Ford Philippines has a new managing director, Michael Breen.
I first met him on Zoom a few months ago. Today, we were having lunch together with Edmund and Oyen at Blackbird in Ayala Triangle, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City.
I didn’t know what to wear, casual only daw. But Americans usually show up at meetings wearing suits.
Oyen gave me a pair of violet TOD’s sandals and I would wear them today.
We arrived 15 minutes before the scheduled time which made us nervous. Traffic is always unpredictable and for important meetings, it’s better to be 30 minutes early.
Blackbird is inside the iconic Nielson Field Tower, which hosted the passenger terminal and control tower of the Philippine’s first airport which was inaugurated in 1937. This land is owned by the Ayala family.
It was only Oyen and Edmund who were having lunch with Mike Green but at the last minute, Edmund asked if I wanted to join.
So eto ako.
Oyen reserved a table on the top floor and I was worried while we were climbing up the semi-spiral staircase. Medyo the wood steps were slippery. Oyen is pregnant and takot ako baka madulas sya.
Madulas
We thought it would be quieter on this floor and but we were wrong. It was a small place and every table was occupied.
We wanted to move to this oblong table but it was already reserved.
It was packed and noisy. The chair and table were masikip but we still managed to enjoy our lunch.
Oyen’s favorite bag of the month is this brown Fendi.
Mushroom soup for Edmund.
I ordered this Peppered Tuna Steak with warm potato and bacon salad, caper aioli.
Edmund had this Wagyu Sirloin.
My dessert was simply vanilla ice cream.
Michael is such a fun and down-to-earth guy and has a sincere interest in people. He and Oyen go along pretty well. He strikes me as someone who is kind, genuine, and humble. I also like the fact that he is a small-town boy. Professionally, I think he is objective and fair.
I hope he and his wife get to love their few years stay in our country. I hope when it’s time for him to move to his next posting, he’ll only have happy memories of our country and people.
Welcome to the Philippines, Mike.
