Three months earlier—

At the top of the Maharlika Tower, Philip Hidalgo spoke on his phone. He spun and flipped his sharp knife while looking at the outside view. “Thank you, Mr. President.”

Hanging up, he returned his knife to his collection and dialed another number. “BEE, Phase One is complete. Now, we proceed to Phase Two.”

With a big smile on his face, Philip clasped his hands together and observed the urban landscape. Not long after, his secretary entered the room.

“Excuse me, sir,” she interrupted. “It’s almost time.”

“Good. Let’s bring them the big news. Shall we?”

Meanwhile, on the ground floor, several journalists conversed in the lobby. They all wore face masks and face shields while waiting for the press conference to begin.

“We are inside the Maharlika Tower,” a female correspondent reported. “Any moment now, Philip Hidalgo will give his special announcement concerning his V3 vaccine. So far, his company had distributed a million doses of the vaccine for free. Under our government’s strict guidelines, frontline health workers and uniformed personnel were given first priority. In fact, as of last week, our records show that all frontline and essential workers had all been vaccinated.”

She paused as most journalists took their seats.

“Now, for those living under a rock, you may be asking yourself, who in the world is Philip Hidalgo? Honestly, the fifty-five-year-old billionaire remained an enigma. However, what we do know is that his company, the Maharlika Corporation, is now the leading pharmaceutical company in the country, thanks in part to the overwhelmingly positive reception of V3. To the surprise of many, all government officials are strong advocates of both V3 and Philip Hidalgo himself. His company is also involved in innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence and robotics. Rumor has it that Maharlika Corp. is introducing 6G phone to the world very soon. An unconfirmed report states that after buying all the minor telecom companies throughout the country, Maharlika has acquired full control of the two major telecommunication giants. However, under Philippine law, business monopolies are strictly prohibited. Anyway, I can see Mr. Hidalgo approaching. That could only mean one thing. The press conference is about to start. This is Jessica David reporting for PNN.”

“Who does he think he is?” Jessica scoffed while glaring at the billionaire. “Just look at him with his black turtleneck, blue jeans, and gray sneakers.” She shook her head in disbelief. “He is no Steve Jobs.”

Her Philippine News Network cameraman chuckled.

Meantime, Philip Hidalgo stepped to the elevated podium and raised his two hands. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. I can see you are taking the necessary precaution. That’s good. Wearing face masks and face shields in public and practicing social distancing—you can do away with all of them when you take my V3 vaccine. V3 is a genetic messenger RNA vaccine that we created to outsmart COVID-19. Since we value safety over speed, I can guarantee 100% effectiveness of V3 for life, not six months like those other vaccines out there. One dose of V3 is enough for all things to return to normal. Do you all want that?”

The quiet crowd nodded.

“We all know the majority of Filipinos are still struggling in these difficult times. Unemployment is now at its highest. Even Filipino billionaires suffered a blow to their wealth in 2020 as their business sales were cut by more than half. But I was among the lucky few whose fortune rose during the COVID-19 pandemic. In truth, I gained the most, more than anyone else in the country. Out of nowhere, I am now unofficially the richest Filipino in the world. Sorry, I forgot all about trillionaire Christian Cruz.”

The attentive crowd remained silent.

“After donating over one million V3 vaccines to the Philippine government to combat COVID-19, I thought to myself, is that enough? As a capitalist, the answer is, of course, yes. But I am also a humanitarian. So, my final answer is a no, N-O, no. Because I was blessed during the pandemic, I want to help my fellow countrymen. And for this reason, I decided that I am going to give my V3 for free to all the Filipinos — all one hundred eleven million of you.”

The crowd dropped their jaws.

“Why? It’s because I love my country very much. You see, there are things more important than money. Profiteering is never my style. I value human life more than corporate profit. How’s that for giving back?”

The crowd clapped their hands.

“And today, I am introducing the PH-PHONE, the first 6G phone in the market. My sixth-generation wireless phone is the most advanced smartphone in the world. And I have another surprise for you. I will give them away for free to all the V3 vaccinated Filipinos.”

The crowd went wild, erupting in cheers.

“You heard me. That’s free PH-PHONE to every vaccinated Filipinos, including frontline workers who had already received their V3. I want you all to enjoy your very own top-of-the-line PH-PHONE.”

The crowd removed their face masked, cheering. “P–H–PHONE! P–H–PHONE!”

“That’s right. Remove your face masks and face shields. You don’t need them because with me around, COVID-19 is not a threat anymore.”

“Philip! Philip!” the crowd chanted.

“One last thing. With our President’s blessing. I now owned all the telecommunication in the Philippines. As my final gesture of goodwill, I will give free WIFI nationwide all throughout the vaccination period.”

“We love you, Philip Hidalgo!” the crowd screamed.

Jessica removed her face mask. “Damn it! I was wrong. Philip Hidalgo is way better than Steve Jobs.”