash to pay the lease of the property.
“Boyet was giving us financial statements that we were making money,” the co-owner pointed out, “but not the actual money we were supposed to be making.”
The co-owner verified the true financial picture from Privé’s accountant, who was said to be initially hesitant to divulge everything.
“The 2017 audit is not done yet, and we are tracing the 2015 statements,” said the co-owner.
Why would a DJ be involved in such a financial mess?
The co-owner couldn’t pinpoint the reason. The last time they heard from Almazan, “he told us that he was leaving the country for his son’s graduation abroad. He left May 31.”
(Almazan couldn’t be reached to explain his side of the story.)
Jo Koy’s Manila gigs sold out
The hottest Filipino-American standup comic to follow in the footsteps of Rex Navarrete goes by the name of Jo Koy.
Born Joseph Glenn Herbert to a European-American father and a Filipino mother, Jo Koy, who was raised in Tacoma, Washington, started doing standup comedy in Las Vegas coffeehouses.
In 2005, Jo Koy had “the opportunity of a lifetime” when he performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”—where the studio audience reportedly gave him a standing ovation.
The release of “Jo Koy: Live From Seattle” on Netflix last March was the talk of the town, especially among Filipinos who relished laughing at Jo Koy’s homegrown humor.
Tickets to a series of shows in Manila on Nov. 30 and Dec. 3 at The Theatre at Solaire have sold out. The shows’ promoter, MMI, is working out additional dates.
Manila 2017 Whisky Live
The first time I appreciated drinking liquor was Christmas 2014, after attending a mentoring and tasting session for the Chivas Regal 18-year-old Blended Scotch Whisky.
Pernod Ricard marketing manager Mark Arreza
Last week, I renewed my admiration of scotch at the “Manila 2017 Whisky Live”—a two-night event that featured master classes and exhibits of some of the most prominent whisky brands worldwide.
I gravitated toward a bar where bartenders John Matera and Guillermo Natividad III were mixing a cocktail dubbed Chivas Heart (Chivas 12 years, dragonfruit purée, Giffard cucumber syrup, lemon juice, barrel-aged bitters, sprayed with Pernod, topped with cucumber rose foam).
It had a refreshing taste, and a good buzz after two glasses.
At the Chivas Regal booth, samples of the scotch whisky’s three variants—12, 18 and Extra—opened up my palate to the swirl of flavors including cinnamon and sherry. I could even taste hints of mint chocolate, though it might just be my imagination.
In any case, I’m now a certified Chivas fan. Cheers to Chivas executive Luis Gabriel San Juan for inviting me!