June 19, 2019
From 360 Lab, we rode the Ford Transit van and headed to Lake Merced Golf Club for an afternoon cocktail hosted by Ismael Pugeda, the CEO of Cooper and Pugeda.
Lake Merced is a private club and Ismael is a valued member. He is also a good golfer.
(left) Mr. and Mrs. Pugeda, Mr. & Mrs. Manhit
Our generous host ordered lots of food.
Sixty four slices of sushi for eight people.
We couldn’t finish the food. We were only 8 and yet the food could feed 80.
Ismael Pugeda is a close friend of Dindo Manhit. They were classmates in Ateneo.
Mael’s company specializes in project management of infrastructure projects like transportation, water, and wastewater in Northern California.
One of the topics in our conversation was the skyrocketing real property prices in the Bay Area. Mael said gusto daw nya mag-crash uli ang property market para matuto yung speculators. Nalungkot ako when he said that. I replied that sana huwag naman kasi a lot of people would lose their jobs and their homes. He replied babalik naman din daw and mag-re-recover. It would recover, maybe after ten years. In the meantime, thousands of people would be affected. Many would lose their jobs, their homes, their cars, their hopes, and dreams. Huwag naman sana. If there’s another real estate crash, wealthy people would be able to benefit because they have the money to buy bargain homes, commercial land and buildings. But maraming tao ang mahihirapan. Americans and Filipinos living in the Bay Area are complaining that the Chinese are driving the prices of real estate up. If the prices drop, the more Chinese people would be able to buy dozens of properties. They can very well afford to buy not only a few homes but with homes cheaper by the dozens, they can buy whole blocks and whole apartment buildings. Before you know it, they own half of Daly City.
My husband picked me up from Lake Merced around 7 pm. He came from the nearby TPC Hardings Park Golf Club. He played golf while waiting for me the whole day. I introduced him to Ismael, his wife, etc.
It was chilly and foggy when we left Lake Merced.
I wanted to go someplace else after he picked me up but I we were already in the freeway nung bigla kong naalala, hindi na kami makabalik kasi gagabihin na kami.
We saw a fancy looking sports car on the freeway.
