I FOUND the personal experience shared by one retired colonel interesting, as he relates it to my column "Well-founded paranoia," published on October 22. He says he owns an apartment for rent in a barangay (village) in Pasay City, just a stone's throw away from the Philippine Air Force's (PAF) headquarters, Jesus Villamor Air Base, and from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. One time, a number of Chinese, aided by female Filipino companions acting as their interpreters and negotiators, offered to rent his apartment and make a down payment.
However, after being asked to present identification, employment records or local business affiliations for contract purposes, and upon learning that he is a retired military officer, the prospective Chinese lessees just disappeared, and their numbers could no longer be reached. They did not even bother to refund their down payment. And that was not the last time something similar happened.
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