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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Basty and friends

Basty and friends

Published Feb 12, 2026 12:01 am  |  Updated Feb 11, 2026 04:36 pm
MEDIUM RARE
While some girls and ladies have their so-called sugar daddies, I have what I call a paper daddy, in the person of the supplier of paper who was responsible for the printing of 18 editions of my book, “Etiquette for Mistresses.”
As much as it was a publishing phenomenon of the last century (1992), I think of it as a stroke of good luck that Sebastian Chua has always been on my side. As First Lady Liza A. Marcos said in her video message to greet Basty on his birthday last Saturday the seventh, “Thank you for always being there for us.” More or less the same message from Gringo Honasan and former senator Antonio Trillanes.
Basty, who continues to hold office on Joy street at the back of Sto. Domingo church in Quezon City, was once upon a time the largest supplier of paper hereabouts, and maybe still is in the age of paperless workloads. Now he has added Xiaomi to his business, Xiaomi products for household convenience, hi-tech or what I’d call robot helpers. (In my home, we use a vacuum cleaner that knows how to avoid a piece of furniture or its leg and other encumbrances.)
To welcome guests to his party at East Ocean Palace, Basty’s instruction was to give each of them a door prize of, guess what? A Xiaomi power bank! In addition, eight Xiaomi cameras (each worth ₱1,700) waited to be raffled off before the party came to an end.
That’s Basty, the birthday boy whose invitations read, “No gifts please,” because the gifts would be his to give away.
At his VIP table sat former President Joseph Estrada and his son Senator Jinggoy, Senator Nancy Binay, and San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora. Basty’s loyal assistant, Clarita, had a “map” of where to seat Rep. Egay Erice, Rolex Suplico, Maca Asistio, and Alfredo Yao, while WCY took charge of Basty’s pals from their Wednesday and Thursday clubs.
Basty, in true Chinese tradition, wore red like most everyone else, for luck, good health, and prosperity. When I asked him, “What’s your birthday wish?” he replied, through the din and loud music, with a wide smile, which I interpreted to mean, “Love and good times.”

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MEDIUM RARE JULLIE Y. DAZA
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