Balay Dako's old world charm

Chef Tony Boy Escalante's Balay Dako (Ilonggo phrase translated as "big house") in Tagaytay is a recent addition to the restaurant scene. Patterned after the architecture of a Bacolod mansion, the restaurant attempts to capture the grandeur of a past era. The trained uniformed attendants complete the ambiance.

At the restaurant's entrance. It feels like one is entering a rich uncle's home.

At the foyer where guests are received, first time visitors can appreciate the portraits of the Escalante family ancestors.

The dining room is huge surrounded by open windows, similar to Breakfast at Antonio's.

Some of the house specialties are listed on the blackboard.

At P135 per order, this chicken inasal is priced reasonably. This particular order was grilled quite well.

The pinakbet was cooked with pork meat and lots of bagoong (shrimp paste).

The pork sisig wasn't too crispy.

This pansit is a house specialty.

The bangus sinigang had no fish bones.

Piaya station where the Bacolod delicacy is grilled.

The Piaya 6-pack sells for P65. We enjoyed this one with our coffee.

The Terraza Bar at the upper floor is where functions can also be held.

Before heading out the restaurant, the deli is a another stop.  We liked the monggo bread that we bought there.

The deli also offers fresh greens.

The restaurant is located along the Tagaytay-Nasugbu highway, near Carlos Pizza and Max Restaurant, before reaching Summit Ridge.

More stores open at Nuvali Solenad 3

Aside from mall stores, there are also bazaars usually on weekends.

In January 2016, Iloilo City's Dinagyang Festival was featured around the bazaar areas.

Located across National Bookstore, Jamba Juice is another addition.

As of January 2016, other stores that have opened include Rustan's Red Tag, Toys r Us, National Bookstore, and other biking plus nail and full service salons.

For other Nuvali Solenad 3 restaurants that have opened, click here:

http://joyposadaswrites.blogspot.com/2015/06/nuvali-solenad-3-looms-large-with-few.html?m=0

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In view of the numerous clicks on my previous story about Nuvali Solenad 3 soft openings, I am sharing more photos of stores that recently opened in the area.

http://joyposadaswrites.blogspot.com/2015/06/ayala-lands-nuvali-solenad-3-looms.html

Seattle's Best opens early and offers a wide breakfast selection.

Banapple attracts many diners and serves good desserts.

Japan Home Centre is already open for bargain hunters.

Kidzooona is a play zone for very young children.

A good number of techie gadgets and accessories stores have opened.

Multisport Hub is the distributor of Orbea bicycles and accessories.

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For more details about Nuvali, visit this page:

http://joyposadaswrites.blogspot.com/2015/06/ayala-lands-nuvali-solenad-3-looms.html

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For other things to do around the Nuvali area (aside from visiting malls), visit this page:

http://joyposadaswrites.blogspot.com/2016/01/apart-from-malls-seven-things-to.html?m=0

Watercolor teacher dishes advice to budding artists

Watercolor painter Eileen Escueta does commissioned portraits on 14" by 20" paper, with frame included.

Eileen Escueta, a watercolor teacher at Ayala Museum and Fully Booked, appeared relaxed and comfortable with her business manager Lydia Cosico while Ayala Museum’s curators were busy hanging her 36 framed art pieces in time for opening night the following day.  Escueta’s sixth solo exhibit titled “Waterdance” ended last June 2015.  Running solo exhibits is a feat that newer artists can only dream of.

“The first hurdle for an artist would be to put together a body of work that is worth showcasing,” starts Escueta.  She suggests developing anywhere from 20 to 30 artworks or more.

With regard to framing the pieces, Escueta says that it really depends on the subject matter.  More traditional pieces would require framing. 

“If you are showcasing work on gallery-wrapped canvas, it does not need to be framed….If it’s modern work, it would suit the work.”

She also clarifies that there is a misconception that watercolor paper will not last as long as canvas.  “The misconception that it (watercolor paper) doesn’t last long isn’t correct.  It depends on the quality of the material.”

Escueta shared how she managed to get her contract at the Ayala Museum.  She applied at Ayala Museum to have an exhibit at Artist Space two years ago.  Aside from the application form, she was required to present a portfolio of previous works.  She showed around 20 pieces.  It was the museum that eventually suggested that she add portraits to her collection.

Escueta uses two mediums in portraiture, watercolor and acrylic on canvas.  For around P15,000, she can paint a watercolor portrait on 14” by 20” paper complete with framing.  For acrylic, she charges around P30,000 to P45,000 on a 24” by 30” canvas.  She usually meets up with the client and takes a few photos for reference.

Contrary to the typical arrangement where a gallery gets a share of around 30% to 40% commission from sold artwork, the contract with Ayala Museum is fixed rental in nature.  For a specified agreed amount, the artist is provided space to display his work and other services such as curating and security.

“I like this arrangement because it keeps me in control,” admits Escueta who explained that there is an international agreement among museums that prevents them from selling artwork.

She also gives a hint on what to expect when working with other galleries.

“A commercial gallery will not represent you and put up a show for you if they think that you will not sell -- because it’s a business.”  If the gallery is unsure about selling an artist’s work, they may ask him to consign a few pieces first so they can try to sell it.  If it clicks, they may consider a bigger exhibit.

Escueta observes that many new artists are not aware about the business aspect of selling art.  She encourages new artists to have a body of work, to keep on working, and to start a fund.  She says there are expenses to consider and one also needs to build relationships with suppliers and other people who can help advance an artist’s career.

For example, some inexperienced artists will price their work too high and end up not selling anything. 

“Price is a delicate subject that’s why I have a manager,” clarifies Escueta.  Her friend Lydia Cosico is also a painter and she helps negotiate deals for Escueta.

Escueta says that the pieces in her “Waterdance” exhibit at Ayala Museum were reasonably priced from P12,000 to P48,000.

She reiterates the need to understand one’s target market very well.  It is worth noting that Escueta is also a human resource trainer by profession and displays a keen understanding of relationships and the importance of developing one’s network. 

Furthermore, as an artist who already completed her sixth solo exhibition, it is not hard to believe when she says, “I’m an artist who understands business.”

Should Philippine hospitals run like businesses?

For many Filipinos, a serious medical emergency can lead to personal bankruptcy.

Should Philippine hospitals run like businesses?

The buzz may have started when a big investor started acquiring a string of Philippine hospitals in what appeared like a shopping spree that ultimately leads to a potential monopoly of hospital services in the country.

Other big competitors also followed a similar strategy – that of acquiring various hospitals, including provincial hospitals, for future expansion. 

It is not clear when or how this practice may have originated but there are informal discussions that some hospitals now operate like profit-oriented businesses where doctors are required to turn in a certain number of hospital admissions in order to remain active consultants.  There is also a reward system for those who reach the hospital quota. 

In one social media conversation, a Filipino doctor from a leading hospital in the Philippines clarified that he thinks it is still the ongoing practice to have a minimum number of admissions/patient encounters in order to maintain an active consultant status – but his hospital was the first to undo the practice around three to four years ago.  According to him, the yearly incentives that included European, American or Asian tours, for top performing doctors were replaced by an annual raffle that includes a car as a prize.

The above minimum patient admissions requirement and doctor sales incentive was fact checked with the medical director of another tertiary hospital.  Although he requested anonymity, he agreed to have his response published:  “Your supposition is correct but these are for hospitals not requiring any financial investment from the doctor.  A trip might be an act of appreciation for the doctor’s continued patronage of the hospital, since the hospitals are competitive against each other and the doctors are free to choose where to admit their patients.”

Hospital administrators would also defend this sales strategy as a means to ensure the establishment’s survival.  This logic is understandable, if such profiteering is not pursued at the expense of patients, and that is usually where the problem lies.  It is hard to find lasting equilibrium.

Since the Hippocrates Oath that doctors swore to uphold suggests that the practice of medicine is more a vocation to heal than a profit center, the above “hospital sales quota” appears to conflict with the patient’s needs and interests, as the natural tendency is to sell or promote the use of hospital facilities, especially if other potential rewards are attached to it.

For the ordinary patient, the reality leaves many questions. 

An example of profit orientation

A Manila Times columnist Fred Rosario once wrote about his hospital ordeal:

http://www.manilatimes.net/the-ugly-side-of-st-lukes-medical-center/101421/

“The hospital had been holding my son’s body for almost three days in stark violation of the law, Republic Act No. 9439, which states that no hospital or medical clinic can detain a patient on grounds of non-payment of hospital bills and medical expenses.

Given its hostile behavior, I believed that the hospital couldn’t care less to let my son’s body rot in its freezer unless I succumbed to its oppressive terms relative to the settlement of a net bill amounting to P1.9 million.”

Age-old academic and ethical question

Actually, this idea of operating hospitals like businesses is not a new one.  It is both an academic and ethical question that has been dissected and analyzed around the world. 

Even in other countries, certain governments have tried to privatize hospital operations.  Here is an example of one that did not succeed:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-30742845

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/13/public-services-nhs-hinchingbrooke-circle-cannot-be-run-like-businesses

“As we have once again been reminded by the collapse of Circle’s contract to run Hinchingbrooke hospital, businesses fail at public service delivery not because they are intrinsically evil; they fail because they are fundamentally unfit to do the job.”

Hospitals as social business

Muhammad Yunus, who introduced a framework for social business, believes that shareholders keeping profits and pursuing social purpose don’t mix:

http://www.muhammadyunus.org/index.php/social-business/social-business

“I am not opposed to making profit. Even social businesses are allowed to make profit with the condition that profit stays with the company; the owners will not take profit beyond the amount equivalent to investment. Social business is a new category of business….

When you mix profit and social benefit it gets complicated for the CEO. His thinking process gets clouded. He does not see clearly. More often this CEO will take decision in favour of profit, and exaggerate the social benefit. Owners will go along with it. Social business gives a clear unambiguous mandate to the management. There is no balancing act involved.”

Hospitals not like Google

On the other hand, many articles have been written by health care experts on this idea of running hospitals as businesses.  John Hopkins Medicine International has weighed in on the question, “Should hospitals act like other businesses?”

http://international.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org/2013/08/27/why-hospitals-arent-like-google/

“Should they be aggressively marketing their services, and trying to find ways to raise their profit margins to fund improvements and the acquisition of new technology? Aren’t these sorts of pure business behaviors and goals at odds with the mission of trying to improve patients’ and communities’ health and saving lives?

I think the answer is: No, hospitals shouldn’t be exactly like other businesses. But they can be almost like other businesses in most ways, and can do an even better job in fulfilling their health-related mission as a result of it. Indeed, not running a hospital like a business invites a whole new set of potentially serious negative implications for patients.”

The article continues,

“OK, so what’s the problem? Why can’t a private hospital just operate like any business might and try to enlist marketing to squeeze as much revenue as possible out of customers? Well, that approach can work pretty well if you’re Google or General Motors, and your sole goal is to maximize profits. But health care is not an unbridled business; it has heart in it; it is a community trust. Society wouldn’t want much to do with a health care provider that placed high financial margins ahead of doing a good job with its mission of saving lives and relieving suffering.

The fact that there’s a good-of-society element to health care prevents private hospitals from being purely commercial sorts of ventures. To put it another way, private health care organizations face a tension between mission and sustainability.”

Other issues with the pharmaceutical industry

Furthermore, the relationship between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry in general has also been widely reported.  Famous American OB-GYN Dr. Christiane Northrup writes, “The current situation with the pharmaceutical industry can be likened to the influence of the tobacco industry on the medical profession back in the ‘40s and ‘50s when doctors and the AMA espoused the “benefits” of smoking to their patients and were paid handsomely by big tobacco.  Eventually the truth won.  And it will again.”

Another Filipino doctor commented on social media about this “connivance” (term he used) saying that there is no denial about the connection between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry as it is very much in the newspapers here and abroad.  However, he continues that the relationship has both positive and negative outcomes for the patient and that doctors are trying to establish a balance.

Do you think Philippine hospitals should be run like profit-oriented businesses?  The future lies in the hands of concerned Filipinos who will take the time to think through these questions.