BIZ BUZZ: Marcos connection

Not a few were surprised when they saw the elusive Gregorio Ma. “Greggy” Araneta, head of gaming firm PhilWeb Corp., at the signing of the landmark partnership agreement between the Marriott Group and the team behind the award-winning The Farm at San Benito in Batangas.

That the brother-in-law of President Marcos occupied a seat at the table for VIPs—with Alliance Global Group chief executive Kevin Tan and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos—can be attributed to the little-known fact that it was Araneta who had encouraged the CG Group founded by Binod Chaudhary, Nepal’s richest man, to invest in the Philippines and take a majority position in The Farm at San Benito.

Informed Biz Buzz sources shared that the friendship between the Chaudharys and the Marcoses had grown over the years to the point that Mr. Marcos was even an honored guest at the wedding of Binod’s son Rahul, the current managing director of CG Corp Global and CG Hospitality Global.

This thus makes the agreement for Marriott “to bring the world to The Farm and The Farm to the world” that much more significant for both professional and personal reasons.

Under the agreement forged last week, The Farm at San Benito will be upgraded to become a part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection that caters to discriminating travelers with deep pockets.

See Also

When downsizing backfires

Soon, The Farm will feature one-bedroom villas and exclusive two- and four-bedroom private pool villas.

The resort is also expected to feature a swimming pool with a pool bar, a fully equipped fitness center and a high-end spa and medical wellness center—setting a benchmark for next-generation wellness hospitality in the region.