By force of pride, nobody in his right mind wants to admit that he is down to his last penny. Down to his last million may be acceptable, but down to the last centavo? No way. When Ted Turner, owner of CNN, Time-Warner, etc., was asked how's your financial position, the ready answer was “am down to my last billion.” Show this BGlante one who admits he is in dire straits and he will use all devices to mask the reality of near bankruptcy. To a never-say-die businessman like this BGlante, projecting a lifestyle that we are still on an even keel is the order of the day although by the looks of it, sinking may not be far behind. It is as if the choice is already sink or swim? Not yet. Knowing our vaunted guts, we still believe that we can make a turnaround after a free fall tailspin. Even at the point of clutching at straws, we have to hold on believing that God is after all our guide to full recovery. Yes, all the unmistakable signs of reversals are there for those interested to see for themselves, let alone our creditors, if at all, we are indeed on the brink of a fiscal precipice.

The first sign of danger was when our ever reliable checking account was closed. Nurtured more than 20 years of financial stability, it met its untimely closure after three successive checks were found to be laced with too much rubber content. Meaning, all three checks bounced. Thus, started the ordeal of a businessman who relied on checks to keep his business afloat. To this account holder, the closed checking account deprived him of playing with checks by kiting it from one businessman to another while waiting for collectibles to come in handy. If only our business is like in a fast food joint where transactions are consummated when one plays by the rule of the store which is “pay as you order.” We survive on credit for every business transacted to us but it's the other way around when we go about every issue of our newspaper. While we allow credit to flourish for the lifeblood (advertisements) of our business, it's the other way around when it comes to our printing account. It's on cash and carry basis. No pay, no print. But that's another story. Anyway, back to our present fiscal state.

We remember many years back when business was at its peak. We said then that at least three things would compel us to throw in the towel if business showed signs of running aground. First off, if we start selling a stockpile of scrap metal which we left to rot in one corner of the farm. For years, the scrap iron of different sizes was left to the elements until last week when we decided to contact a buyer and sold it according to his own price dictate. Another reversal in our position is for our mango orchard to remain untouched until it bears fruit on its own. It was our position back then never to resort to inducing the trees through the use of chemicals in order to bear fruits. But with our financial position in disarray, we decided to have the trees subjected to chemical use in order to bear fruits. We are waiting for the time that the mango trees will bear fruits by reason of inducement. Of the three last ditch alternatives, the massacre of mahogany trees lining up the 1.3 hectare property to yield lumber for commercial use is the last remaining option up for evaluation if it is tenable to meet a financial crisis. So far, it remains the solution of last resort but when push comes to shove, then we are left with no other choice but to start felling the full grown trees used as perimeter fence of our property.

Against this backdrop of an impending financial disaster, the only hope that we will not hear the deafening roar of chain saws felling the mahogany trees is for business to be back on its feet. For all intents and purposes, we remain positive that things will turn out right as soon as a business turnaround is the next best thing to happen in the business environment. Therefore, is it time to plead poverty? No, not yet. It's too early to quit. For all you know, we still have several aces up our sleeves. For the uninitiated, we don't earn the moniker BGlante, for nothing