Highlights of Manny Gonzalez Resumé
 

  • Successful Tourism Entrepreneur. Designer, Builder, CEO, and Principal Owner of Plantation Bay (www.plantationbay.com), a highly successful and innovative resort, which in most years outperforms (relative to size) all other hotels in the country, including Shangri-La Mactan (the Shangri-La group’s most profitable property in the world).

  • Unique, extensive practical experience as a Very High-End Traveller, Customer, and Critic of hotels and restaurants around the world - overall, probably unmatched by any other living hotelier or food critic. See Tourism-Related Resume, below.

  • Former international and investment banker, citizen of the world. Worked in some of the world’s great cities – San Francisco, London, Paris, Washington DC, New York, and Hong Kong. Has also lived in Vancouver/Whistler, Rome, and Barcelona.

  • MBA Columbia University, New York. Robert McKim Fellowship for exceptional academic achievement; Roswell McCrea Prize for being the most outstanding first-year student. AB Humanities, Ateneo de Manila University, with honors. Awarded Full Presidential Scholarship for topping the entrance examinations.

  • Author of Crazy Wild Ideas – Out-of-the-Box Solutions for Fixing the Philippines, a full-length Amazon Kindle e-book on Philippine history, society, and politics; Many Moods of Plantation Bay, Tales of Plantation Bay, both coffee-table books for Plantation Bay Resort & Spa; and Seasons Lost, Memories Found, a short book of romantic-erotic poetry ("Your breathlessness at dusk returns / to restless seas we calmed / by sands our summer warmed"). Has published articles on financial, political, and cultural issues in leading international publications (Euromoney, Asian Wall St. Journal), as well as in Philippine periodicals; has been quoted in Euromoney and the New York Times. Wrote a series of 20 satirical essays on Philippine culture, published in the Philippine Star ("What accounts for the enduring popularity of golf? What aberrant desires, what secret perversions, what neurotic anxieties, lurk beneath its innocent exterior?"); and a continuing series of light-hearted travelogues ("the author, not being very bright. . .") also in the Philippine Star.

  • Speaks fluent, well-accented French and Spanish.

  • Personal interests include: architecture and interior design; fine wines and foods; marine sports; ballroom dancing; vintage movies; and fortune-telling for entertainment (graphology, palm-reading, astrology, and I-Ching divination).
 
 
MANNY GONZALEZ
 
 
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2021-Present. Personal interests  
Writing two parenting/life re-boot books, Seven Roads to Happiness - Character Lessons from Other Times and Other Places and Eighteen Scripts for Life Satisfaction - Character Lessons from the Movies. Still hoping to monetize patents - now hold eight US patents related to solar panels, host websites, and spam email/inappropriate online behavior (4,484,566; 7,558,807; 7,647,339; 7,873,665; 8,065,333; 8,296,325; 10,303889; and [eighth patent approved as of 12-22-20 but no number assigned yet]). Conceptualizing a model urban center, a "seed city" which embodies simple-to-adopt green strategies (location undisclosed for now). Design and construction of a shopping mall which employs energy-saving techniques based on passive solar and prevailing-wind considerations (Mactan).
1995-Present. Principal Shareholder (now retired from active management)
Plantation Bay Resort & Spa (www.plantationbay.com) 		Philippines
Designed from scratch, built from the ground up, opened, and currently oversee the operations of this 5-Star resort with 280 rooms. Also perform assorted odd functions like writing collaterals, giving seminars to staff, performing handwriting analysis for guest amusement, and developing recipes. Plantation Bay is an innovative and highly successful resort. In most years it outperforms (relative to size) all other hotels in the country, including Shangri-La Mactan, the Shangri-La group's most profitable single property in the world.
1991-1992. Director, Investment Banking
AIA Capital Ltd. 		Hong Kong
Devised a "synthetic swap" mechanism to make use of AIG's blocked funds in Southeast Asia, earning significant transaction profits.
1989-90 and 1993-94. Personal Business Interests
 Philippines
Organized a real-estate holding company in Cebu and constructed a moderate-size office and shopping complex; invested in and helped resolve management problems in a consumer-finance company in Manila. Acquired real estate in Cebu, including the land that would eventually become Plantation Bay.
1987-1988. Executive Director, Corporate Finance
Sun Hung Kai Securities Ltd 		Hong Kong
Prepared prospectuses and performed due diligence for IPOs. Helped start up SHK's brokerage operation in the Philippines.
1979-1986. Senior Investment Officer
International Finance Corporation - World Bank 		Washington, DC
Private-sector project finance. Handled transactions in Mexico and the Caribbean, in the basic-industry, mining, and tourism sectors. Advised Government of Colombia on development-finance policies, Government of Haiti on sugar industry. Advised financial institutions in Colombia and Jamaica on portfolio management.

Uncovered major discrepancies in the valuation of ADELA, a $2.5 Billion investment company owned by approximately 250 of the then leading commercial banks, investment banks, and industrial corporations in the world. Was seconded to the company for an extended period to advise in its orderly winding-down. This case was reported in Euromoney and the Wall Street Journal.

Performed original conceptual work on hybrid financial instruments. Was one of the first officers to recommend and suggest a specific structure for the extensive use of guarantees, especially asymmetrical guarantees.
1974-1978. Assistant Manager
Bank of America 		San Francisco, London, Paris
Trained in San Francisco. As Credit Administrator in London, reviewed corporate and sovereign credit proposals. Participated in the bank's early efforts at evaluating country and currency risk. As Account Executive in Paris, interacted with US corporations and high-net-worth individuals doing business in France.
 
EDUCATION
MBA, Columbia University, New York, 1974.
Robert J. McKim, Jr., Fellowship (for exceptional academic achievement). Roswell McCrea Prize (awarded to the most outstanding first-year student).
AB Humanities, Ateneo de Manila University 1971.
With Honors. Full Presidential Scholarship for placing first in the entrance examinations to this, the most prestigious university in the Philippines.
 
PUBLICATIONS
  • Crazy Wild Ideas – Out-of-the-Box Solutions for Fixing the Philippines, 2019. A full-length book on Philippine history, politics, and society, proposing sweeping changes in Philippine national symbols, such as the flag, food, sports, holidays, a national motto. Available on Amazon Kindle.
  • “The Arithmetic Behind and Beyond the Proposed Manila Subway”, 2019. Simple calculations and comparisons with other subway systems show the proposed subway to be grossly inadequate, almost certainly counter-productive (worsening rather than relieving traffic), and a certain waste of public resources.
  • “Solving the US Health Care Fiasco”, 2019. The problem is wrongly formulated as How to Pay High Costs. It would be more amenable to solution if we asked How to Reduce the Costs.
  • “Official National Dishes – An Off-the-Wall Idea for National Change”, 2018. An essay proposing the proclamation and promotion of a set of three specific national dishes, as a way of helping build civic pride through Filipino food.
  • “Bitcoins: The Emperor Has No Clothes”, 2018. Op-ed discussing why cryptocurrencies do not qualify was money, and why they have a doubtful future even as speculations.
  • “Catalunya Independence Crisis Explained, 2017”. Series of four guest editorials in the Philippine Star synthesizing the issues and predicting, with considerable accuracy, the ultimate courses of action by the various parties.
  • "Call a Country a Company. . .", Euromoney, February 1983. Following the round of Latin American crises in the early 1980s, this seminal article proposed an alternative approach to country financial reporting and the evaluation of country credit risk.
  • "The Witch Doctors of Washington" and "Triumph of the Witch Doctors", the Philippine Star, January and March 1998. Pointed out the pitfalls of IMF tight-money policies. May have helped moderate the response of Philippine authorities to the IMF in the wake of the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997.
  • “The Unfriendly Philippine Skies”, Asian Wall Street Journal, May 19, 1999. Widely-read and highly influential guest editorial which espoused more liberal civil aviation policies in the interests of both tourism and the overall economy.
  • “Roots of the Next Asian Crisis”, the Philippine Star, November 1999. Argued that post-Crisis economic policies in Asia were shoring up banks at the expense of the entrepreneurial sector.
  • “A Visit to Christie’s, and a Glimpse of the US$ 450 Million Da Vinci”. On-the-spot reporting as part-time foreign correspondent.
  • Seasons Lost, Memories Found, 1988. Booklet of sentimental and occasionally erotic poems (“. . . Your breathlessness at dusk returns / to restless seas we calmed / by sands our summer warmed. . .”). ISBN 971-8573-00-3.
  • "A Financial History of the World", The Manila Bulletin, 1987, reprinted in the Philippine Military Academy Sword, 1988. Light-hearted series of articles on financial milestones, for the general public.
  • "Sex and Status", the Philippine Star, 1994-5. Humor. Series of 20 satires on contemporary Philippine values (“. . . What accounts for the enduring popularity of golf? What aberrant desires, what secret perversions, what neurotic anxieties, lurk beneath its innocent exterior?”)
  • The Many Moods of Plantation Bay, 2008. The resort’s first coffee-table book. Publisher, writer.
  • Tales of Plantation Bay, 2016. Second coffee-table book to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the resort; recounts little-known facts and anecdotes about the origins and evolution of the resort and the people connected with it. Publisher, writer.
  • Continuing Series of Humorous, highly-personal Travelogues in the Philippine Star: Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Istanbul, Athens, Seville, Granada, Barcelona, Marseille, the French Riviera, Rome, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Switzerland, and others.
 
PERSONAL INFORMATION
  • Born in Cebu, but grew up in Manila and Washington, DC. Son of Antonio Gonzalez, at one time Chief of Military Intelligence, succeeding Fidel Ramos (who was later President of the Philippines). Grandson of M.J. Cuenco, late Senate President, Cabinet Secretary, and Governor of Cebu. Great-grandson of Mariano Cuenco, founder of the first printing press in the Visayas Region of the Philippines.
  • Has lived in many of the world's great cities: London, Paris, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Whistler, and Barcelona; plus extended periods in Rome, Breckenridge, Berlin, and Boston.
  • Speak fluent, well-accented French and Spanish, as well as native English, Cebuano, and Pilipino (Tagalog).
  • Strong writing and public speaking skills in English. Experienced classroom lecturer and discussion moderator.
  • Personal interests include: architecture and interior design; fine wines and foods; marine sports; ballroom dancing; vintage movies; and fortune-telling for entertainment (graphology, palm-reading, astrology, and I-Ching divination).
  • Strong believer in the power of God’s Grace in shaping his life and at times protecting him from his own folly.
 
TOURISM-RELATED RESUMÉ
as of December 15, 2020
Manny Gonzalez
 
Education, Languages

Ateneo de Manila AB, 1971. Presidential Scholarship for topping the entrance exams.
Columbia University (New York) MBA 1974. Full Scholarship. Most Outstanding First-Year Student.
Learned Wine Appreciation from the legendary Steven Spurrier at his Academie du Vin in Paris 1978 (Mr. Spurrier’s unique
   contributions to the wine world are recounted in the movie Bottle Shock.)
Studied Italian at the Scuola Leonardo in Rome (of Eat, Pray, Love, fame) 2012.
Fluent French and Spanish; Intermediate Italian; Cebuano; Tagalog.
 
Relevant Work Experience: International Banker, Hotelier

International Finance Corporation-World Bank (1979-1986). Senior Investment Officer, Washington DC, assigned to Mexico, Colombia, and the Caribbean. Travelled extensively, logged over 500 nights at mostly 4 and 5 star hotels.

Plantation Bay Resort & Spa. (1995-2020, now retired from active management). Plantation Bay is a 5 Star International Class Resort as rated by TripAdvisor, Expedia, Agoda, Bookings.com, and numerous other observers. It was recently elected to the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame for winning the Certificate of Excellence for five straight years.

Was personally responsible for the site development plan and stylistic design of the resort. Oversaw construction, furniture procurement, hiring and training, and startup. Active in day-to-day management. Instrumental in developing the Korean tourism business for the Philippines, as borne out by the fact that Plantation Bay is the most recognized foreign hotel name in Korea. Also served a term as President of the Hotel, Resort, and Restaurant Association of Cebu.

Played an important role in the liberalization of the Philippine airline industry. Wrote a highly influential Guest Main Editorial, The Unfriendly Philippine Skies, The Asian Wall Street Journal (May 19, 1999). For complete list of other publications and books, please see General-Purpose Resumé.
 
Cities Lived In (at least one year except as noted)
London. Paris. Barcelona. New York. San Francisco. Washington DC. Hong Kong. Vancouver, British Columbia. Whistler, British Columbia. Cebu. Manila. Los Angeles (6 months). Breckenridge, Colorado (2 months). Rome (6 weeks). Boston (5 weeks), Berlin (4 months).
 
Major Cities/Areas Visited (at least two nights/three days)

Asia and Oceania: Tokyo, Beijing, Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Chengdu, Guilin, Lhasa, Macao, Seoul, Bangkok. Baguio, Daet, Balesin Island, Boracay, Iloilo, Bacolod, Ormoc, Panglao, Camotes Islands, Siargao, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City, Bukidnon Province, Davao City. Auckland, Marlborough Sounds, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, Mount Cook, Queenstown, Christchurch, Dunedin - New Zealand. Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane - Australia.

Europe: Budapest, Hungary. Prague, Czech Republic. Istanbul, Turkey. Athens, Greece. Valletta, Malta. Inverness, Edinburgh, Brighton, Bath, York - UK. Verona, Bologna, Positano, Naples, Milan, Syracuse, Palermo, Taormina, Sorrento, Capri, Florence, Venice, Tuscany - Italy. Geneva, Zurich, Ascona, Lausanne, Lucerne, Neuchatel, Bern, Basel – Switzerland. Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Bruges, Belgium. Amsterdam, Netherlands. Copenhagen, Denmark. Deauville, St. Malo, Cannes, Lille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Marseille, Nice, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Carcassonne, Loire Valley, Lyon, Montpellier, Beaune - France. Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Baden-Baden, Munich, Berlin, Nuremberg, Cologne - Germany. Madrid, Sevilla, Marbella, Sotogrande-Gibraltar, Granada, Ronda, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Ibiza, Priorat, Zaragoza, Ribera del Duero, Salamanca - Spain. Stockholm, Sweden. Oslo, Bergen – Norway. Reykjavik and Blue Lagoon, Iceland. Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck – Austria.

North America: Toronto, Okanagan, Victoria/Vancouver Island, Squamish, Kelowna, Kamloops, Montreal. Boston. Freeport and Portland, Maine. New Haven, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Akron-Canton-Cleveland, The Hamptons. Detroit, Petoskey, Traverse City, Charlevoix, St. Louis, Memphis, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Fort Lauderdale. Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Denver, Vale, Jackson, Bozeman. Bend, Portland, and Florence, Oregon. San Jose, San Diego, and Monterrey. Seattle. Honolulu. New Orleans.

Latin America and the Caribbean: Mexico City DF, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, Cuernavaca, San Migue Allende - Mexico. Kingston and Montego Bay - Jamaica. Castries, St. Lucia. Bridgetown, Barbados. Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien - Haiti. Caracas, Venezuela. Barranquilla, Cartagena, Bogota, Medellin, Cali - Colombia. Lima, Peru. Santiago, Easter Island, Atacama, Puerto Montt - Chile. Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo - Brazil. Buenos Aires, Tierra del Fuego - Argentina. Montevideo, Uruguay.
 
Highly Experienced Hotel Guest: Five-Star and Other Notable Hotels Stayed In
(* denotes a hotel which is on Travel & Leisure’s list of Top 500 hotels in the world)
The Ritz London(*). Grosvenor House London. Arlington House London. Hyde Park Hotel London (now Mandarin) (*). InterContinental Paris (now Westin). Four Seasons Gresham Palace Budapest (*). The original Imperial Hotel Tokyo (now demolished). Four Seasons Sultanahmed Istanbul (*). Grande Bretagne Athens (*). Carlton InterContinental Cannes. Luna Hotel Baglioni Venice (*). Beau Rivage Lausanne. Hotel de la Paix Geneva. Baur au Lac Zurich. Waldorf-Astoria New York . Flemings Hotel Mayfair London. Les Armures Geneva. Hotel de Russie Rome (*). Hassler Rome (*). Sofitel Villa Borghese Rome. Park Hyatt Milano (*). Grand Hotel Villa Igiea, Palermo Sicily. The Madrid Ritz. Barcelona El Palace GL (*). Peninsula Hong Kong (*). Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong (*). Hullett House Hong Kong. Prestonfield House Edinburgh. Hotel Imperial Vienna (*). Westin Excelsior Florence. Westin Grand Frankfurt. Villa La Massa Florence. Inn at the Market Seattle (*). Four Seasons Hong Kong (*). The Raffles Singapore. The Peninsula Manila (*). Hotel Okura Tokyo. Mandarin Oriental Washington DC. Four Seasons Washington DC (*). The Dorset New York (long demolished). Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva. La Scalinatella Capri. Bellevue Syrene Sorrento. Four Seasons Whistler (*). Schloss Monchstein Salzburg. Mandarin Oriental Barcelona (*). Disney World Yacht Club Orlando. Disney World Beach Club Orlando. Regent Petite France Strasbourg. Dorint Maison Messmer, Baden-Baden. Heidelberg Suites. Locanda dell'Amorosa, Tuscany. Heathman, Portland Oregon (*). River Place, Portland Oregon. Mark Hopkins, San Francisco. The Lodge at Torrey Pines, San Diego (*). Mandarin Oriental Munich. Four Seasons, New York (*). Mandarin Oriental Geneva. Hotel Vitale San Francisco (*). The Upper House, Hong Kong. The Bostonian, Boston. The Peabody, Memphis. Lausanne Palace. Palafitte, Neuchatel. Bellevue Palace, Bern. Les Trois Rois, Basel.The Willard, Washington DC. Park Hyatt, Washington DC. Hotel d'Angleterre, Geneva. The Chatwal, New York. The Park Hyatt, New York. Hotel d'Europe, Avignon. Chateau Petit Verdus, Bordeaux Region. After Six, Stockholm. Grand Hotel, Oslo. Boscolo Exedra, Nice. Grand Hyatt Incheon. Hotel Lotte, Jeju. Luxury Suites, Amsterdam. Hotel Adlon Kempinski, Berlin. Skt. Petri, Copenhagen. Viking Sun Majestic Fjords Cruise, Owner's Suite. Hanseatic Hotel, Bergen. Brown's Hotel, London. Mandarin Oriental, Miami. Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills. Halekulani, Honolulu. The Peninsula, Chicago. Brasada Ranch, Oregon. Adlon Kempinski, Berlin. Capitol Kempinski, Singapore. The Conrad, Chicago. The Blue Lagoon Retreat, Iceland. Terra Dominicata, Priorat. Castilla Termal Monasterio de Valbuena, Ribera del Duero. Palacio de San Esteban, Salamanca. Hotel Urban, Madrid. Huka Lodge, Taupo, New Zealand. Azur, Queenstown, New Zealand. Bay of Many Coves Resort, New Zealand. Grand Hyatt Melbourne. The Langham, Sydney. Viking Jupiter South America and Chilean Fjords Cruise, Owner's Suite.
 
Highly Experienced Restaurant Patron: Notable Restaurants Patronized
(* to *** denotes Michelin stars)
Taillevent, Paris (***). l’Ambassade d’Auvergne, Paris. Le Grand Colbert, Paris. Alain Senderens at Place de la Madeleine, Paris (**). Mollard, Paris. Le Train Bleu, Paris. Fouquet’s, Paris. Pavillon Ledoyen, Paris (***). Le Procope, Paris. Restaurant Polidor, Paris (setting for Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris). l’Ilot Vache, Paris. Le Grand Vefour, Paris (**). La Coupole, Paris. Il Gabrielo, Rome. Imago at the Hassler, Rome (*). Sevva, Hong Kong. l’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Hong Kong (***). NOBU InterContinental, Hong Kong. The Steak House, Hong Kong (*). Morton’s Steak House, Washington DC. Palm, Washington DC. Lasserre, Paris (**). Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill, London. Sweetings, London. Tre Scalini Piazza Navona, Rome. Ciampini, Rome. Pierre Gagnaire at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong (**). Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa, London. The Savoy Grill, London (*). Simpson’s in the Strand, London. Gordon Ramsay’s Heddon Street Kitchen, London. River Café, New York (*). The Wolseley, London. Mario Batali’s Del Posto, New York (*). Los Caracoles, Barcelona. Bar Mut, Barcelona. Tapas 24, Barcelona. VUN at Park Hyatt Milan (*). Scoma’s, San Francisco. Lung King Heen, Hong Kong (***). Buena Vista Café, San Francisco. La Casserole, Strasbourg (*). Maison des Tanneurs, Strasbourg. Fink Stuebel, Strasbourg. Goya, Madrid. Palacio de Cibeles, Madrid. Le Pavillon, Zurich (*). Le Gabriel Bistro, Bordeaux. La Tupina, Bordeaux. Brasserie Lipp, Geneva. Il Lago, Geneva (*). Tommy’s Hamburger, Los Angeles. The original Hard Rock Café, London. Benu, San Francisco (***). Gramercy Tavern, New York (*). The Modern, Museum of Modern Art New York (**). Le Bernardin, New York (***). La Grenouille, New York (formerly ***). Aquavit, New York (**). Gabriel Kreuther, New York (*). Andanada, New York (*). Marea, New York (**). Nola, New Orleans. Galatoire’s, New Orleans. R’Evolution, New Orleans. Rasoi, Geneva. Cinq Sentits, Barcelona (*). Caelis, Barcelona (*). The Bristol, Boston. Legal Seafood, Boston. The Waverly Inn, New York. Caprice, Hong Kong (**). Gotham Bar and Grill, New York (*). Eleven Madison Park, New York (***). Tom’s Diner, New York (setting for Seinfeld). Cheers, Boston (setting for Cheers). The Peninsula Grill, Charleston. The French Laundry, Yountville (***). Union Oyster House, Boston. Californios, San Francisco (*). Campton Place Restaurant, San Francisco (*). Quince, San Francisco (***). Ruth’s Chris, Boston. La Table d’Edgard, Lausanne (*). Palace Sushi Zen, Lausanne. Kornhauskeller, Bern. Meridiano, Bern (*). Restaurant VUE, Bern. Aureole, New York (*). The Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal, New York. Blue Hill, New York (*). Mario Batalli’s Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria, New York. Café Boulud, New York (*). Sardi’s Restaurant, New York. Brasserie Ruhlman, New York. Rock Center Café, New York. NoMad, New York (*). Sel et Poivre, New York. Katz’s Deli, New York. Bar Masa, New York. 21 Club, New York. Jean-Georges, New York (***). Ai Fiori, New York (*). Lafayette Restaurant, Washington DC. Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington DC. Blue Duck, Washington DC (*). Marcel’s, Washington DC. Cheval Blanc, Basel (***). Amber, Hong Kong (**). Tim Ho Wan, Hong Kong (*). Otto e Mezzo, Hong Kong (***). Peter Luger, Brooklyn New York (*). Per Se, New York (***). Porter House Grill, New York. Boccaccio, Nice. Oliviera, Nice. Chateau de la Chevre d’Or, Eze. Licandro le Bistro, Aix-en-Provence. Private Dining Room, Chateau Palmer, Margaux. Esperanto, Stockholm. Ekstedt, Stockholm (*) Esperanto, Stockholm. Fjord, Stockholm (*). Momo Yama, Jeju. Narnia, Jeju. Ellen’s Stardust Diner, New York. Truluck’s, Fort Lauderdale. Maaemo, Oslo (***). Enhjorningen, Bergen. Palmen Restaurant, Oslo. Spring Moon, Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong (***). Casterlroc, Monaco. Restaurant RED, Amsterdam. VEA, Hong Kong (*). Beefbar, Hong Kong (*). Tate Dining Room, Hong Kong (*). A Valenciana, Lisbon. Restaurant Salon, Copenhagen. Det Lille Apotek, Copenhagen. Hakkasan Mayfair, London. Gaucho Piccadilly, London. Benares Restaurant, London (*). Fera at Claridge’s, London (*). Havana 1957, Miami. Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen, Key Largo. Everest, Chicago (*). Momotaro, Chicago. Canter’s Deli, Los Angeles. Spago Beverly Hills (**). The Hungtington Rose Garden Tea Room, Los Angeles. The Rooftop Grill at Montage, Beverly Hills. Wolfgang Puck’s CUT, Beverly Hills (*). Orchids, Honolulu. Azure, Honolulu. Alan Wong’s, Honolulu (*). Entente, Chicago (*). Fleming’s Fine Steakhouse, Miami. La Mar, Miami. Facil, Berlin (*). Nouri, Singapore (*). Odette, Singapore (**). Huka Lodge Dining Room, Taupo, New Zealand. Crackers, Berlin. Siglodoce, Avila. El Nacional, Barcelona. Jardin de Diana, Barcelona. Moss Restaurant, Blue Lagoon, Iceland. Lava Restaurant, Blue Lagoon, Iceland. Rockpool Bar and Grill, Sydney. Lord Nelson Brewery, Sydney. The Grove, Auckland. Amano, Auckland. Lune Croissanterie, Melbourne. The Panorama and The Alpine Restaurants, Mt. Cook, New Zealand. Jervois Steak House, Queenstown, New Zealand. Rata, Queenstown, New Zealand.
 
Humorous Travelogue Writer and Social Commentator: Publications (Philippine Star except as noted; Click link for full text)

Cebu – Where West First Met East (Mabuhay Magazine) 2000.
The Problem With Cebuanas (The Freeman) 2009.
Missing in Munich (Philippine Inquirer) 2009.
How I Learned to Play Hockey 2009.
2010 Winter Olympics (Cebu Sun-Star) 2010.
Blown Away in Vienna 2010.
Chilling Out in Prague 2010.
(Almost) Busted in Budapest (Cebu Sun-Star) 2010.
Five Days in Athens 2010.
Seven Days in Istanbul 2010.
Seville, A Part of Spain That’s Not Madrid (Cebu Sun-Star) 2011.
Ronda and Granada – Some Parts of Spain That Aren’t Madrid (Cebu Sun-Star) 2011.
Barcelona – A Part of Spain That’s Not Madrid (Cebu Sun-Star) 2011.
Quickie in Marseille 2011.
Provence: A Tale of Two Cities, Avignon, 2011.
Provence: A Tale of Two Cities, Aix-en-Provence, 2011.
The French Riviera – A Tale of Two Cities, Cannes, 2011.
The French Riviera – A Tale of Two Cities, Nice, 2011.
Springtime in Lyon 2011..
April in Paris (Cebu Sun-Star) 2012..
Springtime in Rome (Cebu Sun-Star) 2012.
Six Weeks in Rome. Part One of Four: The Most Beautiful Women in Rome 2012.
Six Weeks in Rome. Part Two of Four: How to Do Rome in a Day, 2012.
Six Weeks in Rome. Part Three of Four: How to Do Rome in a Day, continued, 2012.
Six Weeks in Rome. Part Four of Four: Amazing Facts About Rome that Guidebooks Won’t Tell You, 2012.
A Stroll Through Heidelberg 2013.
Paris – Three Exhibits 2013.
Paris – Three Stores, Three Lunches 2013.
Baden-Baden on a Budget 2014.
The Sensual Pleasures of Bordeaux 2014.
Counting Stars from Manhattan to San Francisco, 2016.
Barcelona by Bar, 2016.
Eating My Way Through London, 2016.
Bigger and Better in Texas, 2016.
Erotic Art in Paris Museums, (Manila Bulletin) 2016.
Catalunya Independence Crisis Explained (an Op-Ed in 4 parts) 2017.
A Visit to Christie's Auction House, and a Glimpse of the US$ 450 Million Da Vinci, 2017.
Bitcoins: The Emperor Has No Clothes, 2018.
Switzerland (a three-part article), 2018.
Opening Doors in Bordeaux, 2018.
Official National Dishes – An Off-the-Wall Idea for National Change, 2018.
Interview on Philippine Challenges, 2018.
Bitcoins AND Blockchains - Murphy's Law Waiting to Happen, 2018.
Solving the US Health Care Fiasco, 2019.
The Arithmetic Behind and Beyond the Proposed Manila Subway, 2019.
Crazy Wild Ideas - Out-of-the-Box Solutions for Fixing the Philippines, a full-length book which proposes sweeping changes to national symbols, including the flag, food, sports, holidays, and national motto.
Plantation Bay Circular on Coronavirus, 2020.
No Time to Waste a Pandemic Financial Recovery, 2020.
Crypto resurrection, 2022.