Of men, and music idols!
Published Jun 14, 2026 12:05 am
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Updated Jun 13, 2026 04:09 pm
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE
Two episodes of our MB The Sit Down act as great examples of the kind of diversity we hope to achieve with these video podcasts. While politicians may be hogging the headlines of late… even if at times, for the wrong reasons, and they’ll always be ready to take a turn in the spotlight; we also want to direct the Sit Down lens on people from the business community, and those entrenched in the creative industries and the arts. The challenge will be how to deliver something fresh, illuminating, and entertaining. With our episodes featuring recording artist Gigi de Lana, and that of real estate developers Charlie Rufino and his son Raymond, I like to think we managed to do that.
The people power of buildings
NEO is a leading owner, developer, and manager of commercial office buildings in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig. Its’ impressive portfolio consists of seven sustainable office towers, known for their green building certifications, including Net Zero Carbon status. These seven structures represent 256,707 square meters of office space, around 108 tenant companies, and a 35,881 tenant community.
Raymond and Charlie Rufino of NEO, with MB’s Len Amadora and your columnist.
For both NEO President Charlie Rufino, and his son Raymond who sits as NEO CEO; these numbers are of extreme importance as they form the cornerstone of #theNEOway – a tenant engagement program that prioritizes wellness, productivity, and community building through events and activities that extend beyond the workplace. While we talk about the buildings and their sustainable attributes in the course of the podcast, I was really happy when the conversation took us to this signature NEO program, and how the unique approach goes beyond property development and management, and prioritizes how there are people calling these edifices their workplace — spending a little less than 1/3 of their everyday lives there.
Fatherly pride exemplified! Charlie Rufino beams, as Raymond expounds on a point.
Our Environment and Sustainability editor, Len Amadora, joined me for this episode, and at one point we ask, half in jest, if the Sustainability imperative can be hereditary, and passed on between generations. This makes both Charlie and Raymond smile; as when it comes to succession, Charlie has already handed the NEO baton to Raymond, and his brothers JV and Carlo. The big idea is to continue the Rufino legacy and advocacies — and it is a legacy that dates back to the generation that preceded Charlie. At the start, they were developing office buildings in Makati’s Central Business District, and movie theaters in Manila.
Catch this Sit Down episode, and appreciate why the NEO story can be about buildings of concrete and steel, but is just as much about the people who will walk in and out of these structures, and it’s about thinking of the responsibility developers should possess for the future. At a MB Sustainability Forum we mounted some three years ago at the University of the Philippines, Raymond was one of our speakers. He spoke about co-founding BERDE, the Philippines Green Building Council; and then got choked up, explaining how the big reason he was so passionate about Sustainability were his children, ensuring their future would be in a world far better than today’s. That makes the mission so personal, and I loved that.
The music in her mind
I opened our Gigi de Lana episode with the joke that I was introducing one of the two G’s that enjoyed unprecedented popularity, and shot to fame, during the recent Covid health crisis. The other G? That would be G-Cash; and that had Gigi smiling, stifling a laugh. I like to think that set the tone for a lighter, more unfiltered episode of the Sit Down, and I hope you’ll agree – eager to know more about Gigi the person, the woman behind the recording artist and star.
The MB video team with Gigi de Lana (center); and at the far left, her manager, Volter John, at Gigi’s Tritone Studios.
What I really liked was how game Gigi was to address the many questions hanging in the air, and did not consider any line of inquiry to be taboo. This included her recent bout with pericarditis, a viral infection. If you recall, she had fainted twice during her provincial concerts, and the most recent was in Samal in March of this year. What that diagnosis meant, and the progress she has enjoyed in getting over the infection, are taken up.
Who seems extremely happy with our Sit Down episode? Thank you for having us, Gigi.
In one funny sequence, I call her a rumor magnet; and that a cursory Google search will produce such information as she’s a mother, she’s married to Gerald Anderson, she walks in her sleep, and is in possession of a third eye. Fake news, all of them? Or is there truth in any of these rumors?
In one of the more serious moments, we talk about her evolution as an artist and how admittedly, it had segments of her original fanbase confused. Bashers appeared out of the woodwork, and Gigi admits the things they said hurt. Towards the end of the episode, she makes a very heartfelt appeal to her followers, and talks about how she understands the confusion did come from a place of love, because some fans want their favorites or idols to never change. It’s the very sincere call of an artist to be understood, and I do hope her fans get to watch it.
Do catch these Sit Down episodes on YouTube and Spotify. Thought-provoking and illuminating can still be fun and entertaining!